Bumbo

This is Payton's latest and greatest toy...a Bumbo! I have seen them in the stores, seen the ads in Parenting magazine, etc., but wasn't quite sure it would be something we would use. However, after purchasing one yesterday at Babies R Us with leftover giftcards, I am so glad I did! Payton really enjoyed it when we tried it out for a few minutes yesterday. She seemed to like this "new view" of the world! Basically, it is just a little seat (all very soft and cushy) that holds their body into place to help them gain muscle strength to sit up on their own.


Trying out our new gadget...


Robb just had to snatch this picture...our precious little angel's chubby little legs were a tight squeeze! I was afraid we were pinching her too much as we literally squished her legs in, but she never complained. There were no red marks or anything, so I think she was fine! I think it is probably supposed to be really tight fitting them in so that they cannot slip out. But, it was very, very funny when we realized just how fat her thighs are!!!


A little play time with Daddy...


Which led to spit up running down his neck...he was pretty grossed out!

I was tagged by Silvia Decker...

What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was a sophomore in high school in Altamont, KS. At this point in the school year, I was heavily involved in competions in music and forensics (the public speaking kind!)

Five things on my to do list today:
1. Exercise
2. Play with Payton (I wish I could do this all day!)
3. Teach 2 hours of piano lessons
4. Hang Payton's new pictures from The Picture People
5. Go to Babies R Us on my way to my piano lessons...I want some sort of "toy bar" that will attach to the stroller. Payton loves the toys that hang above her infant seat, but I don't have anything on her stroller.

Snacks that I enjoy:
Wheat Thin chips, cheese, trail mix (the kind with nuts, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips...yum!)--I need to add "Grocery Store" to my to do list! (actually, I really do!)

What I would do if I were a billionaire:
I'd give to the church, missions, Christian schools, etc. (just like everyone else!) I would build a state of the art Performing Arts building for Hobe Sound Bible College and Academy. My husband would invest all the money, and we would live (nicely!) on the interest. I would shop to my heart's content (after buying a house with bigger closets...for me AND Payton!). I would take my liberties in decorating and shop at all my favorite boutiques (wouldn't have to worry about catching the sales!). We would travel all over the world, as much as we wanted. I would stay at home full time. Come to think of it, Robb could too! Hmm...this is fun to think about!

Three of my bad habits:
1. Thinking too much; my brain won't turn off!
2. Being too tied to my to do list...which I try to pack too much into.
3. Putting off exercising (I am working on this...note my 5 things to do today!)

Places I have lived:
Altamont, KS
Hobe Sound, FL
Stuart, FL

Five jobs I have had:
1. Elementary Vocal Music Teacher--Palm Beach Day Academy
2. Montessori Preschool Assistant Teacher--Palm Beach Day Academy
3. Private Voice and Piano Instructor
4. Preschool Teacher--St. Lucie West in Port St. Lucie, FL
5. Babysitter for several families while in college

I am tagging Tracy, Charlene, Natalie, Rebecca, and Erin. (If you don't have time or do not care to do this, no problem!)

One addition to the last post...

I forgot to mention something kind of fun and exciting! The manager of the photography studio liked the pictures so much that she had us sign a "modeling release" (sounds funny!) so that they can hang Payton's pictures up in the studio. They want to replace some that have been there for a long time. So, if you go to the Wellington Mall, look for Payton's picture in The Picture People store!

Bless the Picture People!!!

This evening, we took Payton to "The Picture People" at the Wellington Mall to get her 3 month pictures taken. I HIGHLY recommend them. The prices were very reasonable (especially if you do the club membership), we had great service, and the quality was excellent. If you go to the Wellington Mall, ask for Jaine to be your photographer. I liked her better than the guy we had last time we went. Payton did great. We went down early so that I could feed her right before taking pictures, and she was so happy and cooperative. Here are a few of the pictures (ignore the writing over them!).

These are a few of my favorite things...

Payton is really starting to express things she enjoys doing. It is so fun to watch her face light up as she discovers all these "new" things!


She loves going out in her stroller. I've been taking her for a 2 1/2 or 3 mile walk most every morning, and she coos and kicks most of the time!


From the angle of the picture, her head looks like it is shaped funny...it really isn't...it's just very chubby! This is the typical look on her face while taking walks!


She is fascinated by the mobile my mom bought her. It plays classical music (which we love!) and she is very contented in her crib with the mobile going.


Moving all around...she doesn't want to miss a thing!


She also loves her Baby Einstein playmat...especially the mirror! She'll just "talk" and smile at herself...she thinks she found a friend!

Happy 3rd Month Birthday!!!

It has been the happiest three months of our lives!!! Robb and I knew we wanted children, but had no idea just how amazing and wonderful it would be. Nor could we understand how three months could possible go by so very quickly! Payton is such a good baby, and we feel blessed beyond measure. Every day brings something new in her life as she literally changes from day to day. She is so happy (most of the time!) and is turning into quite the "chatterbox" with all her "talking"! She is extremely expressive, and has started making a face that reminds us very much of both her Uncle Chad and her Uncle Rick...she raises one eyebrow and gives us this lopsided grin that would charm the socks off of any Scrooge!!! We love you, Payton, and thank God every single day for giving us the most beautiful girl in the whole world!!! (I'm allowed to say that on MY blog, right?!?!)

Welcome cousin Kara!

These are slightly out of order, but while we admired our beautiful new cousin, Kara Elizabeth Peterson, her big sisters had fun entertaining Payton!



Kara Elizabeth Peterson, born April 20th. You can visit Misty's blog to get all the stats and many more pictures!


Kara is a beautiful little baby, and so tiny!!! I'm so glad we live close so we watch her grow and changed! Congratulations to Wes, Misty, Kaylee, Karissa, and Kathryn!!!

Random pictures

Eleven weeks old...Payton was hamming it up for her mommy and daddy as we took her "weekly" picture. She smiles like this very frequently, so I was so happy to finally catch it on camera! This is one of my favorite outfits. I purchased the whole outfit (right down to the hilarious shoes!) at a local consignment store. Part of it still had the tags on it, from one of my favorite stores, Gymboree. Robb teases her about her "grown-up" shoes!




Payton turned 12 weeks old yesterday! We've been taking her picture every week with this huge stuffed bear...she is looking a little bigger and the bear is looking a little smaller every week! Unfortunately, she is not getting any more hair yet!!!

I love this Baby Gap outfit. Robb and I saw it soon after she was born, thought it was so cute, and splurged on the matching sweater outfit and hat. Fortunately, we've had several cool days, so she has had opportunities to wear it...and actually needed it! Today, however, will be the last day she wears it, I believe. Much to my dismay, her not-so-little legs are just too long! I just had to take a few pictures! Note the fuzzy arm in this picture...she would not hold her arms still long enough to get a non-fuzzy picture!

Family Day

The last several weeks, we've been making a true effort to make Saturdays a "family day" by doing something fun together. There are so many places in South Florida that we've never been so we are trying to find new and interesting places to explore. Payton LOVES her stroller, so anything we can do where she can cruise and look around is a big hit! This past Saturday, Robb had a little accompanying job in Fort Pierce, about 45 minutes away. I've never actually been there, I don't think, and Robb has only been there a few times for work purposes. So, after he played the piano, we set off to see what we could see. To be honest, most of Fort Pierce (at least most of what we saw) was neither interesting nor scenic. However, down by the water, there was a nice sized Farmer's Market and Crafter's Market. We were too late to really enjoy the Farmer's Market, but I am glad to know it is there. It will make a fun Saturday morning experience some time. We got in a little of the Crafter's Market, and it was surprisingly nice, not junky as some tend to be.


If anyone has any suggestions of places you've been here in South Florida (day trip type of things), please let me know! Florida really is a great place to live, and we'd like to see more of it!


Robb took this picture of Payton and I, overlooking the Intercoastal Waterway.

Daddy's Girl

Payton is truly her daddy's girl...she has him completely and utterly wrapped around her little, itty, bitty finger! Of course, it helps that he is, in my opinion, the best daddy around! He can change diapers as fast as I can (he enjoys this job because Payton almost always smiles and "talks" while having her diaper changed!) and is my very favorite "baby burper"! From the moment we found out we were having a baby, he viewed "our" pregnancy as a team effort, and he has done the same since Payton was born. I am very thankful to have such a patient, kind, AND fun teammate!

And it helps that Payton LOVES her daddy! What is it about daddy's and little girls??? Before she was born, he bought her a BEAUTIFUL pink, silk dress, complete with a matching bonnet and diaper cover. It is covered with these rows of little ruffles, and under each ruffle there is a line to a poem. It goes like this:

"Stiched between these ruffles and folds
is a pretty little tale just waiting to be told

about a wee girl and her little pink dress

She loved it so much it was always a mess!"

The best part of the whole thing is that on the back of the diaper cover it says, "The End."

Here are some pictures of Payton in her "Little Pink Dress." Enjoy!

Sorry, I forgot to rotate the picture of Payton and Robb before adding it to the blog, and now I can't get it to rotate!

Thank you, Mary!

Here is my debut into the world of blogging...thanks to my kind and patient sister-in-law, Mary Ellen. She spent a couple of hours this morning helping me set up a blog for our family. I told her she has much more patience than I have; I would go crazy sitting here trying to figure this all out!


The purpose of my blog site is primarily to share pictures and stories about my beautiful baby girl! I'm sure I'll think of a few other things to blog about along the way, though.


Speaking of Payton, she laughed out loud this morning for the first time...completely in her sleep! It was such a funny sounding laugh, and completely caught me off guard, as I was not expecting it at all. I wonder what she was dreaming about... :)


I received some excellent news this morning. Most everyone reading this already knows, but just in case...I teach elementary vocal music at a private school in Palm Beach, FL. The school kindly worked out a contract for me for next year teaching two days a week, which was very exciting for us. I want to continue teaching a little, but still be able to be home most of the time with Payton. But, that is for next year. I am currently on maternity leave, but am supposed to return on May 5th--full-time. I have been hoping and praying that it would work out for me to return part-time, even though it is only for a few weeks. Then, we'll be out for summer vacation. Anyway, this was a big answer to prayer, and very, very exciting!