Mama's Life Lately

1.  Planning: trips, birthdays, visitors, celebrations.
2.  Cameron & Payton remembering family. It's so obvious just how much we all love every minute of quality time that we get with the people in our immediate and extended villages.
3.  My workouts.  I've found a whole new meaning for "me time".
4.  Bunk Beds 101: the boys are sharing a room and we're in a bit of a limbo on what to do where around here.  Also, we're very curious to see how long this lasts. Although, the weekend/morning brother time has Tim and I giggling first thing.
5.  Excited to start branching out a bit more with the kids, er - slowly. We aren't, by any means, hermits with our kids, but we're definitely not hipsters either. It's nice to know that we're on the brink of being able to go adventuring (when we have the time), as long as we can handle the crowds and the exterior noise. (Forgive me, I'm not sure what else to call it.)
6.  Seeing my hubby and his brother "play catch" in the street. I got a peek into their childhood and I'm pretty sure I got a little glimpse of what the future holds for me, too. The boys watched in awe and then, of course, tried to play catch themselves.
7.  Tim put up a baseball that hangs from a bungee (in a tree) in the backyard. We love it.  When someone starts whining - go hit the ball. When the boys start to fight over something - go hit the ball. It's the perfect change up when they need it...hmm, or when I need it.
8.  Cameron can write is first AND last name all on his own. I feel like he's going to be smarter than I am...next week. It's only a matter of time. I mean, it's obvious, we create brilliant, genius minds - but I'm afraid he's going to start correcting me on things quickly. I pray he's kind. :)
9.  Payton told Tim "bless you" after he sneezed. It was adorable, and also left us wondering if there was a bit of an accent attached to it.
10.  My kids, the athletes. Soccer is back and Cameron is really starting to get it. Baseball is on the TV nightly and questions are being asked and answers are being explained. Last night I got to try to explain a "pickle" - my favorite thing! Payton wants to play basketball every day when we get home from school and is perfecting his toddler walk into a run!

Dear Nugget

Two.
I'm not sure I can take it.
It can't be.
Two?
Really?

You love your big brother: you love saying his name, showing him things, playing with him and doing everything he does.  You want your things the way Cameron does, but you want them separate, too.
Cameron's side, Payton's side....
Cameron's turn, Payton's turn...
It's a brother-see-saw.
Brother-sleep-overs have turned into your most favorite thing.

You love carbs & fruit. There's been a period of about 3 months where I've been a tad worried that you might be a vegetarian, sometimes you're so anti-meat.  When we're grocery shopping if the Deli-Man gives you a sample of ham you practically bite my finger off, but then you won't even try it at home.
Pasta is by far your favorite and you love to eat pizza like a big boy, I am no longer allowed to cut it up.  To be fair, I was warned about 3 months ago that this would happen.

The way you say your name is just about the most adorable thing in the whole wide world. I think I'm going to try to get it on video because typing it ("Tee-Tee") doesn't do it justice.  You are already, kind of, working on potty-training and we couldn't be more excited!

You sleep on the bear that I received when I was in 3rd grade. Like, you sleep ON him. 

(Rocky, the bear deserves his own blog post at a later date.)

You're a hugger, a lover, a snuggler.

You repeat yourself until you're sure that everyone understands what you were trying to say. (the struggle is real.)  You are awesome at puzzles (from me), and your teachers think you will be good at math (not from me).
Your facial expressions melt my heart, but sometimes I wonder why you're not more photogenic. Sometimes the excitement factor doesn't happen like I think it should, but then you surprise me and say "Wow" and get excited as you open a present or see something you like. I guess it's all about timing.
You have watched us wave to neighbors your whole life, so when you wave to passing cars I giggle and the people in the cars usually do to. Our street loves you.






Best Moment Currently:
Me: Payton, is your birthday coming up?
P: Yea
Me: How old are you going to be?
P:  Yellow
Me: You're going to be yellow?
P: Yea
Me: of course you are!
(After you got your Mickey Mouse balloon on Sunday, you changed that to saying you were going to be Mickey instead of being yellow!)

Payton, you have made this family laugh in a whole new way. We treasure your spirit, your giant heart and your sense of family. You want us all together all the time.  You play games, your creative and so imaginative.  You attach yourself to people and to items that you love and then they become your routine. A teacher, a favorite toy - even a favorite game.  You remember things that you did that you liked and then you bring them back up as you remember them.  Then it's our job to decipher what memory you're thinking of because you so badly want to talk about it again.

Payton, you may be our wild child but that wild spirit has us so madly, over the moon with you. We are smitten with the little boy that you are growing into.  Its safe to say that we're having some mood-swings over saying goodbye to those baby stages, but we are thrilled to see you growing and becoming everything you are meant to become.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Payton!  We love you more than yellow. :)

Please tell those terrible twos to be kind to us.

To the moon & back, Nugget.... to the moon and back.