Connie's Confessions

Peyton's Camera Photo Dump

2012-02-13T13:49:00.000-06:00

Maddie's 2nd Birthday Pictures

2012-02-11T21:56:00.000-06:00

Brunch and Bunches of Fun

2012-02-10T21:15:00.005-06:00

We all met up today for brunch and kiddie fun! I love these mornings! So full of girl talk and worn out kids at the end of the morning! The weather was dreary today (of course) so we had to bail out of feeding the ducks. But, we stayed as long as possible....well let's just say until the school buses came with all the school children (seems like 100 of them). Then it was time to go...especially with all the school children dressed in red. The exact same color I put Peyton in which made it hard to spot him. So, yeah, it was time to go. But the morning was wonderful hanging with the girls and watching my little guy have fun with his friends!

The Little Rascals Parade

2012-02-05T16:22:00.010-06:00

We asked Erin and her family to join us for the Little Rascals Parade. We didn't know but was excited to find out that this is officially Erin, Ian and the kid's first ever Mardi Gras parade. And Erin was so excited!!! Zoe and Peyton had so much fun together eating pizza, dancing, catching beads and toys and chasing all the mascots for a hug. I am glad that my family had the opportunity to kick off the Mardi Gras season with Erin and her family. I look forward to many more parades together!! :)

Grand Dad's Birthday Pictures

2012-02-04T21:21:00.001-06:00

A Dinosaur Birthday Party

2012-02-04T15:50:00.001-06:00

Today we celebrated Brayden's 4th birthday. Brayden is one of Peyton's schoolmates, but not a classmate. Brayden goes Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, but it was wonderful that Brayden's mom asked the whole four year old class to his party. I already got to meet Brayden and his lovely mom at Peyton's party so it was nice to see them again. I love that Lakeview people support each other and are always out to meet and get to know their neighbors. Sometimes I have my doubts about living in Orleans, but lately I have come to appreciate it. So anyway, when we arrived at the party Peyton tells me "All my school friends are here!" He was so excited to see everyone especially when Konnor and Zoe showed up. It was a very cute party with all the Dinosaur stuff. The weather was a little threatening, but the rain held out until the party was over. I guess Mother Nature gave Brayden a break so that he could have a wonderful birthday! Happy Birthday Brayden!!!!

At the Lake

2012-02-03T19:53:00.001-06:00

Becca, Erin and I met at the Lake for breakfast and some kiddie biking fun. This is quickly becoming our favorite spot to hang out. Not only is it rarely crowded at the play area, but we can sit and watch the kids go around and around without too much worry about where they are. I swear that if we ever show up and someone has our spot, we will be so upset! :) It was chilly when we got there but warmed up nicely by noon. I brought a quiche, Erin brought Pumpkin bread (so yummy) and Becca brought the all-important coffee. Love hanging out with the girls and watching the kids have so much fun together!! I love these kids!!

Zack's Rough Week

2012-02-03T16:48:00.015-06:00

My poor Zack has had a very rough week. It all started last week when we noticed that he stopped eating for about two days. He was very clingy, slept a lot, and lost interest in playing with his favorite ball. When he did eat, I noticed that he wouldn't take food from me. I had to put it down on the floor and he took it in his mouth in a sideways fashion. By the end of the week, I decided to go ahead and bring him to the vet to see what was up. Come to find out he had a abscessed tooth. And we come to conclude that this infection probably came from Zack rooting in our garbage that we had to the side to put outside. We caught him with his head in the bag. I think whatever was in there and he got a hold of caused the infection. Anyway, I guess that explains the sideways eating. Our vet told us that he has bad tarter buildup on the back teeth and we should schedule for a cleaning. Zack had his teeth cleaned about three years ago, so I guess it is about due for another. They push every year but at $400.00 a pop, I can't imagine how people can afford such luxury on their dog's mouth. We agree to every two to three years depending on how bad the build up was. So the abscessed tooth was our calling. We scheduled him for Friday and the vet gave us some pain pills to help with any discomfort. The next day (of course) Zack was acting like his old self and even his gums was turning back to the nice pink instead of fire engine red. So Tuesday, Wednesday and all day Thursday he was perfectly fine. Thursday night was a different story. He woke us up with continuous throwing up and diarrhea. Every two hours I was up with a very sick dog. I swear it was as bad as having a newborn!! His teeth cleaning was scheduled for the next morning so Kevin called the vet and told them of the situation and asked if it was a good idea to put him under since he was sick all night. They said probably not but for us to bring him in anyways just in case his sudden illness was from the abscessed tooth causing an infection in his body. So we brought him in and got a call later that they wanted to test him for Pancreatitis since the symptoms were the same. Four hours later they called back and said that he tested negative for Pancreatitis it was Gastritis and that he was so dehydrated that they put him on fluids and wanted to keep him until 5:00 p.m. and if he still showed signs of dehydration they wanted to keep him during the night. So we called back at 5:00 and they told us he was looking better and to come pick him up. I was so happy to have my puppy home. Kevin and I felt that Zack would feel so much better if he was home in his own bed. Our puppy is the type of dog that gets depressed when we are away, so we know what would be best for him to get better. Zack was so excited to be home and first thing he did was jump in our bed to sleep. We were excited to have him home too! So the culprit of Zack's sudden illness? Well I bought a new All Natural Duck treat that didn't agree with him. Needless to say...those treats went right in the garbage. I have to be very careful what I buy him and the vet told us not to trust everything that says All Natural. So $300.00 later we learn a valuable lesson. I think the year of 2012 will be the highest vet bill we will ever pay for Zack. We haven't even gotten to the cleaning and shots yet! :) Oh well, my puppy is worth it. In the eight years that we had Zack, he was always super healthy. So I'm not complaining one bit. I am just happy that our puppy is feeling better.

My Picky Eater

2012-02-02T20:33:00.001-06:00

Peyton has turned into such a picky eater. I try so hard to get him to eat what I prepare for dinner, but it doesn't seem to be working. I cut out snacking thinking he would be hungry enough to eat, but he would go without eating before having to eat what I put in front of him. I even tried preparing meals that most kids would like. For example, mash potatoes and pot roast. Nope, not interested and it turns into tears and tantrums about what I am going to fix before it is ever put in front of him. Seriously!! He even tried putting my dinner back (or maybe hiding it) as seen in the above picture. :) Well I am hoping that his interest of food will go further than pizza, mac & cheese, grilled cheese sandwich, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, bread and butter and cheese and crackers. I swear this is his meal list. I would like to one day just have to prepare one meal. But I hate seeing him not eat, so I can only hope this is just a phase and it will end relatively soon.

Monster Jam

2012-01-28T20:09:00.000-06:00

We took Peyton to his first Monster Jam tonight. He loved it of course! I didn't think I would be too into it but I actually enjoyed tonight. Peyton was a little grumpy when we went to the Pitt Party from being hungry and only wanted to look at the truck from a distance. He didn't want pictures with the trucks (I had to fight for the pictures that I do have) and he didn't want to meet the drivers. I think he is a little young to be into the driver just yet but one day he will be just as awed with the drivers as with their trucks. After we got some food in him he was in a better mood. When they got down to the best trucks (which they saved for last), Peyton was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He wanted to see Maximum Destruction and Grave Digger and we knew he would be upset when he realized that he missed them, so we had to walk him around a little to wake him up until it was their time to perform. It was worth the effort because Peyton loved watching his two favorite monster trucks do their thing! :)

Hornet's Game

2012-01-27T21:10:00.001-06:00

Peyton's little friend Konnor went with us to the Hornet's game Konnor's dad works for the Hornet's and he gave us 4 Club seats! So awesome! The boys were so excited to go to the game together and they talked and talked in the car. Listening to their little converstions on the way to the game were so cute. So innocent! Kevin and I laughed all the way to the arena!

Konnor "Peyton do you like Police?"

Peyton "Yeah, I do. I do like pizza."

Konnor "No Police."

Peyton "Yeah I do like pizza."

Kevin "No Peyton, Konnor is saying Police."

Peyton "Oh, yeah I like Police."

Konnor "But he said he likes pizza. I like pizza too."

So funny! I wish I can remember all of their little conversations, but for some reason (age) I can't. But they were funny. And they both had a blast dancing, singing and just goofing off like all little boys like to do together. Peyton even made it while dancing on the big screen. And I caught it with my camera! It is a fuzzy picture with the lights messing with my sensor, but I still got it! I was so excited. Maybe next time I will get a clearer picture. But I am still happy that I got at least one picture because last time time he was on the big screen my camera was too slow to capture it. What a great night. I love seeing my boy having so much fun.

Lunch Date with my Honey

2012-01-27T15:27:00.002-06:00

This morning I had to run an errand, so Peyton and I stopped by Toys R Us (or Toy Story as Peyton calls it) to pick up a birthday gift and some new bicycle knee pads. Walking into my house, you would think that we own every type, style and color car and truck that is made. And as I browse the aisles myself, I think the same thing. But somehow my boy finds one truck that looks very different than any that he owns. And trust me when I say that he remembers.every.single car, truck, trailer, camper, and motorcycle that he has. He surprises me with his memory and proved me wrong several times by telling me something that he had that I was quite sure that he didn't . Which I find funny because I barely can remember what happened yesterday! :) After Toy Story time, we went to Reginelli's for lunch. I asked Peyton if he wanted to go on a date. He says "Date?" I said "Yes, do you know what a date is?" After explaining to him that when a boy and a girl go to lunch or dinner to eat they are going on a date. He laughed and said "Mommy, you're funny!" I don't think he quite caught on but he was excited to go eat pizza with his Mommy!

Still Causing Trouble

2012-01-24T18:13:00.002-06:00

See that face? I see that every Tuesday and Thursday right before school. He hates school! And I don't understand why because he always comes home with exciting projects that he has done during the week. He is so happy when I pick him up which seems like totally different child that I drop off in the morning. I asked him over and over again the reason(s) he does not like school and he tells me it is because Mrs. Deborah tells him to not talk. I find his response kind of funny! It's not because his teachers are mean, or they put him in time out or because of a child that he does not like, but the fact that he can not talk at times. Boy, does this child of mine have a lot to learn about disciple in school. If he base his dislike of school on that alone, then the next 18 years of school will be tough for him.

Becca's New House

2012-01-23T16:52:00.001-06:00

Becca and her family just moved from an apartment to a cute nice sized house. So Becca threw her first play date with the kids! Peyton told me that he thought Logan's toys were so awesome. (I laughed because he has played with Logan's toys before but because it is in a new house, the toys appeared new too) The kids had so much fun running up and down the stairs as us moms sat with coffee and French Toast Casserole to have an adult conversation! :) I do love mornings such as these!

Uhh, Yeah!

2012-01-22T21:23:00.002-06:00

Peyton has fallen in love with PlayStation 3. Racing. I swear that by the time he grows up, I am going to be car(ed) out! :) Cars, truck, wheels, speed.....it ALL boy! And this is how I found him. Asleep with the controller in his hand. I have a feeling I will see a lot of this in the future.

Four Kids Playdate

2012-01-18T11:46:00.000-06:00

Logan, Zoe and Konnor came over today to play. They ran the house. They were on the third floor, the second floor, and downstairs, and in the back yard and even found them in my tub. That is when I went to grab my camera. They are such a cute bunch of rug rats!! :)

Lunch, Stomp Rockets and Birds

2012-01-14T10:58:00.033-06:00

Today was such a beautiful day and Peyton has been asking to play with his Stomp Rocket. The back yard is not a good place for the rocket because it ends up on top of the house. So we decided to go pick up lunch and find a nice spot around City Park with no trees around. We ended up across from the soccer fields on Marconi Street.

While the boys played with the rockets, I wandered over to the pond with my camera and saw two beautiful Pelicans hunting. They are such amazing creatures and I could sit all day and watch how they feed their bellies!! It is entertaining watching them dive bomb into the water for the fish. It almost seemed like they were putting on a show just so I could get some photos of them. A little later Kevin and Peyton came over to the pond to watch with me. Peyton got a real kick watching the Pelicans slammed into the water then popped back up again. It was funny watching him giggle at each of their attempts. As we were watching the birds, I looked over to the right behind a fence and saw a neglected play ground. The playground needed a lot of work done on it and they closed off the slide but we played on it anyway! Peyton really enjoyed the tire swing. And so did Mommy but no pictures were taken of that! :) It was a nice morning!!

The Wedding Dress Search Begins

2012-01-11T14:09:00.002-06:00

Tonight Angela wanted to go to David's Bridal to check out dresses that were on sale. Her friend Melissa could not meet us today, so we decided to meet again sometime next week. But Angela still wanted to go just in case there is a dress she was interested in. As we were trying on dress, I couldn't get over how beautiful she looked in practically every dress she tried on. There was this one particular dress we both fell in love with and they such a wonderful sale price on it. Since Angela is going to buy with David's anyway she decided to have them hold on to the dress. Knowing my sister as I do, she will have second thoughts (as all of us brides do) but if she decides against the dress, she can always switch. At least that dress will safely be in the back in case she decides that yes, that is her dress! :)

Peyton wanted to come with us. Even though we told him over and over again that this was going to be boring, he insisted. But he was torn between wanting to be with me and wanting to be with Kevin. He choose me but let me tell you that he was in a h.o.r.r.i.b.l.e mood almost the whole time. He whined and bitched and at one point I was wishing right about then that he would have just stayed home. :) By the end he was in a better mood, especially when they let him ring the bell after his Nanny ~~found~~ thought she found her dress! I posted pictures of Angela trying on dresses but not the dress that she chose (or may have chosen).

Peyton's Birthday Invite

2012-01-09T12:09:00.001-06:00

Becca created such a beautiful invite for Peyton. I couldn't be prouder of it! Thanks Becca for the beautiful invite and all the wonderful decorations you did. You made my birthday boy's special day even more special!

His Favorite Birthday Gift

2012-01-08T20:47:00.000-06:00

Peyton saw in a magazine this Bruder jeep and horse trailer and fell in love with it. Well, originally he fell in love with the same jeep with a trailer that loaded a digger, but for some reason we couldn't find that particular set anywhere to order it for his birthday. So after explaining to him that we couldn't get it, he said that he wanted the horse trailer instead. After receiving it I love Bruder vehicles! They are so detailed. It is a little expensive because it is German made but it is such good quality that I don't mind paying a little more for it. He already has his next vehicle picked out. :) But I told him he has to wait for Christmas or his next birthday. But I love how excited he was to get this toy! Happy Birthday my love!

Happy Birthday My Love

2012-01-08T09:38:00.001-06:00

Dearest Peyton,

Today is your fourth birthday. When did you get so big on me? Why are you growing up so fast? Time is going so fast with you. Before I know it you will be in college, and that thought just breaks my heart. Well, not you going to college because you are going to college but the thought that one day you will leave my little nest and take on the world on your own.

I can not express enough how much I love you. You are my world and I could not imagine life without you nor can I remember how life was before you. You are the smartest, most handsome, funniest, goofiest, lovable, and kindest child I know. Of course, I'm not partial or anything :) ....just stating the facts about you. I know you will keep these wonderful qualities about you and go far with life. I know that one day you will be something special to the world and to someone other than your family. And I will be as I am now one proud Mama! I have many proud moments in my life, my sweet Peyton, but my proudest moment was when I held you for the first time. I knew I made something wonderful.

I love you my sweet boy and Happy Birthday!

Love Mommy

Peyton's 4th Disney Cars Birthday Party

2012-01-07T21:33:00.039-06:00

Today we celebrated our little precious boy's 4th birthday. We decided to have it at home and chance the weather. We prayed really hard that the weather was going to be nice. The last couple of years, the weekend of his birthday has been really cold. But lo and behold, the weather turned out to be beautiful with a small chance of rain and mostly sunny in the 70s. The day started off kind of nasty with misty rain, but by 9 o'clock the clouds cleared away and the sun came out! Which was awesome!! At 9:00, I went to pick up the balloons and cupcakes. The balloons were great, the cakes however were not so great. It was not the Lightning McQueen colors that I ordered. But what could I do? It wasn't like I could send it back. So I had to accept that my boy was getting "girlie" colored cupcakes. :) They still were cute but I was hoping that this was not the beginning of things going wrong today. Turned out, it was a MAGNIFICENT DAY!! Peyton obviously was proud to have a bouncer in his very own back yard. And to have all his friends and family around to celebrate his special day, well what more could a little boy ask for!? :)

Bike Riding Together

2012-01-04T22:05:00.002-06:00

So Erin, Becca and I got together with the kids to ride bikes. Peyton and Logan was anxious to show off their new bikes that they got for Christmas! Logan with his new Spiderman blue and Peyton with his Lightning McQueen red! I don't know where little Zoe was when I took this picture but I am sure she wasn't far behind with her little princess bicycle!

Last Game

2012-01-01T20:14:00.011-06:00

Since today was the last regular game of the season, we thought it would be fun to bring Peyton. He had fun but stated several times that this game took a "long, long, long, long, long, long, long, time!" Okay, so he is really not ready for Saints games yet, but it is nice to bring him to one or two a season. And the Saints won which mean Peyton got to dance to the "Let's Get Crunk" song many times!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T19:15:00.002-06:00

So after a morning at the zoo kicking off the New Year with a little celebration, Peyton got in the spirit of this Holiday. "Happy New Year" he hollered to a woman walking by our car as we were unloading groceries from the cart............ and to the neighbors that was standing outside! :) Peyton saw the little episode from Max and Ruby about New Years, so I think he kind of caught on as what the hype was all about. He told me that he couldn't wait for the two hands to stick straight up so he could say "Happy New Year!" I laughed because I knew he would be passed out at that time so I asked him if he wanted me to wake him to say Happy New Year, give Mommy and Daddy a kiss and to watch some of the fireworks in our neighborhood. He excitedly said yes...but I knew it would be hard to get him up once he was asleep. So when it was almost midnight we gently woke him up. He surprisingly did wake up but was very groggy and NOT in the greatest mood. But he stayed awake long enough for the whole Happy New Years thing and watched a little firework then said "Okay, I want to go back to bed." So funny! Happy New Year my little guy! Mommy loves you!

New Years at Noon Celebration

2011-12-31T14:16:00.001-06:00

We kicked off celebrating New Years by going to the Zoo. They had for the kids hats and noise makers and everyone screamed Happy New Years at Noon. Except, well, we kind of missed the big noon celebration. While we were eating lunch Peyton ran into one of his classmates, Konnor. So they had to play together for a while. :) That was okay with me! I was just happy to see Peyton having so much fun. We really enjoyed today and I definitely would like to do this again for next New Years.

Happy Birthday Mrs. Kim

2011-12-30T12:23:00.003-06:00

Today Kim came over so that we can go get some sushi for her birthday. Kevin had a plan that while the girls were out that the boys would go get pizza. Peyton decided that he didn't want pizza (insert a surprised face here) and that he wanted to go with Mrs. Kim and Mommy for sushi. This is truly MY KID! I couldn't be prouder! Before we left we gave Kim her birthday gifts. Peyton picked out a pearl heart for her to hang in her window. Mrs. Kim loved her gift from Peyton. :) And Mrs. Kim loved that Peyton was coming with us to eat! Peyton so adores Kim and always get excited when he hears she is coming over for a visit.

When we got to the restaurant Peyton told the waiter that he wanted Ginger which made us all laugh. Funny that my kid won't eat Red Beans and Rice or Roast and Mash Potatoes, but loves Ginger. Confusing to me.....but kind of funny at the same time! Peyton did eat some sushi too.... Did I mention that I love this kid!?!? Happy Birthday Kim! We love you!

Enjoying His New Bike

2011-12-27T13:41:00.000-06:00

Peyton is really enjoying his new bike. Or as Kevin puts it, he think he is hot stuff. :) As he rides down the street he tells Kevin that every kid is looking at his new bike! So funny! I don't know if that is true or not but he sure does look proud that he is now an owner of a Lightning McQueen bike and has no problem showing it off. I can only imagine what he will do with his very first car.

Christmas Dinner

2011-12-25T13:26:00.002-06:00

For Christmas dinner we had smoked turkey. It was divine and such a great evening! But for some reason, I didn't take many pictures. I must have been really tired from my eventful weekend! :) But dinner was very nice with the family. And the evening was very relaxed sitting back and watching the kiddos playing with their new toys! So here are the few pictures that I do have of the evening.

Christmas Morning and An Engagement

2011-12-25T10:26:00.077-06:00

Today Peyton woke up and came in our bed to watch TV. We waited a little while to see if he would remember that it was Christmas Morning (after all we talked all day Christmas Eve about Santa's visit). But I think the late Christmas Eve night was still wearing on him. So eventually we reminded him to check to see if Santa ate his cookies and to go see what Santa brought. His face lit up and he ran up front to see his goodies. I know that this is probably the last year I will have to remind him that it is Christmas morning. I consider this his "baby" ways and I am enjoying every second of them that he throws out to me. After all, he is growing up so quickly.

He was so excited and loved every moment of opening his presents. It seems like yesterday that I had to open them for him. Time, time, time......slow down!! The big hit this year was his Lightning McQueen bike. He is so proud of his big boy bike. I will never forget the look on his face when he first saw it. Oh.............my big boy!

A little later this morning Angela and Mike came over to visit us on Christmas morning and to give us some news!! They are engaged to be married!! How wonderful is that?! I wish Angela and Mike a lifetime of happiness! What a great Christmas morning!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T21:10:00.006-06:00

Christmas Dinner Party

2011-12-23T21:04:00.001-06:00

Tonight Kevin and I threw a Christmas dinner party to celebrate Christmas with Becca, Erin and their family. We had so much fun starting the night with great food, presents and Chocolate Martinis!! Yummy! The kids loved opening presents together and Kevin and I loved hanging out with some really great friends. It was a wonderful, relaxing and Christmasy evening! :)

Joe Trick Goes Back to the North Pole

2011-12-23T19:14:00.001-06:00

Today is Joe Trick's last day! Our family (and Santa understands this) opens our gifts on Christmas Eve, so our little Elf returns to the North Pole a day earlier than most Elves. So as a goodbye gift, Jojo left a parting gift for Peyton. See you next year Joe Trick. It was fun having you visit us! :)

New Christmas Ornaments

2011-12-23T09:36:00.001-06:00

I love Christmas ornaments! Every year I add to my collection of favorites. At Disney World I did buy a beautiful German glass blown snowman, and two glass character ornaments. But my all time favorites are the ones Peyton made at school! I love, love them and will keep them forever!

Joe Trick Leaves a Gift

2011-12-22T21:35:00.000-06:00

Today Joe Trick left a little gift because Peyton has been such a good little boy! A Hot Wheels Book! A little boy's dream! He loved it and I had to read it like 10 times before noontime!! :)

Watching the Kiddies

2011-12-21T21:11:00.003-06:00

Tonight Becca's babies came over to spend some time with us while they had the night out at a company's Christmas party. Becca was a little nervous about how little Brenna would feel about them leaving but she did absolutely great. She was really impressed with the singing reindeer. The kids had such a great time and was super happy the whole evening. And they all stayed up really late. Like 11:30 late. My little guy loves having his friends over. This is such a wonderful age. It has its ups and definitely its downs but I wouldn't trade this time for anything.

Oh Joe Trick

2011-12-21T17:06:00.018-06:00

Peyton ran in the front room to search for Joe Trick. There he was sitting nicely on our chandelier. "Oh, Joe Trick!" Peyton said as he laughed. "He's looking out the window Mommy." "But he is still watching you." I said "Yeah!" Peyton laughs as he return to the back room to finish watching Sponge Bob. Well, let's just hope he remembers that!

Mrs. Kim

2011-12-20T16:04:00.009-06:00

Mrs. Kim is one of Peyton's favorite people. He loves Mrs. Kim. Kim came for a visit today bearing a Christmas gift for Peyton. My little guy was so excited to get his gift (well until he opened it). My ~~spoiled~~ grateful boy......always wanting trucks and cars was a little disappointed to see it was Tinker Toys which in his little mind he knew he already had. But what he didn't know is that I asked Kim to get him more Tinker Toys because his supply was so low and he couldn't go far building with them. But after a while, he got his old Tinker Toys and put his new Tinker Toys with them and started building away. He loved having so many pieces now! Ohhh my boy...........................

Joe Trick Arrives

2011-12-20T15:14:00.004-06:00

I told Peyton that today Joe Trick is suppose to come by for his visit. Peyton excitedly ran into the living room to see where Joe Trick landed. Joe Trick tried his best to blend in with the Christmas decorations on the fireplace mantel but Peyton saw him immediately. :)

Christmas Lights at Lafreniere

2011-12-18T23:28:00.001-06:00

The last couple of years we always took a weekend for the Miracle on Fulton Street. This year we decided to do something different so when Becca asked for us all to go to Lafreniere Park to see the light, I excited said yes. We liked Miracle on Fulton Street, but after two years of it, we were ready for something different. I always heard that the lights at Lafreniere was impressive and I definitely wanted to check it out this Christmas. So anyway, Peyton couldn't wait for it to get dark so we could go. :) He was so happy to see his little friends. They ran themselves silly and had the best time together. After scoping out the lights, we all headed over to Starbuck for some hot chocolate. We had a wonderful evening out with our wonderful friends.

Joe Trick's Letter

2011-12-17T22:43:00.043-06:00

When Peyton was born, my friend, Michelle, told me that one thing I had to get for Peyton was an Elf on the Shelf. Listening to her tell me the story of this tradition, I loved it. But since Peyton wouldn't understand the concept behind it until he was older, I decided to wait. I considered it last year, but decided against it because I felt that Peyton was still a little to young and thought to wait one more year. This Christmas the Elf on the Shelf really caught on this year amongst all my mom friends and it was talked about all over Facebook. I was a little late ordering our little Elf, but he arrived right in time to do a little "watching" before Christmas. Right before our Elf arrived, I talked to Peyton about him. At first he said he didn't want anything to do with the Elf, but after some convincing he decided it was okay for him to visit us. :) I asked Peyton what he wanted to name our Elf. He sat there and thought about it for a minute or two not coming up with anything, so I started throwing some names out there. "How about naming him Jingle or Timmy or Bobby." "No," Peyton said "I want to name him Joe." "Okay." I said. Then Peyton said "Joe and Trick....Joe Trick." So that is our Elf's name, Joe Trick. Don't know how he came up with this name, but I think it is cute...I like it! So, Joe Trick sent a letter today, confirming his visit. Peyton is excited and anxiously waiting for his arrival!!!

School Christmas Program

2011-12-16T19:46:00.001-06:00

Today was Peyton's Christmas Program. Even though Peyton complained about going to school this morning and he looked miserable sitting up on the stage, he did participate with the program by singing and clapping to the songs. He didn't smile and I mean not once! And he did tear up a little when he saw his Daddy and I in the audience, but that was as far as the tears went. I have to say that his actions were kind of confusing. I mean he had a look on his face like he didn't want to be there, but he actually sang and did the body movements to the song like he was enjoying it. Who knows what was going through his little mind and what his little emotions were at that time. It has to be hard at times to be a kid. :) The program itself was really adorable and Peyton did great. After the program the kids got presents which really made Peyton smile. He really smiled when he got to hang out a little with his little pal Zoe before we left.

Gingerbread Train

2011-12-15T21:50:00.002-06:00

We did this last year but I thought it would be fun to do another Gingerbread Train. Since I had ~~all~~ most control over the decorating last year, our train came out looking more put together. But this year it was all Peyton. It turned out cute and he was so proud of his little handy work! Of course I have a feeling all the candy will be eaten off of it before Christmas arrives! :)

Hanging With His Besties

2011-12-14T11:13:00.002-06:00

The original plan was for my besties and Peyton's besties to come to my house for some playtime and some mommy time since the weather has been so nasty cold. But when the weatherman said that today was suppose to be sunny with the high of 74 degrees, I asked my friends if it was okay with them to go to the park instead and let the kids have fun outside. Any chance to go outside needs to be taken! :) So we all ageed and brought brunch out there with us. I made Swiss and Ham Quiche, Becca brought a pot of hot coffee and Erin brought some delicious lemon muffins. Yummy!! Everything went together so well. And the kids had a b.l.a.s.t!!!!! They rode bikes, and ran, and climbed the rocks and threw rocks and chased the birds. It was so funny that Peyton told Logan who told Zoe that he saw the tail of a snake within the rocks. So they all (including the cautious moms) were looking for that snake that the tail belonged to. Peyton was quite certain that is what he saw, but we thankfully never saw it again . But the kids had fun looking for it! About four hours later, we literally had to drag them out of the park since it was so late and the kids obviously was exhausted. These kids sure do love each other and Peyton as well as I have some really awesome friends!!

He Was So Proud

2011-12-13T23:05:00.004-06:00

After school today, Peyton was really excited and very proud to give me his Christmas present he made in school. He told me that he stamped the Christmas Tree and finger painted the ornaments on a ceramic tile. So very cute!

**Peyton, I love you so much my sweet boy! And I love my present too because it came from you!

Outside Christmas Lights

2011-12-12T09:15:00.000-06:00

Peyton always loved Christmas lights, but this year he thinks they are the bomb. When the neighbors put their lights up the questions began. "Where are our lights like their lights across the street over there see Mommy?" "When are we going to turn our lights on like the ones over there? See Daddy they blink like this?" (he opens and closes his eyes really fast) :) We knew we were a little late getting ours up but I think at this point Peyton wasn't going to let us get away with it for too much longer. So we all went to pick out some new light to add to what we had. (Which was very slim pickings, but we found some really cute stuff). According to Peyton, we couldn't get the light up fast enough. He was so excited, squealing at each strand that lit up. I think my little guy is starting to really love Christmas! And I am loving it right along with him!

The Decoration Search

2011-12-11T18:18:00.000-06:00

Peyton is so fascinated with the blinking lights across the street, he requested to us several times that we needed blinking lights as well. Kevin and I wanted new outside decorations anyway, so we all headed over to Home Depot to see what was left over. Surprisingly we came across some pretty neat stuff. Now that was easy, but the hard part is about to come......actually putting up the lights. I have no patience for such things. :)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-10T09:38:00.000-06:00

Christmas in the Oaks

2011-12-10T09:13:00.002-06:00

Tonight we all (including Grammy and Grand Dad) went to Christmas in the Oaks to get Peyton's Santa picture taken. Peyton was so excited to see Santa and to tell him what he wanted for Christmas. When it was Peyton's turn, he jumped right on Santa's lap. My little boy was so excited. So different from the last three years of our visit with Santa! :) After the picture was taken Santa did indeed ask Peyton what he wanted. He mumbled at first and I told him to speak up so that Santa can hear. Peyton then said loudly "A Lightening McQueen Remote Control Car." Santa told him "Alright!!" and gave Peyton a high five. Peyton's smile couldn't have been bigger! After Santa pictures we waited 2 hours (yes 2 hours) to ride the train. Peyton really, really wanted to do that even though it was cold and I knew it would be colder on the train ride. But we missed the last two years (one year it was raining and the next the trains were broken down). Peyton loved it! I enjoyed it too but was a little disappointed that you really couldn't see much of the lights on the train. The train rides by the lights and not really through it. So unless Peyton really, really wants to go again next year (which I have a feeling he will), I would not have problem skipping this part.

I Knew It!

2011-12-08T19:46:00.001-06:00

Yep, I knew it! Trouble! Peyton woke me up at 1:00 in the morning crying about not wanting to go to school. I didn't even tell him he had school today, he just knew. He was inconsolable and refused to go back to bed. So we just sat on his bathroom floor trying to reason with each other about why we should not and why we should go to school. Finally, around 4 a.m. he decided to go back to bed and passed out from crying three hours straight. Needless to say he (as well as I) was pretty exhausted in the morning. Peyton even took up where he left off with the crying when he woke up. As tempted as I was to keep him home, I decided he was going to school anyway. I know that if I let him stay home, then the wee-hour morning detesting will be all the time. I just can't let that happen. Poor little guy. I wish I could just turn back the hands of time and just say no to volunteering at his school. But I know how he feels. I just know that I will be the one crying on the bathroom floor when the time comes for me to return to work......so............

Some Indoor Playtime

2011-12-07T21:45:00.000-06:00

Since the weather has been so horrible lately (rainy and very cold), Becca and I decided to get the kids out of the house for a little while. We met up at Bounce Spectrum (or as Peyton pronounce it Bounce Rectrum). :) We had the place practically to ourselves which was really nice. And the boys had a blast spending some of the energy that had from being couped up.

Picking Our Christmas Tree

2011-12-05T15:06:00.007-06:00

So, it's my favorite time of the year and picking our tree couldn't make me happier!! Of course, it rained! Well, it was threatening really bad but we had a chance to pick out our favorite tree before it really started to come down! In matter of fact, it rained last year too. That makes picture taking a little hard. But you know me, no matter what, I definitely have to get my pictures of this special occasion. Peyton was excited to help pick out our tree and did a great job. I love our tree and can't wait to decorate it with all of my new ornaments that I got a Disney World!!

Cute as a Button Thalia

2011-12-02T16:15:00.003-06:00

Tonight we are babysitting our friend 's little girl, Thalia for the night. I have to say she is an absolute doll! Elliott and Marissa does not have family that live nearby so I thought it would be nice to babysit while they had a night out for their company Christmas party. Peyton loves little Thalia and played so well with her. He even held her little hand as she was coming down the steps to make sure she didn't fall. He is such a good little guy!! And Thalia is such a good little girl, never complained, whined, or screamed the whole time she was here. She was such a delight to have and I look forward to babysitting her again.

"I'm Not Feeling Good."

2011-12-01T14:47:00.001-06:00

So today was back to school day. Peyton has been complaining lately saying that he is "done with school" and he "doesn't like school anymore" and he "doesn't like Mrs. Deborah and Mrs. Donna anymore". I am starting to think that my help with the school for Thanksgiving was a big ol' mistake. For the first three months he loved going to school. Which is a shame! I really enjoyed helping for Thanksgiving and always knew that I was going to be one of those moms that stayed very involved with the kid's school activities. I guess Peyton is not ready for that. However, I am sensing trouble ahead. Mrs. Deborah called about an hour and a half into the morning saying that Peyton has been complaining that his tummy hurts and that he is not eating and has been using the bathroom all morning. "Alright" I said to her, "I will be there soon to pick him up." I kind of knew what the real issue was but I decided to keep my mouth shut and give my little guy the benefit of the doubt. So when I arrived to pick him up, he obviously looked upset and thought to myself that just maybe he really was not feeling good. When we got home, he played the sick game for a good 30 minutes, then started acting like his normal self. And he ate my out of house and home. Hmmmm! Well, I am happy that my little man is not sick, but I have a feeling that this is the beginning of something unpleasant. I even asked him if he was really sick and you can see in the pictures that he really wasn't sure how to answer that ! :) Age 4, here it comes ready or not!!!!

******** Please excuse the 80s style speech bubbles. I am finding that typing the description to each picture is taking up a lot of space in my blog book and came across this other blogger that recommended doing this to save space.....and it describes the picture so well.*************

Well, I am not sure about that but okay!! :)

Home!

2011-11-26T20:08:00.001-06:00

So we made it home last night! It was a very long trip home! It took a lot of singing and other entertainment to keep Peyton sane for those hours. But we made it.....finally!! :) Today we went over to Mom and Dad's house for some left off Thanksgiving turkey and sides. It was so good! We were happy to be able to spend some time with the family since we missed Thanksgiving with them. **Maddie was sporting LSU and Peyton was sporting Auburn. So it was really fun to mess with Auntie Dawn with these pictures!! :o)

Day 6 - Magic Kingdom and Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T21:22:00.003-06:00

So for Thanksgiving Day we headed back to Magic Kingdom. I held my breath going in, just knowing that it was going to be packed to the gills. But surprisingly, it wasn't. It was actually nice! The rides were still a wait, but nothing like the day before. Peyton by this point was enjoying the rides and even wanted to do a little Dumbo riding with his Mommy! For Thanksgiving we ate at the Evergreen Resort. The buffet style Thanksgiving dinner was so, so, so good. My favorite was the Pumpkin Soup! Oh My Goodness.... so delicious. The kids especially enjoyed the balloon man. He was quite hilarious! What a great Thanksgiving!! What a wonderful day! I love Disney World and hope to be back really, really soon!!

Heading home the next day! A pretty exhausted little boy!

Day 5 - Hollywood Studios

2011-11-23T23:18:00.001-06:00

Today was Hollywood Studios! This I l.o.v.e.d!! I definitely would like to visit there again. It wasn't crowded at all. The last couple of day, since it has been pretty crowed, Peyton has not been on too many rides. But today we were able to ride most. And my boy being the boy that I know, was super nervous about going on the rides. He did them, but had to have his Daddy talk him through his nervousness. When he was on the ride, he was fine. It was just getting him to actually do it that was hard. Kind of funny! Peyton especially loved the 3D and 4D movies. I have to say that I was pretty impressed myself. And Peyton's favorite was meeting Lightening McQueen and Mater. He was so excited and when he approached Lightening and Mater, he had to touch them to see if they were real. It was so cute!! After meeting Lightening we did a little shopping and Daddy found a Lightening McQueen Christmas stocking. Of course we had to get it!! We ended the day eating at a Mexican restaurant on the premises which ended up being really good, then saw the Christmas lights show which was also awesome!

Day 4 - Magic Kingdom

2011-11-22T19:27:00.001-06:00

Today was Magic Kingdom. And let me say...wow, was it packed! I mean shoulder to shoulder packed. I was a little worried about losing Peyton within all the people at times. Getting on the rides was an experience in itself. Most rides was a 50 minute to an hour wait. Fast Pass was a wonderful thing, but we still had to wait 15 to 20 minutes for each ride and most Fast Passes was timed for hours later or later in the day which kind of made it hard to plan what you wanted to do. BUT we made the best of it and we still had lots of fun. The best part of the day was the end of the day with the fireworks and light show on the castle. Peyton l.o.v.e.d it! And he sat there with his arms around my neck, hugging me close as we owwed and ahhhhed the pretty lights and fireworks. I tell you that was one of the most special, touching moments between Peyton and I. A real 'Disney World commercial moment'! :)

Day 3 - Epcot

2011-11-21T14:33:00.001-06:00

When we were last here in 2008, I missed out on most of the countries at Epcot because we had to leave early for an event that was being held by NASA. I was a little disappointed and swore that the next time we returned, Epcot would be one of the first things we would do. I was so excited to spend the day here, but was a little worried about how the boys would like it. After all, I didn't really care too much for Epcot when I was a kid. I wanted to go back to Disney World! :) But the boys did fine and I had the best time looking through all the countries, shopping and taking pictures! Peyton even did his first roller coaster ride on the Fast Track. He was nervous but did great. We have an action picture and will post that separately. For dinner we ate at this Italian Restaurant on the premises. I can't remember the name of it but it was divine!! I love Epcot!

Day 2 - Animal Kingdom

2011-11-20T19:51:00.003-06:00

This morning we got up early (which was hard after a late night) to have a Character Breakfast at the Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. We made it there in plenty of time even though we had to stop because Peyton fell and busted his knee, then 10 minutes later had a little accident in his pants. Poor baby, what a rough start. He said he was feeling gassy, but I guess it wasn't just a little gas. I blame it on drinking the Florida water. I swear that my stomach has not been feeling all the great since we arrived as well. :0) All was well though, we cleaned up and started on our way again without further issues.

After breakfast and meeting all the wonderful characters, we explored Animal Kingdom. Peyton loved it all! He had the best time with Cody and Cullen. I love watching him have so much fun, but all the fun wore him out. He was passed out by mid day! After a little snooze, he was up and going again to enjoy the late evening parades and a little swimming when we returned back to the condo.

Day 1 -On the Road and Downtown Disney

2011-11-19T12:19:00.004-06:00

We got up really early to get on the road. Like 1:00 a.m. early! It was hard, but in the end so worth it. Peyton slept majority of the trip and there was no traffic. Around 9:00 we stopped to have a bite to eat. Peyton was so excited to see Cody and Cullen again. He definitely has not problem hanging out with older kids. Once we arrived (finally) we checked into our condo and headed out to Downtown Disney for some shopping and dinner. We ate at this cool Mexican restaurant and the kids wanted to hit Lego Land, so that is where we spend majority of our time after dinner. I could never get into Legos. Honestly I don't see the attraction, but the boys love them and so does Peyton. Peyton saw a truck, trailer and boat set that he talked his Daddy into buying. With the condition that we would not open it until we got home. Peyton agreed and was proud of his new set. We arrived back to the condo around 11:00 and we all went to bed. After all, we had a long day ahead of us. Okay, a long week!! :)

School's Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-18T16:56:00.006-06:00

Today I had the advantage to help out with the Thanksgiving Feast at Peyton's school. I was excited when we arrived to his classroom, ready to begin helping and to have little sneak peeks now and then of Peyton interacting with his classmates. But when Peyton realized that I was staying and not leaving, well, let's say that he got really, really upset. Not with him wanting me to leave, but with wanting to be with me and he couldn't. I saw his eyes tear up when they got in line to begin class and knew then that there were going to be lots of tears ahead. Which surprised me because Peyton never really cry much about being with me. But he was upset which made me very upset, especially since I had to ignore him when he called out to me when I passed. Talk about heartbreaking for me to see him so upset. I couldn't wait for the food to finish cooking so that I could go back in the classroom and sooth my little guy. So when that time came (which seemed like forever and a day) and I re-entered the class to help serve for the Thanksgiving feast, I took some time to talk to Peyton telling him where I was and what I was doing (even though Mrs. Deborah already covered that with him). He immediately calmed down and started to eat. Poor baby, you can see in his pictures that his face was red from being so upset. Funny story, little Zoe's mom told me that Zoe said "Peyton's mommy cooked the corn and Peyton was so happy that he cried"! Talk about hilarious how kids interpret things. :) I would like to help again one day (if they let me now. Ha!) but I am a little worried if Peyton will get upset. I guess I could try it one more time if the opportunity arises and see what happens. Maybe this was a one-time thing! :) However, the Thanksgiving feast was adorable and I am glad that I took part in it.

Zack Turns 8

2011-11-17T15:13:00.006-06:00

Today we had a little "celebration" for Zack's 8th Birthday. I can't believe my puppy is already 8 years old!!! It seems like yesterday that Zack turned 7. I baked doggy cupcakes and we celebrated Zack's doggy birthday with singing, blowing out candles, eating cake (Lady Fingers for us), then giving Zack his little birthday presents.

Logan's 4th Birthday Party

2011-11-16T21:38:00.001-06:00

Today we celebrated sweet Logan's 4th birthday. Peyton was super excited to celebrate it with his best pal. We all met at a little park next to Treasure Chest Casino (I can't remember the name) by the lake. And it was such a beautiful day! After singing Happy Birthday, eating cake and opening presents, Becca tried out Logan's new stomp rocket that Peyton gave him. I have to say, that is a fun little gadget. It entertained the kids for almost two hours. Happy 4th Birthday sweet Logan and thank you for inviting us to your party!

Goodbye Coconut Beach NOLA

2011-11-11T21:59:00.005-06:00

Tonight was the last night for Coconut Beach. It was such a bitter/sweet night. Everyone partying it up toasting all the memories made there and toasting the future new Coconut Beach that we all are hoping they will start on soon. I hope they follow through with the new Coconut Beach plans because like I mentioned before, I am so looking forward to watching Peyton play there in the future. So here are some pictures of our last night. Hope to see you again soon Coconut Beach!!

Peyton took this picture below. Cut Daddy's head off but the picture is cute!

Breakfast for Everyone

2011-11-11T20:35:00.000-06:00

This morning I asked Peyton "Guess who is coming over this morning?"

"LOGAN!" Peyton answers excitedly.

"Yes and someone else too." I said.

He looks at me "Ummmmm"

"Zoe too". I said

"Boff of em?" he asks with the biggest smile on his face.

"Yes".

"All right!!" he says loudly as he runs by. I think he was a just a little excited that both of his pals were coming over for some play time. :)

Today I invited Erin, Becca and the kids over for some breakfast (mimosas for the moms) and coffee. It was so nice to be able to sit down and have an adult conversation over coffee. We definitely will have to do this again......soon!

Visiting the Tree of Life

2011-11-04T21:35:00.002-05:00

Peyton and I went to the Tree of Life to scout out the area for my photo shoot tonight. I have to say that this is such a beautiful area. This tree is enormous! Peyton looks tiny next to it. I never even knew this tree existed until this week. "The tree, a live oak, was planted during the wedding of New Orleans Mayor Jean Etienne de Bore over 200 years ago." Amazing!

Halloween Night Pictures

2011-10-31T15:27:00.025-05:00

I love Halloween. Don't ask me why because I hear and /or read from so many people that this holiday they could pass on with no problem. I guess I am such a horror movie freak that this particular holiday appeals to me. There is nothing more exciting than walking up to a Halloween scene not knowing if the characters are real or not. AND we came across many of them tonight that made us jump! :) Like I said, I love Halloween. THIS Halloween was the best ever! Not only did Peyton get to spend it with his best pal, Logan, but I got to spend it with my family and a great friend. And I have to say, watching our kids have a blast together is...well....priceless. And to seeing all the Lakeview kids was amazing in itself. There were kids everywhere of all ages and sizes. So different from what it was six years ago right after Katrina. I am so happy to see so many young families back here. There is nothing like Halloween in Lakeview. It really has to be the best!!

Halloween Block Party on Vicksburg

2011-10-29T23:17:00.001-05:00

I read on the Lakeview Social Facebook that my neighborhood was having a Halloween Block party filled with trick or treating, bouncer, haunted back yard and all kinds of pot-luck foods. We asked Peyton's little friend Zoe and her parents to come meet us out there. We l.o.v.e.d this block party. It was awesome and I think the kids had a blast!!

Trunk and Treat with Nanny and Mr. Mike

2011-10-28T21:49:00.026-05:00

Nanny came by today after work and picked up Peyton to take him to a Trunk & Treat at Mike's little nephew's school. My little man was so excited and anxiously waited for his Nanny! He was too cute with how excited he was when Nanny finally arrived and happily jumped in her car ready to go get some candy! When Peyton returned home he had the biggest smile on his face and he told me about all the fun he had with his Nanny and Mr. Mike. I am so happy that Peyton got to spend some alone time with his Nanny at such a great event. My boy sure is growing up.

City Park Fun with Zoe

2011-10-27T21:45:00.008-05:00

Today after school we met Erin, Zoe and Leah at City Park to have a picnic lunch, feed the ducks and some playground fun. Peyton is really sweet on Zoe! :) She is such an adorable little girl and can definitely hold her own with playing with boys. It is so funny watching them play together. It is a nice change seeing Peyton socialize so well with a little girl than with just boys all the time.

A Glimpse of the Future

2011-10-23T18:07:00.000-05:00

We stopped over to Best Buy to look at Dell Computers (yep, my Christmas present) Yahhh! So excited to be getting a brand new computer! As we were looking, Peyton and Daddy found the gaming department. And as I walked around the aisle, I saw this! A glimpse of the future Peyton playing games. He was actually pretty good too!! :)

Brian's Birthday Dinner Pictures

2011-10-22T22:24:00.000-05:00

Best Pals at the Boo at the Zoo

2011-10-21T09:53:00.005-05:00

Tonight Kevin and I took Peyton and Logan to the Boo at the Zoo. Peyton, the last couple of years, loved this event. But he enjoyed it much more when he learned that Logan was tagging along. The boys had a blast!

This Weeks School Work

2011-10-20T23:31:00.002-05:00

Zack's Health Report Card

2011-10-19T22:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I brought Zack to get his yearly shots and checkup. Because he is almost the ripe age of 8 years, our vet strongly encouraged us to do a blood test to check for kidney and liver disease. She didn't have to ask twice. We got our report card today and according to Zack's vet, our puppy is a little overweight by a pound and cholesterol is slightly up but still in normal range (thanks Peyton) :) ...............but overall he is in excellent health. Yayyy Zack! Hope you have many, many more years of an excellent health report card.

A Halloween Play Date

2011-10-19T11:38:00.000-05:00

Today Heather, Chloe and Charlotte invited some friends over to their house for a Halloween play date. It was nice seeing everyone again. Now that the kids are in school, it is hard to get together. Peyton's little pal Logan was there, but totally was not in the mood for me and my camera! :) So I have to wait until next time I guess!

School Open House

2011-10-18T23:36:00.000-05:00

Tonight was open house for the parents at Peyton's school. We had a chance see the classroom again, talk to the teachers and to see all the artwork from the kids. They even had a video playing of the kid's doing their art and music activities, which was really nice ....well at first. Kevin and I thought for a while that they didn't get a shot of Peyton, and soon learned that they took the video the week we were on our camping trip. Of course!! But then at the very end of the video, there was a clip of my sweet boy doing his artwork. Kevin and I laughed because they must of realized that Peyton was not in the video anywhere, so they took a quick shot of him coloring. Too funny! As we were leaving, the teachers had a nice little artwork for us that the kids did. Really cute!

Pick-a-Pumpkin Time

2011-10-17T19:45:00.016-05:00

This is my favorite time of the year! I l.o.v.e Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Especially this year. I am so excited that Peyton is so excited about the upcoming holidays. And yes, Peyton's Christmas gifts from Santa has already been ordered, shipped and stored away waiting to be wrapped. I have my Christmas decoration on standby. I have Santa's cookies plate and mug cleaned and ready to be used. Can you tell I am excited? ;0) And the most exciting part of this holiday season....WE ARE SPENDING THANKSGIVING IN DISNEY WORLD!! WOW!! We are going with Nanny, Mike and his nephews, Cullen and Cody. Of course I will miss my whole family on Thanksgiving, but its Disney World!! Can't pass up this opportunity. We told Peyton where are going but he is confused with the whole thing. The last time he was at Disney World was when he was 10 months old, so he has no memory of it. I tried explaining to him that it is where Micky Mouse and Minny Mouse lives. He gets excited when I tell him that but I still do not think he fully understands.

Today we met up with Becca, Logan, Brenna, Erin, Zoe and Leah to pick out some pumpkins. My boy did such a great job with his picking. I love all our pumpkins we picked out together. The kids was also willing to sit still long enough for pictures. Amazing!! And some of the pictures are from Becca. Thank goodness she took some. It is nice to be in a picture or two! Ha! (Thanks Becca!) When we got home, we had Daddy get the pumpkins out of the car to put out front. Looks good! Let the memories begin!

Helping a Friend

2011-10-15T23:37:00.003-05:00

My friend Becca asked if we could watch the kiddos so that her and her hubby could have a couple of hours out. Of course, I said yes. Every couple needs time away from the kids plus it is always fun to have Logan and Brenna over. And Peyton, of course, was super excited to have his little buddy over for pizza and video games. They played every second of the evening while poor little Brenna wasn't feel her best. But she was totally happy sitting on Kevin's lap the whole time. Wanted nothing to do with me but loved Kevin! Ha! :)

A Cars Birthday Party

2011-10-15T20:48:00.010-05:00

Today Peyton was invited to Leland and Cullen's 4th Birthday Party. The twins had a Cars theme and you can guess who was really excited about that! :) They had a Cars bouncer and slide which was really huge. That may be something we will consider for Peyton's birthday....well, if the weather corporates that is! And Cars cupcakes with Cars rings. It was funny that while they were singing Happy Birthday, Peyton was eyeing a specific blue cupcake (which he managed to grab) that he wanted. It was fun to watch! Ha!

Kevin and I got to meet a lot of Peyton's classmates and their parents. That was really nice and even connected with a mom, Erin and her little girl Zoe who just moved to New Orleans from Washington D.C. We all ( Becca, Erin and I) are planning a pumpkin patch day with all the kids. That should be nice!

First School Trip

2011-10-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

This morning I was still a little bummed out that I was going to miss out on Peyton's first school trip. I went through everything with Kevin before they left, like how to push the button on the camera...you know, just in case he forgot! :) As I was getting ready to leave for my dentist appointment, I get a text message from Kevin telling me that the zoo was super, super crowded with different schools and that everyone in our group kind of went their own way. I was a little disappointed to hear that for I had a different idea of how this day was going to go. Mainly that Peyton was going to have a fun zoo day with his classmates. Totally went the opposite way. And Kevin told me that every other kid from other schools had an orange school t-shirt on. Kind of defeated the purpose of spotting our kids easily with the school color. The teachers were really surprised with the crowd there which tells me that they never came across that problem before. Maybe they just picked the wrong day of all days! Ha! Peyton still had fun though and Daddy really did come through with some cute pictures.

This Weeks School Work - Zoo Theme

2011-10-13T10:12:00.000-05:00

This week was about animals and the zoo. Very cute indeed! And tomorrow is Peyton's class zoo field trip. I won't be able to go with Peyton! (sniff, sniff). I have to have a tooth crowned. I am so not happy about missing a very first with Peyton but what can I do. I am sure that Kevin will take lots of pictures for me to post!! Well he better! Ha!

A Halloween Harrison Market

2011-10-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the Harrison Market so Kevin said I could get out of cooking for tonight! :) Well, I won't argue with that!!!! Kids were dressed up in Halloween costumes for the costume contest (really cute) and they even had a huge stage out there. The Harrison Market is really moving up! The food was really good too. One of the thing we got was Eggplant with some sort of shrimp sauce on top of it (can't remember what it is called). Well Peyton loved it! I had to get a picture of him eating it because I know if I put the same plate in front of him a home, he wouldn't touch it! Ha! But he LOVES festival foods, so I'm wasn't surprised.

A Chick-Fil-A Morning

2011-10-12T08:42:00.000-05:00

This morning Becca asked if Peyton and I would like to meet them at Chick-Fil-A for some play time and lunch. Peyton has not seen his buddy Logan in over a week, so he was so excited that we were on our way for some fun with him. This time sweet Logan was not in the mood for pictures and Peyton was cheesing the whole time. Usually it is the other way around. But I caught a few of Logan! :)

Night Out Against Crime

2011-10-11T19:30:00.014-05:00

Tonight was Night Out Against Crime. We heard that there was a neighborhood party a block over, so Kevin, Peyton and I took a walk down to see what was going on. In the past I thought these things were kind of boring and I was hesitant to go, but in the end I was so glad I did. I ran into a neighbor who I use to work with years ago. I didn't even know she lived so close to me. I met so many other neighbors too! It is really nice getting to know our neighbors. And Peyton met soooo many new neighborhood children. He had a blast racing with all the kids, dancing and even made friends with a little boy named Sam! Everyone is talking about getting the kids together for a big block party maybe for Halloween or just because. I think that would be awesome!! :)

"I Hate You!"

2011-10-10T16:38:00.014-05:00

I knew the day would come.....just not at the tender age of just barely four! Okay, the story. It all started this morning when Peyton found a Caterpillar. Well, a dead Caterpillar. Now I am not one of those Moms that freak out with things like that. I thought it looked cool, even though it was obviously DEAD. But my little man was proud of his discovery and held on to it all day long!! Even gave it a name......"Wormy". Well Wormy made its appearance many times today. Several times it made me jump because Peyton decides to sit Wormy next to me. Ha! Close to the end of the day...when Wormy pretty much made its way around my house, I asked Peyton if he could just throw Wormy over the balcony because at this point Wormy was starting to look kind of bad. Peyton walked to the balcony and started talking to Wormy. Now I couldn't hear exactly what he said but when Peyton threw the dead Caterpillar overboard and turned, I knew immediately I made a mistake. He wasn't ready to give up his Wormy and he was quite upset. He stomped off and..... yes.... said to me "I hate you Mommy!!" It took a minute or two for that little statement to sink in. Things were going through my mind like...where did he hear about hate? It could have been from friends, school or even Sponge Bob for all I know, but boy, did that statement stop me in my tracks. And even though I truly knew that my four year old son DID NOT hate me by any means, it was still hard to hear. After it sunk in I went looking for him and found him under the table crying. I mean crying with tears and snot. I asked him what was wrong and he says...

"I hate you. Just go away!"

"Why do you hate me?"

"Because you made me throw away Wormie."

"Honey, Wormie is no longer alive and he is starting to look yucky. It's time to let him go."

"No, I want to keep Wormie forever!."

"Honey, it's not nice to tell your Mommy that you hate her. Do you even know what hate means?"

"That I am mad at you!". Well, I can accept that! Ha!!

So next thing I knew, I am on my hands and knees in the grass looking for a dead worm to calm my devastated son down. After finally finding it (and boy was I glad that I did from fearing of squeeshing it), we put it in his bug house and he is still holding on to it. I decided that after all this.....Wormie is picture worthy! HA! Boys with their bugs and dirty finger nails! Gotta love them!! Later his interest switched to a frog which I am pretty sure he had no problem letting go when it was time. I don't understand what it is with that worm. I guess I will never know!! But what I do know is that I hope to never hear the words "I hate you!" for very long time.