Goings On

Spring is in full-force around here. We had a few gorgeous days- even getting to the 80's with not a cloud in the sky, and then days like today- in the low 50's and pouring. Well, we take what we can get. Jade went to Palm Springs for a conference for New York Life. It was for the top 50 agents in the western zone. I'm so proud of him. He spent 3 days golfing at a super nice resort. He even was picked up from the airport in a town car. I can't believe he didn't invite me! Peyton fractured her finger at the tip. She shut it in her closet door, which folds accordian-style. It was so sad! Luckily kids heal pretty fast, so after a couple weeks of "buddy tape"-ing it, it was as good as new. Peyton's preschool class had a Mother's Day party. It was super cute. The kids sang us a couple songs and then they gave us a card and jewelry box they had made for us, then we got to do a craft with them and have a snack together. It was really cute, and I LOVE the homemade Mother's Day gift. I remember making those for my mom. I can't believe my baby is old enough for that. Mother's Day was great. I got to sleep in an extra hour, and Jade and Peyton brought me breakfast in bed. You can't beat that! At church I only had to teach one hour instead of two, and Peyton sang a really sweet song with the other Primary kids. I loved watching her sing (even though she only sang about 25% of the words). For dinner, the boys all cooked for the girls. Food always tastes so good when you don't have to cook it or clean up after you eat it! Jade and I played in a little couples' golf tournament at our club. The theme was "Fiesta on the Fairway", so we dressed in costume and they had lots of yummy Mexican food. Our team didn't place, but Jade did win "KP" (the shot closest to the pin) on one of the holes, so he made $20. It paid for 1/2 our babysitting! On Saturday I threw a baby shower for one of my best girlfriends and her sweet baby girl Sutton. It was really fun and turned out super cute. Sunday Peyton gave her first talk in Primary! She had been asking the Primary Secretary for a couple weeks to bear her testimony, so when she asked if I thought Peyton would be ready to give a talk, I told her yes. Peyton was really funny. At first she was a little quiet, and mostly said her talk to me (I was standing right next to her). Then she warmed up and said her talk. She also played with the microphone for a couple seconds after realizing it made a loud creaking noise and getting a bunch of laughs from the kids in Primary. And in the middle of one sentence she stopped abruptly and asked me why there were stickers on the step-stool. She had been practicing what she wanted to say for her testimony (I made the decision not to coach her on it, but rather to let her say what she was truly feeling), but ended up not saying a thing. Afterwards she told me that she wants to bear her testimony next week. I think she was disappointed that she didn't get out what she wanted to say. Overall, she did a great job and she was really cute and funny to watch. Piper started crawling. One day she took about two tiny crawls forward, then the next day she didn't have a single inch of forward-progress, and then the next day she just [literally] crawled across the room. I guess she had been holding out on me. In any case, she is totally mobile now. I'm so grateful she is developmentally on-track, but selfishly I really don't like her crawling. She also cut a tooth. It's been 3 weeks now, and its mate still hasn't grown in. All Peyton's teeth grew in within a couple days of their mirror-tooth. I'm starting to think Piper doesn't have a bottom-right tooth. It's a darling little crooked smile.

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Peyton and her classmates

 Peyton with her great teachers Chrissy and Jenelle

 Can you see that cute little snaggle-tooth?

loves

 I scored a Mexico jersey at Goodwill. I couldn't find anything for Jade, so he just got a sombrero.

The only picture I got with the guest of honor.

 Cute Cousins! Piper sure looks mad, huh?

Peyton, waiting to be called for her talk

Mother's Day Interview

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?
That you love me. You always say that.

2. What makes Mommy happy?
When I obey.

3. What makes Mommy sad?
When I don't obey.

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?
[laughs] When you hug me and tickle me.

5. What was Mommy like as a child?
I don't know.

6. How old is Mommy?
Uh. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-19-11-12-13-14-28-29. How old are you, mommy?

7. How tall is Mommy?
[holds her hand up] That big, right mom?

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?
Go shopping and when I get you doughnuts when you're in the hospital.

9. What does Mommy do when you're not around?
You, my darling, you... Go to the gym.

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
I don't know. Drawing.

11. What is Mommy really good at?
Playing

12. What is Mommy not very good at?
Making cars.

13. What does Mommy do for her job?
You don't do any jobs. Daddy just does jobs.

14. What is Mommy's favorite food?
Tacos

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?
When you smile, like that [pointing at a picture of me and Jade].

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Rapunzel; because I love you.

17. What do you and Mommy do together?
We go shopping and we get doughnuts, and when you're in the hospital, I bring you doughnuts.

18. How are you and Mommy the same?
Because we both love to be with daddy.

19. How are you and Mommy different?
Because we wear different things.

20. How do you know Mommy loves you?
Because you hug me all the time.

21. Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?
McDonald's [not even close]

Kicking the Habit

Well, we did it! After many failed attempts, we finally got rid of Peyton's binky! I know, it was a little ridiculous that she had it this long. Trust me, I never thought my almost-4 year old would still have a binky. In my defense, she only had it during naptime and bedtime- never during the day, and never out of bed. She knew she didn't need it, too. I would ask her when she was going to get rid of it, and she would say, "I'm going to keep it forever." If I pointed out that she didn't need it anymore, she would say, "I know I don't need it; I just like it." In the past, when I would try and get rid of it, it resulted in naps going from 3 hours to non-existent, and sleep going from a solid 12 hours every night to about 9. It just wasn't worth it to me. Finally I made a pact with myself. I was going to get rid of that dang binky by the time she was 4. I started talking to her about all the privileges she could have when she was 4, but only if she didn't have a binky, because binkies are for little kids, not big kids. I also told her that she could have the [ridiculously expensive] French baby doll that she had been begging for at the toy store, but since the doll came with a toy binky, she couldn't get it until she got rid of her own binky. Finally one day she just decided she was ready, and took me up on my offer. When Jade got home from work, we took her to the Frozen Yogurt shop and made a little celebration of getting rid of the binky- in the dumpster by the shop, so she knew she wouldn't be able to get it back. She then got frozen yogurt and was totally happy with her decision. Until bedtime. She was a little sad, but understood that she wasn't getting her binky back. Then she told me I could just buy her another one. I hadn't seen that one coming. We stayed strong, and even though it took a couple days for her sleep to go back to normal, she adjusted just fine. She does still tell me once in awhile that she misses her binky, or that she just wants one, but she's pretty much adapted to life without a binky. Although she did tell me that when she's 89, she will get another binky.