Bubbles

Summertime is here and so are the bubbles...and the cuteness! Isn't she adorable!

We play with bubbles almost daily! We have a bubble gun, bubble machine and even have been using bubble bath now!

She LOVES her bubbles! And I love hearing her try to say bubble!

Baby Dedication

This past weekend we did a baby dedication for the three babies in our small group. We had Peyton, Gavin and Caleb. It was such a special event and even more special to be able to do it with friends that mean so much to us. We had food, cake and invited all of our friends and family who have been instrumental in supporting us in the endeavor.

Our church has the small groups within the church do a dedication because in reality, the relationships that we have in small groups are the ones that will be praying for us specifically, encouraging us, mentoring us and being the ones to help keep us going. One of the wives from our small group's dad is a pastor at our church and he graciously came out to lead the dedication. Since it is May and insanely hot in Texas, we mostly hung out inside, but decided to have the ceremony outside so everyone could see.

The dedication part was so sweet and inspiring. We appreciated hearing the pastor's words that he spoke about it being our responsibilities to teach Peyton to trust the Lord and to love HIM and serve Him through our words and our actions. Now...during the dedication we saw why these are done when kids are babies. Peyton wanted to get down and run around and at one point, got her lovey and paci and laid down on the grass to go to sleep! What a silly girl! And then when the pastor was done, she promptly waved and said, "bye," to him. Silly!

It was a special day and I am glad we took the time to create those memories!

Playing with Gavin!

Peyton has a wonderful friend named Gavin whose parent's are in our small group. I love it when they get together to play because they have so much fun and now that they are older, they just entertain each other and I feel like I almost have a break because they want nothing to do with me.

Well Gavin's parents had to do some stuff for their upcoming move to Saudi...yes, they are seriously moving to Saudi which makes me and Peyton very sad.

We had so much fun yesterday playing outside, in the sand box, with bubbles and then moving inside for lots more fun!

Mother's Day, Cruising in Mexico and Big Girl Shoes...

So this past week has been crazy busy!

First, I celebrated my second Mother's Day and was treated to breakfast in bed complete with Starbucks and a Polar Heart Rate monitor that I have been wanting as a gift. The best part though was the Peyton kisses that I got and the cuddles in bed! That is the greatest gift ever! I am so in love with that little girl and feel so blessed that God has entrusted her to us and I have the honor of being a parent to her! That afternoon I got to spend some time with my mom getting pedicures so it was nice day!

Well, the rest of the day was mostly spent preparing for a 5 night cruise on the Carnival Estacy out of Galveston with just John! Peyton spent the time on vacation at Granny and Papa's!

Here was ensued while I was packing....

I love how she picked out one of my favorite pair of shoes! The girl has some style! I love it!

So, on Monday John and I dropped off Peyton and headed down to Galveston and boarded the cruise ship for 5 nights of no Peyton...which was so hard! I missed her so much! I know it is important to have alone time and time to focus on our marriage and that we are better parents when our marriage is strong but 5 nights was way too long away from my pumpkin! And, I would say that Granny and Papa agreed!

We sailed for one day at sea (where I go seriously sun burned) and then docked in Progresso, Mexico where John and I decided to take a bus to Merida, one of the oldest cities in that part of Mexico. We walked around, enjoyed the architecture and spent a relaxing afternoon exploring.

The next day we were in Cozumel, Mexico where we went snorkeling! I LOVED it! I was so scared that I would not be able to do the whole breathing in a tube thing but I did great and the view was amazing. As soon as we were done I told John how I wanted to go scuba diving!


Overall it was a relaxing trip, filled with lots of naps, reading books and good conversations! It was a nice time away but I was very ready to be home and see Peyton...and when we got home we found out she was ready to see us too! Granny and Papa did GREAT taking care of her and like the last time we tried to get away....she got sick but this time it required breathing treatments from a mask! I felt AWFUL when I got home and found all this out but know that she was very well cared for. They even convinced her that her mask was her Barney mask! She is even asking to do her mask now. Pretty much she had the child form of Bronchitis and the treatments at home were to keep her out of the hospital. She is much better now, thank God!

All said and done, I don't think I will be planning any long trips away any time soon! I missed her too much, it was a lot for Granny and Papa and I felt awful with her getting sick! At least the next trip is to Canada with Peyton...we should be good there!

Summer is Here..time for some shades!

Time for the shades...the sun is out!