Our Sweet Kids

I just have to say that I feel so blessed to be a Mom. I love our kids so much and of course, like all Mom's, think that they are wonderful. The other day we went out and took pictures for Father's Day. I had my professional photographers (aka Reed and McCray) take some pictures for me. I think they did a fine job considering their training, and I am glad that I had them do it. The only thing I wish was that I did not have 2 mysterious dots on my face. I know what one was, but the other is a mystery. Oh well.

Camille is a great girl. She is my right hand man, and is always so good to help her Mom. She is an example to me in so many ways. I often wish I could be more like her. She is organized- she has been since she was born. She is competitive, and she likes to win. She loves to read and stays up at night with a book light enjoying her books. She has a genuine desire to be good- she often times comes home from church and tells me how she is going to apply what she has learned that day. She always tries to do what is right, and makes sure we all do too. She is always begging me for gum. I can get her to do just about any job, if I let her have some gum while she does it. She is not too old for snuggles, and I am so glad. She is at a fun age, where she wants to be grown up, and wants to learn and try so many new things.

McCray is such a sweet boy. He is usually pretty happy and carefree. He loves to play and is always game to do something with someone. He loves to be recognized for doing something well. He is daring and will trying most anything that seems fun to him. He is very tender hearted, and is such a good big brother to Morgan. He always tries to comfort people when they are sad. He loves to play things that are make believe. He is a good helper, and can really do well at his chores when he wants to. He has his little smile that is so cute. He likes to show his teeth and gets this certain little look on his face. He LOVES to be tickled, wrestled, hugged, loved, whatever. I love to do it and see how happy it makes him!

Reed is at such an adorable age right now. He constantly keeps me on my toes. He is always asking questions. Many times they are why questions, or questions on how something works. He is always trying to get something figured out. He is so persistent. I have learned that you can't put him off and expect that he will forget. HE WON'T. He will remind me until you just know you better just do it, because he is not going to let it go. Reed is very observant. He is so good at giving compliments. He comes up with things that most people don't notice, but he has really thought it out. It really makes me happy when he tells me that I look nice out of the blue. He loves hugs, and to be snuggled. He sometimes sneaks into bed with us. I don't always make him go back to bed because I love having him snuggled right up to me. SHH, that is my little secret.

Little Miss Morgan is hilarious. She keeps me on my toes and is just adorable. She loves to be doing what the big kids are doing, or whatever she wants to be doing. She is strong willed, and pretty much knows what she wants. And if she doesn't get her way, you know it. I have noticed her brothers giving her whatever it is that she wants as soon as she screams in opposition. She is definitely the youngest. She is a little spoiled, but I really try to be consistent with her. She loves her babies- Foo Foo and Bear. She takes these everywhere, and they are pretty filthy most of the time. She cries if we forget them at home. She has a little routine that she does with them- rubbing them, putting them over her legs, she loves to feel their soft side. I figure that it makes her happy, and she has been my healthiest child so far. Those germs must be doing something for her. I love it when she wakes up, she always yells MOM! MOM! I love it that she calls for me. She snuggles me and pats and rubs my back. I LOVE THAT! She also always says, "Good nap Mom. " She continues to tell me this long after she has woken up. She loves to be outside. She loves having a snuggle, and I love her snuggles. I just can hardly help myself when it comes to kissing her cheeks. They are just so... kissable! She loves to sing and does it a lot, but never with real words. She rules the roost and I sure love her!

I feel so incredibly blessed , and love our kids so much. They bring me Joy. 

Happy Fathers Day to our Grandpa's

Happy Father's Day Grandpa Miles and Grandpa Payne! We all love you!

Reedy Pie Turns Four

Good thing Reed can't read. He continually reminds us that "it is not Reedy Pie, it's Reed." Well he is still my Reedy Pie, and I am the Mom, so I get to call him what I want to! I can't believe my baby boy is four. He has been so excited to turn four. It is actually a good thing, because no matter how much he practices, he just can't say his "th" sound to say three correctly. So now, being four will be a breeze. He can say his F's. Take note that he started out with a clean shirt- I noticed the other pictures all look like he spilled something down his front. :(

Reed wanted a Lightning McQueen cake. I usually make and decorate all of their cakes, but this year he got the store bought cake and I just put some Lightning McQueen stuff on it. He didn't know any difference and loved it.

Reed was so excited because he got a Lightning McQueen bike for his birthday. His reaction when we brought it in was so fun. He said, "What? Is that for me? YES!!!" He put his arms up in the air when he said "YES!" So cute. He calls it a Lightning McQueen bike, but it actually is his cousin Uli's hand me down bike, that happens to be red and very cool. He was thrilled!

He loved each present he opened. His reaction each time he opened another one was just as excited as the time before. What a great age!

Reed was very spoiled to be able to have so many of his cousins there for his party. It worked out perfectly that that was the weekend everyone came. Here are some of the family.

It was all too much for Allie. Even with a FULL house, she slept almost the whole time. She did wake up for a second, had a couple of bites of cake, then went right back to sleep!



I am so grateful for my little Reed. He is so animated and curious. He always has a look of wonder in his eyes. The wheels in his mind are always turning, and he gets the cutest look on his face when he is about to learn something or figure something out. He is very determined when he wants to be. He is a gadget boy and loves to fiddle with things. He loves trains, cars, airplanes, big trucks, the garbage truck, and anything loud that moves. He loves attention, and snuggles. He loves to make me happy, and loves when I give him a high 5 for doing something well. He is such a sweet little boy, and I love him so much. I am so blessed to be his Mom.
Happy Birthday Reed!

I am here

I am sorry about dropping off the face of the earth. Life has been really busy the past while, and blogging just wasn't something that I could get done. Thankfully my brother Jason put some pictures on for me. I wish he could always take my pictures for me. He is good at taking them, and has an amazing camera. Now we are back to just my little old 4mp point and click. It was nice while it lasted. :)

I have had a very busy past few weeks. It has been filled with family, which has been wonderful. At one point, we had 5 Payne kids (and families) here in town at one time. It was not planned exactly, but what a treat. My little sister Lindsay, her husband James and their two boys came for a couple of days from Colorado over memorial day weekend. It was so nice to have them here. I wish they were closer- like the rest of our family who is far away! My brother Carter and his son Uli came from southern NM for their yearly trip. We always look forward to having them come. The kids LOVE playing with Uli and look forward to it every year- for months in advance.

My brother Jason, sister in law Joy, and their 3 kids came to stay on and off for a couple of weeks. It was not a planned trip. Joy's brother Vic and wife Molly lost their sweet little daughter Lucy. She was just a couple weeks shy of turning two and was their only child. She choked on a tiny piece of apple that went to her lung. ( I am not positive that I explained it perfectly) They were not able to get it out before she was without oxygen for too long. It was such a sad, heart breaking time. Lucy was kept alive for about 5 days, so Jason and Joy were able to come right away from NM and be there to support them during this time. I was so grateful that we were here to stay with and be able to help with their kids during this time so they could be there for their family. It was heart wrenching for me to hear what was going on, and to imagine what Vic, Molly, and their families must be going through. I think as a parent, when you put yourself in their shoes, it is unimaginable what they must be feeling. I cried. And cried. And cried. I also prayed for them. A lot. It has changed me as I have seen their struggle. And their blessings. I have prayed that somehow Heavenly Father could make their burden lighter. I have been much more patient with my own kids. I have held them all more. I have tried to be a better mother and more grateful for each moment I have. Vic and Molly are inspiring. And, as I have learned more and more about Lucy and her life, I know she was too. I wish I knew them. I have only met Vic, one time a long time ago. This is their blog address if you want to get to know their beautiful little Lucy, be inspired by their amazing strength, and see the incredible outpouring of love shown to them. www.jacksonparkcity.blogspot.com. Joy was an amazing support to them during this time, and was a great example to me of doing anything you can to support your family. She is an amazing person as well. It was fun to get to spend time with my niece Allie, and nephews Luke and Wesley. They are such sweet kids. You really get to know them when they are here for more than the usual couple of days. This experience has made me realize even more how blessed we are to have family. That is what it is all about, and I am so grateful for both of our families and all they do to support us.

Running through the Sprinklers... a personality test

Ahh, summertime was here... for about a week. It has been rainy and quite cool for the past few weeks. I am not complaining though, because the cooler weather won't last long, and I will be too hot soon. While it was hot, I let the kids run through the sprinkler one afternoon. It was so funny to me. First of all, it brought back memories of my childhood, when Erin and I would run through the sprinkler. One would be holding the water squirting the other. The other would be crying, on their way to tell Mom. Fast forward 30 something years. Same story different kids.

It was also so funny to watch each child and how they reacted to the situation. It was such a reflection of their personalities. Really!

Camille enjoyed it and got wet. She started with just her foot, and gradually got to where she enjoyed running through quite a few times. She wanted to be the one holding the sprinkler most of the time. She also thought it was funny to squirt the others. This is how she is with lots of things. She goes into things cautiously, but always enjoys it once she gets used to it. She also enjoys the power she has over her brothers that comes with being the oldest. With that power comes a lot of responsibility, so she probably deserves to have a little.

This picture says it all. McCray LOVES to have fun. He is daring. He doesn't just start with just a toe, he dives right in. He is the first to try something that seems fun to him. He doesn't care if it is cold, hot, hard, etc. He really gets into what he is doing and enjoys himself. He is competitive, and takes games seriously. He is a happy, easy going kid, who likes to be doing something he thinks is fun.

Reed tried it once, decided it was COLD, and didn't want to do it anymore. He liked sticking his hands in the water, or going under it when it was a rainbow and he would not get wet, but going full on into the water, no way. He is like that a lot of times. If he decides he does not like something, he can stick to his guns and he is not going to do it, unless it is on his terms. He must not have a lot of internal padding, because he gets colder than the others. Even swimming in the dead of summer in St George, his lips would be blue, and he would be freezing. He likes to participate and have fun, but on his terms, his way.

Going under the rainbow

And little Miss Morgie, poor girl she misses all of the fun. She will be there in the middle of it all soon. She loves to be like the big kids, and thinks she should be able to do anything they get to do. But she is pretty patient with me, and hangs out beside me, providing me with sweet smiles, and hugs. She is such a sweet little girl. I have come up with a good description for her lately. Sweet and Spicy. She is so sweet 99% of the time. But, she has some spice to her, and if she doesn't like something, she will definitely let you know. (Hence, the intensive internet searching I have been doing lately on what to do when your child hits you and says NO. Thankfully, I have found out it is normal? and she is just trying to exercise her independence.)

I sure love all of my little ones, and am grateful for their sweet personalities. They each bring so much joy and happiness to our lives.

Our Toothless Girl

Camille lost another tooth the other night. She was so excited about it, and wanted me to take some pictures. She is such a cutie! However, she needs to slow down on the losing, and speed up the teeth growing in. She has not had her front teeth for at least 6 months, and they are still not poking through. It is going to be hard to eat if she keeps up at this pace!

Fishing Derby

We were able to attend a really fun fishing derby at a park here in Murray. The fishing was pretty slow, but it was fun for the kids to be able to try it, and thankfully for all of us, the actual fishing only lasted about a half an hour. After that they had a bar-b-que and bounce houses that the kids enjoyed. It is always fun to get out and do something a little different. Uli and Carter were here, so they came along too, which made it fun.

 

  We were able to meet Camille's "first best friend, Susanna and her family there. They love hanging out together. I am so glad our kids have nice friends. The kids had a lot of fun playing on the playground. It was a beautiful day, and Kent and I enjoyed watching them have fun.