Payton has figured out that he can walk on the foot of our bed w/out falling off. His arm placement, focus, and footwork? I give him a 10! He loves it. Xo will even get up there and wait till I have her hand so she can walk across.
It is so precious to watch Payton want to help her when he grabs her other hand and talks her across there beam. It sounds something like this... "Come on sunshine, you can do it." When she makes it, she is holding onto the post and Payton is jumping on my bed saying... " You did it sunshine, I knew you could. You are so big." He is a great supporter!
Here is what you get when you have 4 parent's in the dinning room talking and 3 kids being very quiet!
The white stuff is diaper rash ointment. As you can see, it got all over the floor... (tile only thankfully)
the kids...
and the toys!
I think it came off the tile easier than the kids. We got a free tile waxing out of the episode. On the package it says... Goes on smoothly and wipes off easily. Well, the first part is correct. I think the kids were greasy for a good week. At least it cut back on the lotion. Lesson learned... when kids are quiet, something big is going on!
I have found that kids can sleep anywhere in any position. Here are just a couple of Payton's favorite poses...
He held this position for a good 15 minutes. I don't know how he does it!
Notice they are all on the couch! He is getting to the point that he doesn't want to take a nap in his bed, so when he is tired he will crawl on the couch and pass out!
I LOVE this little man! I can't believe that 3 years have passed by so quickly.
Payton loves to be w/ his family, and is very concerned when someone is missing and wants to know where they are and when they will be home. He is a great big brother. He is constantly teaching Xo songs and making sure she is folding her arm's when we pray. He will randomly sing which makes all of us happy. I can't wait to see what he makes out of the rest of his life. I know whatever it is, it will be amazing.
Payton's birthday was the end of last month. I know pics are a lot slow, but I had issues w/ getting picture's off the camera. Sorry! Anyway, we had a great time. I wasn't planning on having anyone over for cake, but the morning of his birthday he said to me " Mom, I am so excited for my friends to come over tonight." What is a mom to do? So I called people over that day. I felt bad, but our friends over here are very supportive and we love them all. Payton had a great time. Thanks everyone for coming w/ such short notice. We owe you one!
Gas prices going down + fuel perks = a HUGE smile on our faces...
If you click on the picture, you will be able to see that we got 15 some odd gallons of gas at $0.49! That's right .49 cents people. We filled up for $7.75. I bet you thought you would never see that right!
We are trying to teach Payton the difference between his nightly prayers and the prayer on the food. We try to explain that when we say our nightly prayer's, we don't bless the food, and he is catching on slowly.
Well, here is what we heard the other night from him... (word for word)
"Dear Heavenly Father, I'm thankful for all of us, please bless not the food, in the name of Jesus Christ Amen."
Needless to say, Mike and I were trying to hold in our laughter!
What a game! We had a blast watching this game w/ friends and family. Yes even BYU fans were invited! It was good to see the UTES pull out on top. Mike was proud.
Our little get together started out w/ the normal bunch, but as you can see, by the end of the night our house was full of people and we had a blast w/ them all there. Most of them were cheering for the U, so it wasn't hard keeping them happy and entertained. This is one side of the room.
Here is the other side.
Oh, here are the kids. Upstairs watching a movie on our bed. They were a little overwhelmed w/ all the people.
I love this picture. They are all so intent on what they were watching. Payton and Xo have a lot of great friends to play w/ out here. There is not a day that goes by that he doesn't ask to play w/ one or all of his friends. So thanks to everyone who came to make that night so much fun.
Today at around 2:30 pm EST Trent stepped through the veil and joined his Great-grandmother (whom I'm sure was there waiting for him) and other loved ones already passed. I will forever be greatful to him and his family for their faith and testimonies in this trial. I will be flying out to Utah tomorrow morning to join my family in this time of remembrance, rejoicing and morning this faithful child of God. Thank you for your outpouring of love and thoughts during these times. We love you all. Here is Trent's mothers posting today.
Mike
Trent peacefully passed away today. He will forever be a part of our family. We will miss him terribly but know we will see him again. We are thankful to a loving Heavenly Father for welcoming him home and letting his spirit stay with us. Trent loved life and never took it for granted he truly is and was a wonderful spirit. Please know how thankful we are to all for the support and love we have felt, it has been amazing. Trent is finally out of pain and very at peace. Thanks again.
Being able to speak is a HuGe blessing! Yesterday my voice died. I don't know what I did. I am not sick, no cold, cough, etc. I just can't talk. If you ask my dad he has been waiting for this day for a long time!
The bad thing that comes from this, is that my kids don't know when I am serious because I can't get my stern voice out w/ them. They just look at me and continue doing what they were doing. AHHH!
I just hope it comes back soon I am sick of hearing "What did you say" after every sentance.
The other day I was sitting on the floor talking to Mike about his day, when all of a sudden Xo grabbed a blanket and a book, sat on my lap, and proceeded to open the book and pretended to read it. It was almost time for bed and our routine is to read a book then go to bed. So either she really wants to learn how to read, or she was just letting me know she was ready to go to bed.
I LoVe the stage of life that Payton is in right now. He is out if the terrible 2's and is becoming a big help. I was making frosting the other day and he came in the kitchen w/ a chair and asked if he could help me. He had to do it on his own. I could barley even hold the bowl! He is one independent person. He loves to help w/ Xo and if she is crying or sad, he is usually the first one to her side to see if she is ok. He is a GrEaT big brother. We love you Payton!
Be patient with me as this is the first time I have "blogged". I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce and thank a special young man. An Apostle of the Lord put it best this last conference when Jeffrey R. Holland said, "not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods......Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind". Those of us who know Trent Duval know that the only word that can describe him is angelic. He has been fighting AML (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia) for the past 15 months. He has fought the good fight and has received his call from Heavenly Father to report home soon. The Lord challenged us in 3 Nephi 12:14-16; "I give unto you to be the light of this people.....Behold do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house; Therefore let your light so shine before this people that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven" During this trial for Trent and his family, he truly has let his light so shine. As I read his blog and the comments left by various people around the country, I could not help but feel the spirit as people bore testimony of how his story has drawn them closer to our Heavenly Father. Trents life while short in the eyes of the world has drawn many closer to our Savior. My family has been in Utah the past few days, celebrating his life with those who love him most (thank you Paulette and Gary and Kent and Aceneth for the Airfare), and I can't help but feel like a piece of my heart needs to be expressed to him and the Duval family. Thank you for your lasting example of true Christ-like love and patience as you have traveled this tough road. Thank you for sharing Trent with us for this precious time you have had him. Thank you for your testimony of the Plan of Salvation and for showing us how is possible to be dealt the toughest trials of life and maintain the true faith in the Lord. Thank you. I love you all, Trent, thank you for your positive example to me and my family, especially Payton and Xoie. You will never be forgotten. The Lord truly awaits you with open arms and will soon say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant". Until we meet again.
All of you who are in the Salt Lake Area PLEASE READ!
A Day for TrentFund Raiser on Monday, October 13thFor the last 15 months, 8-year-old Trent has been bravely battling AML Leukemia.To help Trent’s family with the tremendous financial burden from medical expenses, Chick-fil-A of South Jordan will be donating 20% of the day’s revenue on Monday, October 13th to Trent’s family.Cash donations will also be accepted, and anyone making a donation of $10 or more will receive a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich to be used on their next visit.In addition, Chick-fil-A of South Jordan will hold a silent auction from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Auctioned items have been donated by local businesses and community members. All proceeds will go to Trent’s family.Please help us in supporting Trent and his family! Call Chick-fil-A of South Jordan with any questions at (801) 727-2697 ******Southtown, Ogden & Layton will be giving a % of sales as well, but only the District Location will have an auction and coupons for donations.
If any of you don't know who Trent is, just click on his name on my side bar and you can see his story. Thanks for your support!
I love conference weekend. There is nothing better than listening to the Apostles of God speak. Well, this year we had some friends come over to watch it w/ us. We ate breakfast before the Sunday session, got comfortable on the couches and started to watch. Well, as most of you know, when you sit down to watch conference this is what usually happens to you...
A & J claim that they were awake and still listening, but I will let you make the call. I can't talk to big, because in the afternoon session I looked a lot like they do there, but I put the camera away so there is no evidence.
A & J and there son G brought over G's train set so he would be content through conference, and it worked like a charm. Payton and G sat in the front room w/ us the whole time conference was on. They were quiet and content for the sessions. I know they probably didn't get much out of it, but they heard what was being said and they perked up when the songs were being sung. You can't ask much more out of a 2 and 3 year old during conference right?
First of all, I have to dedicate this post to the one person who got my creative brain started. The OnE and OnLy Teri T. If it wasn't for her, I never would have thought about making these...
These Halloween ornaments are so much fun to make. All you need is a styrofoam ball (whatever size you want), ribbon, a hot glue gun, and feather's if you would like and allow your mind to do the rest. It's a good project to do on a rainy day. If you have kids they will love playing w/ the feather's that DO get all over the place.
So Teri, thank you for getting me started w/ the wooden letters, and the blankets. If it wasn't for you, my house would be bare!
Since Payton doesn't want to use the toilet, he has decided to become the underwear monster!
I put this on him thinking he would totally freak out, but he fooled me. He loved it and wouldn't take it off. I think he loved seeing Xoie run away from him. So much for getting him to wear it on the other end.
So the kids and I had the opportunity to spend a day w/ Megan, and Matt picking apples at Simmons farm. We all had a blast! Payton would pick 2 apples at a time and bang them together like symbols. Let's just say that we left those ones there.
Payton picked this apple and said "This is my most favorite of all!" He wouldn't put it down. That is until he found another favorite.
The confused look on her face, I don't know what that is, but she wouldn't let this bag out of her site. She loved helping me carry it.
These two have become such good friends. They play all of the time and don't like when the other goes down for a nap. They are constantly worried about one another and if one of them are crying the other is there trying to console them. Xo copies whatever Payton does. If he has to go in time out, she is right by his side. She loves her brother and wants to be just like him. Payton loves watching out for her and showing her new things. In the car he is constantly asking her if she saw the big truck or bus that just passed.
I love that they are so close and care so much for each other. I just hope it will last.
So my mom and sister Amy came out to visit the begining of September and we had a BlAsT! We spent a couple of days in Washington D.C. and enjoyed the sites there. Sorry no pictures, I forgot to take my camera out and I also forgot to get pics from their camera's. Oh well. While in D.C. we were able to go up to the top of the Washington memorial. You could see EveRyThinG from up there. We even spotted the Temple. What a site that was! It's crazy that in our world today the safest feeling comes from just seeing the House of the Lord. On the way home we got stuck in the storm. It was raining so hard. All of us were a little nervous. It took us a little longer to get home, thanks to a kid that spun out infront of us and almost caused a head on collision, but thanks to my AmaZinG driving we got home safe! Sunday we went to church and Amy was able to experience a branch for the first time. It's a little shocking at first, but she stuck it out and had a great time. Monday Amy and I started pulling weeds and it turned into an all day project. Thanks to my mom for watching the kids we were able to pull out some bushes in the front of the house and plant some more plants and flowers. Amy you are a lifesaver! I have been trying to get Mike to help me pull them out the whole time we have been here, but it's been a year and nothing. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Tuesday they were going home. It was a hard goodbye for me. I didn't want them to leave. I don't know when we are going to go back to UT, so I will miss them. Not just them, but the whole family. Thank you both for the fun week and hopefully we can do it again.
Payton was so excited to come home. He was pretnding to sleep while we were waiting to board. We told him that he could take a nap on the plane and then we would be home. He just couldn't wait!All Xo wanted to do was to look out the window. I would put her on my lap and she would wiggle her way right back to the window. I am sure the people infront of her loved it!
As we were getting ready to land we had to buckle Payton up and he hated wearing that thing. As you can see he flipped around to his belly and was trying to slide off the seat. Kids!
Payton was waisted! The day after we got home this is what happened as he was eating his lunch. When I took the picture I think the flash scared him because he jumped, woke up, and started crying. We took him to bed and he got a good 2 hour nap. Now life is back to normal. Mike is back in school and we are home hanging out w/ friends and having a great time. Payton couldn't wait to get home and play w/ Isaac, Matt, Janers, and his new friend Gage. We really are blessed to have a great family here in PITT! Thank's guys.
We had a BlAsT the last day we were there. When we got there we remembered that a Five Guys had just opened in S.L. and we were so EXciTeD! We kept talking about it and telling people they had to go and try it out. So the last day we were there, my whole family decided to go. I hope they enjoyed it because it is one of our favorite hamberger joints. After we ate, we went to the park and played around. As you can see the parent's joined in as well. When we got the park there were quite a few people there, but I think when they saw the adult's on the toy's the way they were, they got out of there w/ their kids as fast as they could. It's good to see we can ClEAr an area in more ways than one. You know what I mean Mike King! By the end of the night we found ourselves running around playing tag and ending the night playing big booty. If any of you need a really good laugh, play that game w/ my Dad. It was the perfect ending to a PeRFeCt trip. Thanks to EVerYOne who helped us have a great time.
We were blessed to have had the time and opportunity to go and visit Trent in the Hospital while we were there.
Trent is a special person to our family. He is the StROnGesT 8 year old that I know. He has been through a lot and continues to have a PoSiTiVe attitude. He is so CarINg and gIviNg. I hope to be like him one day. He even offered to give me all of his money so that I could come back to UT. What 8 year old do you know that does that?
Thank you Tiff, Jeff, and Trent for letting us come up and bug you while we were there. The memories will NeVeR be ForGOttEn!
While we were in S.L.C. we were able to go downtown and see the Joseph Smith movie and the Temple grounds. I love that place. I forgot how powerful the movie is. Payton is a little too small for the seat, but he enjoyed playing in it.
The kids loved the pond. At one point Payton had climed between the drain and the seat and was sticking his hands in the water ready to jump in. And Xoie? Well, she just waved to everyone walking by and said hi. Someone told me that she has the perfect parade wave. I am afraid we have a lot of things ahead of us w/ this girl! Shelby came w/ us downtown and I am so glad I got to spend some time w/ her. She is such a fun person to be around and I am glad she is a part of our lives!
Payton has figured out that he can walk on the foot of our bed w/out falling off. His arm placement, focus, and footwork? I give him a 10! He loves it. Xo will even get up there and wait till I have her hand so she can walk across.
