Mini vacation in Iowa

We are still trying to get back to our normal routine after our mini vacation in Iowa last week.  Last Friday we left home and headed to my moms.  On Saturday we went and visited Grandpa Gene and had a wedding to go to with my mom and sister.  Payton looked adorable and actually behaved himself the entire wedding!  I was shocked.   Then after the wedding I got to go and have a few drinks with some old friends.  (Not old as in age, but old as in known for a long time!)   It was so much fun.  We decided that we need to get together much more often.

On Sunday we got together with my mom, sister, aunt and cousins and went golfing for the first annual June Sievers Memorial golf tournament.  I had never golfed before so I was not sure how it was going to go, but it was actually a lot of fun.  And I don't think I did that bad.  (Not good, but not that bad!)  While we were golfing, Payton was at my friends house and he had a great time playing with Norah.  When we got there to pick him up, they were both running in circles screaming and giggling.  And it sounded like they did that most of the day!  He had such a good time that we were not even a few blocks away and he was sound asleep in the car. 

On Monday we then loaded the car back up (not an easy task) and headed for Western Iowa.  We were all coming in to town to surprise Justins mom for their wedding anniversary.  We got to see their new cabin and go out on their boat.  On Tuesday, Payton got to ride in a tractor with Grandpa Randy and see some baby pigs. 

Then on Wednesday, we loaded up the car one more time and headed home.  Although, we did not come straight home, we went through Omaha and spent the day at the zoo.  The Omaha Zoo is really neat.  We got to see lots of animals and Payton (and mommy) got to ride the carousel.  Then we finally headed home.

Vacations are wonderful, but it always feels great to be back home!

 

HOT!!!

Can it get any hotter!  Don't get me wrong, I like warm weather.  But when the actual temp is forcasted to be 103.  That is just crazy!  Today is supposed to be better (in the 90's) so I think Payton and I will head to the pool later.  Payton has not been happy about the heat either.  He gets so mad that I won't let him go out and play.  He will bring me his shoes and sit down for me to put them on.  Then drags me to the door.  When I tell him we can't go outside it is to hot, get gets so sad! 

Other than trying to stay cool, not much is new with us.  Payton is starting to use a lot more words.   Sometimes we can actually figure out what he is trying to tell us. 

Here are a few of our favorites:

Elbo = Elmo

Bom Bob = Spongebob

Choo Choo = Thomas the train (or any vehicle that is not a car.  He is a little confused on that one.)

Hippa = Hippo

ga gone = all gone or all done

Ma = Mom, milk and more.  So that one gets a little tricky sometimes! 

choos = shoes

cucker  sucker

cacks = snacks (fruit snacks specifically)

ba ball = baseball

Fun Filled Weekend

Payton and I had a great time in Iowa this weekend!  He was such a great boy too.  He did really good on the drive there and back.  Payton was very excited to see Grandma Joy.  He was a grandmas boy this weekend for sure.   On Friday we went to my moms neighbors and splashed around in their pool and chased the kitties around the yard.  Saturday we got up and went to my sisters new restaurant and had some yummy food!  Then we went to the park and spent the afternoon and evening there.  It was HOT!!  Thank you to our cousin Allie for playing with Payton and taking him off my hands for a while!  I can only climb on the playground so much. We got to see lots of friends and family and Payton had lots of kids to play with.  Then we got to see some really good fireworks!  Payton was a little scared at first, but by the end he was saying, "WOW" and clapping.  So I think he liked them.  On Sunday we went to my friend Erin's house.  It was her daughters 3rd birthday.  Payton had lots of kids to play with there too.  We had a great time. Thanks for inviting us Erin!!  On Monday we went to go see Grandpa Gene.  We got to play with lots of toy trucks when we were there.  Then on Monday night we drove home.  We left about bedtime so Payton would sleep the whole way.  It made a long night for me, but it was well worth it!  Overall we had a great weekend!  Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th!!

Make sure and check out the pictures! 

Getting ready for the weekend....

On Friday Payton and I are heading to Iowa again.  We are going to the 4th of July celebration in Dixon on Saturday and will get to see lots of family and friends as well.  Justin has to work all weekend, so he doesn't get to go.  He is pretty bummed that he won't get us see us for a few days.  But I am sure it will be nice to have a quiet house!

We are looking forward to the trip, although not the car ride!  I am crossing my fingers that Payton sleeps at least half of the way up.  It is not very easy to travel with him anymore when there is only one of us.  I know Grandma Joy is getting anxious to see him again even though she just saw him two weeks ago.  I love going to Dixon for the fireworks.  It is the best way to see all of my extended family.  And its lots of fun too!  So hopefully I will see lots of you this weekend!  I should have lots of pictures to post next week.

 

June 25

Today we went to a Childrens Farmestead that is pretty close to our house.  Payton had a great time.  He could run around and pet the baby goats and lambs.  He just kept running around in circles trying to chase all of them.  He even felt the need to hug a few of the goats.  I am surprised he didn't try and take one home!

He has become such a chatter box lately!  I wish I could understand what he is saying because he makes it sound like it is very important!  His new word is banana.  But he says 'banammana'.  It is really cute.  His other new word is Choo Choo.  He loves trains.  Whenever he sees one he says choo choo.  When I pick him up from day care, he points at the DVD player in the car and says Choo Choo.  It took me a few days and then I realized that he wanted to watch his Thomas movie. 

Surprise party!

This past weekend my sister and I threw my mom a surprise 60th birthday party!  It turned out perfect!  She was totally shocked.   It took a lot of planning and keeping secrets to get it pulled off, but we did it!  She was really surprised that we had her mom fly up from Florida and her sister drive up from St. Louis.  There was a great turn out.  Thank you to everyone who was able to come.   I have no pictures because my camera battery was dead.  So if anyone took any pictures, let me know so I can get doubles!

Vacation

At the end of May, we went to Florida for vacation.  It was so much fun.  Payton had a great time.  We also got to spend some time with my grandma, that was really nice.  She had not seen Payton since he was 3 weeks old, so she was thrilled to see him.  Payton was amazing on the flight.  I was a little worried, since he does not like to sit at all.  But he did really well.  The first full day we were there he was a little frightened of the water and did not like the sand touching his toes, but by the end of the day he was running all over.  The next day we went to Busch Gardens.  It was a perfect place for toddlers.  It is the perfect mix of animals, rides and things to see and do.  Payton loves animals, so had a great time there as well.  We spent a few days just driving around and spending time with grandma.  Then the last full day we were there we went back to the beach.  Payton loved it this time.  He would run out to the water and yell and the waves and then when the waves spashed on his feet he would run back up the beach giggling.  All in all it was a great trip.  We were very sad to come home and get back to our normal lives.  We are already planning our trip for next year!  (You can see pictures by looking at the photo album).