swimming with P

Payton's swimming lessons are so much fun. Graham came today and took all these pictures...I'm so excited to have them! As soon as P and I got out of the change rooms and she saw the water she started kicking and waving her arms...she loves the water!! It's just fun to have a special activity to do with her...and it's nice to chat with other moms and ooh and aah over eachothers babies. I remember when I was a teenager and always thought is was so annoying how new moms were with their babies...well, I am officially one of those annoying people now!! And for all you people who don't have kids yet...trust me, you'll be exactly the same way with yours! Hehe! Anyways...Payton is getting very familiar with the water, she loves to float and splash and I dunk her all the time. So fun and so cute. Makes me sad how quickly she's growing...she won't be a baby for too much longer now...

so cute

It's pretty sad when your 9 month old baby has cuter clothes than you.

little pigs

Been having fun the past couple days scrapping again...I went to the scrapbook store that my friend works at yesterday and there is just sooooo much fun and cute stuff to buy!! So ridiculous. I would way rather buy scrapbook supplies than clothes (or anything else for that matter!!) lately. I'm addicted. Anyways, I took these pictures of Payton's little feet this morning and I liked them so I did 2 pages...why not? I could stay in my room forever....Gray and Payton have been sleeping for the past couple of hours (we're all sick) so it's the perfect time for me to scrap ...nobody needs me and I have a quiet house! Love these quiet afternoons.

everything's okay

It seems like the past few days my whole family has been glued to CNN, just watching the updates on Hurricane Rita. But my older sister talked to Niki this morning in Houston, and they're totally fine. I think the worst of the storm is over...there could still be flooding and rain and stuff, but everything's okay! Whew! I guess they're power went out for a while but it's back on, so for now, they're all good. Such a relief. Hope everyone else with family members in the south has the same outcome that we did. Soooo....on a lighter note....I'm getting one of my pages published in Creating Keepsakes!! I'm soooo excited! For those who are not too familiar with the scrapbooking industry, it's been really challenging in the past year or so to get published as there are just SO MANY amazing scrappers out there...it's very competitive. So I've been trying to submit my work lately and on Tuesday I got an email from one of the editors at CK saying they want to use one of my pages in the February issue. Yay! I'm pumped. It's pretty cool to open a magazine and see your stuff in there. So that's been my excitement for the week. We're all sick here so Payton's been a little grumpy the past few days....oh well. Went out with Ryan and Jody last night...so ridiculous that we live in the same freakin' town and we haven't seen eachother all summer! So that was fun to hang out and catch up with them. Anyways, gotta run...just glad that my whole family, wherever they may be, are safe.

scary times

My older sister Niki lives in Houston with her husband and I just got off the phone with her. It's so crazy what is going on down south right now....makes me feel so lucky to be where I am. But even more so, I'm just worried for her...they're in a situation that they can't leave...so many people are trying to leave Houston right now, that there's no gas anywhere and what would usually take 1 hour is taking 9 or 10. And Niki's 5 months pregnant...she can't really be getting in a boiling hot car with little food and water for hours on end. So she and her hubby are prepared...they've been boarding up all the windows in her house, moved everything they could upstairs (they have a big house, so luckily they have room!) and they've been collecting food and water to last them for at least a week or so. The scary thing is, is that once the storm hits, they won't have any power or electricity...so we won't be able to get in touch with them. They have a cell phone, so they'll try calling it as often as they can. Just scary. I just hope that they'll be okay and that where they are, the storm won't be too destructive. All the houses in their neighborhood are brick...meant to withstand bad weather. So let's just hope and pray everything will be okay. It just makes my life here right now seem so trivial and silly. It'll be weird to just go on with regular life this weekend and have no idea how Niki's doing. It's crazy what is happening these days...just makes me realize that I need to get going on my food storage. Anything could happen at anytime and I just want to know that my family will be prepared. So....just some thoughts I'm having today...

then and now

I've been going through all of my old scrapbooks these past few days, and I came across this old picture tonight of Kim, A and I in grade 10. I remember the night perfectly...we got together at Kim's house and her sister took TONS of pictures of us...and this one was our FAVORITE. It was probably the one picture that we didn't try and pose for and it is just so US. So after looking at this pic, my eyes scanned across the page to the date...December 1995.....1995??!?? That was 10 YEARS AGO!!! (minus a couple months) I am suddenly just feeling so old! I cannot believe how quickly time flies, and to see how much has changed. And yet, have things really changed? Kim, A and I have always been best friends, and sometimes I still feel like we're just immature girls in high school. We got together the other night and blabbed in Second Cup for over 2 hours. I love how we can talk about anything and everything...and we always revert back to our old, teenager selves!These girls always understand where I am coming from and are always on my side. They've seen me at my best and my worst...and they still love me! We have been through so much together...the three of us....we have so many hillairious memories, it would be impossible to name them all...having sleep-overs with the 3 of us squished in the same bed....telling "knock-knock" jokes for hours on end....lighting candles and listening to Sarah McLauglin while talking all night long...driving and singing in the neon....church dances....I could seriously go on forever. Looking at this picture of the 3 of us from this summer, I can see how much we have changed, but what hasn't is how important it is to have friends in your life. I am so glad to have these 2 amazing, crazy, awesome, hillairious, fun and BEAUTIFUL girls as my best friends...I love you guys!! (DGAT)

days like this

Okay...yes, I know I am obsessed. I take lots of pictures of my child...but how can I resist?? When I have photo ops like this, I have to take advantage of them. Gray was with me, which alway helps...he was able to distract Payton and make her smile and laugh. She was very interested in the leaves, grass and anything else that she could get her hands on. I got many pics of her staring at the ground. hehe! Anyways, today was a good day...went to church this morning and then for brunch with Gray and Payton. My mom wasn't having the fam over dinner today (what???) so we had to fend for ourselves. And since I don't get paid till Tuesday, we were short on groceries...so we decided to go out. I know, I know, it's Sunday...but sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do. (And yes, I can hear all those who know me well laughing 'cause I barely cook as it is...I'm trying to get better at that!!) So we came home and then the 3 of us slept for almost 3 hours. I don't know what it is about Sunday afternoons, but it's like my body physically cannot stay awake! I must sleep! I love my afternoon naps with my family. After that, we got up and took Maggie and Payton for a walk. Is it really fall already?? The leaves are already changing and falling....I love this time year. Maggie was so happy to be outside and Payton was just laughing and babbling away. I love days like this. I need more of them. So glad to have these days before all the craziness of the upcoming week begins.

9 months old...

Just some random pictures I took of Payton this month...it's getting very hard to take pictures of her lately...she's constantly moving, squirming and on the go! She's so curious and is trying desperately to crawl, but she's not quite there yet. Payton had her 9 month check up yesterday and weighs 16 lbs, 9oz. She's on the small end of the scale for her age, but she's happy and healthy, so that's all that matters!! She's so much fun...she babbles away and loves playing with Maggie. The other day I left her alone in the TV room for a few minutes with some toys, and when I came downstairs, she had knocked over my fake tree, pulled the phone cord out of the wall and was just lying in the middle of the mess, kicking and babbling away! It was so funny...but I'm learning that I REALLY need to keep my eyes on her!! Everyday with her is definately an adventure...I never know what to expect!

"good things"

i have so many "good things" in my life...

*an amazing extended family who love and care about me and my little family*

*a group of friends so special and strong, whom i know will always be there*

*a little house that has become my "home"*

*a silly dog that keeps me company and loves me no matter what*

*a city to live in that is far from water, and not prone to natural disasters*

*a knowledge of "who i am" and "where i came from"...to know that the Gospel is true and that my life is special, and has a meaning and purpose*

*a husband and daughter who bring me more joy than i ever dreamed possible. to have a little being that is a piece of me who loves me unconditionally. to have a husband who accepts me for who i am, and allows me to fail and succeed.*

i have so many "good things" in my life...and this is only a glimpse.

Life is crazy...

How cute are these babies??? Payton and Ava, another little baby in my ward, wore the same dresses on Sunday, and these are a few of the pictures I took. So cute! And yes, Rachel and I (Ava's mom) planned this! Graham was like, "I don't get it, why do you want Payton to have the same dress as someone else?" I tried to explain, that it's cute every once in a while for little friends to be matching, and he was just like, "Okay, whatever!" Hehehe! It wa so much fun to sit in my nice, organized room last night and scrap. I think I was in there for like 3 hours...We were gone all weekend, so I was totally itching to get some pages done. Grand Prairie was fun, it was nice to see Maurita and the kids. We brought Maggie along and it was hillairous to see her and Tagg play...they were definatley challenging eachother. I got to hang out at the local Scrapbooking store and do some shopping with Maurita and her friends...Gray didn't have much luck with the painting, it rained the whole time, so he had some good naptimes with Payton. Haha! So after a busy weekend, another busy week begins...Payton and I had our first swimming class this morning and it was so much fun!! It was nice to be there with a few other moms in my ward and the babies were so cute. Payton had fun...lots of kicking and splashing in the water. I even dunked her all the way under a few times...she was surprised, but didn't cry at all. So much fun!! Tomorrow I start teaching...I'm a little nervous, it's been awhile...hopefully all will go well (I still don't have any tap shoes, though...oops.). Life is crazy and busy and it seems like I never have enough time for ANYTHING, but it's awesome. I love my little life and my little family. I love having so much do and always being surrounded by awesome family and friends. Gotta run...Payton will be waking up soon...there's always something going on!!

busy busy busy!

Today was such a busy busy busy day, but I got alot done so I'm happy. I decided I needed to overhaul my scrapbook room, so I went a little crazy organizing today...once I started I figured I may as well do it right....so I got rid of a TON of stuff, moved things around and just made my room functional again. It was so crowded and full of junk before and now it just seems so big! I just can't wait to get scrappin'...I've just been so busy the past few days and I have so much going on right now, I won't be getting any scrapping done for a while. I start teaching at Dance Unlimited next week, so I'm excited but feeling a little unprepared...it's been a while since I've taught little ones, so I need to strat brainstorming...oh ya, and finding my tap shoes would be a good thing. I haven't used them since high school (aaahhh!) and it probably won't look that great teaching a tap class without them. Hehe. So that's just one of the things on my "to do" list. I'm teaching a scrap class tomorrow, then off to Grand Prairie on Friday with Gray and Payton to visit Mo...(well, it's a visit for me, work for Graham!). Then Monday Payton and I start our swimming lessons at the Rec center (I'm so excited!! Let's put those 3 swimsuits of hers to use!), and Tuesday I start teaching. AAAaahhhhh! What happened to sleeping in everyday and just playing with Payton?? Those days are quickly fading. Just finished watching "So you think you can Dance"...I have no words other than "freakin' amazing." So glad there's finally a show for all of us dancers out there. Time for bed...goodnight!!

happy

Just thinking tonight how much I love my hubby. He's so good to me. After church I was so exhausted...didn't get much sleep last night and then 2 hours with a bunch of primary children is always tiring! (awesome, but tiring!). So he made pizza for lunch and then we all crashed and had a nap. When Payton woke up, Gray got up and fed her and watched her while she played so I could sleep...it was soooo nice! He does so much all the time that I'm often like, "What the heck do I do?" He assures me that I do alot, so I'm trying to believe him...but I could always do more. I'm just happy today. Happy to be married to my best friend, happy that he loves me. Happy to see him and Payton interact with eachother...it melts my heart to see them together. Happy that Gray supports me and understands how crazy and mildly OCD I can be with cleaning the house and keeping things organized. Hehe! He's the best for ME. He rocks. Love you, babe. (I betcha he'll be really embarassed when he reads this! :)) I did this page tonight...love this picture of the two of us from a couple weeks ago.

cutie pie!

Just some cute pictures I took of Payton a couple weeks ago. I love when she cooperates with me while I'm trying to do a photo shoot! So much fun...she's 8 months old in these pics!

addicted

Okay, so I am like, totally addicted to scrapbooking lately. It's ridiculous. Every spare moment I have I'm up in my room working on a page or an album or whatever! It's just too fun! It just seems like I have so many ideas lately that if I don't act on them right away, they'll be gone forever. I went to the scrapbook store today to pick up some supplies for a class I'm teaching next week and next thing you know, I'm filling up my basket with all this fun new stuff for ME. So ridiculous! But don't worry, I only bought the things I REALLY needed. Haha. Whenever Payton goes down for a nap I go straight to my scrapbook room and start working and as soon as Gray gets home from work I'm like, bye! and I run upstairs. It's okay though....as soon as Gray gets home Payton wants nothing to do with me anyways, so those 2 just play. There's just something so satisfying about seeing a finished page after I've been working on it for what seems like forever. I always display my new pages on the kitchen table for Gray to see when he comes home...he's very good about complimenting my work and dissecting every little thing I did on the page. (I get really annoyed if he doesn't do this! Haha!!) I'm just so happy to have a hobby that is so much fun and gratifyng for me. And for a husband who is so supportive and allows me to take away time from him so I can have some "me" time. Anyone who knows me knows that I take a TON of pictures, so this is such a fun way to display them. This is the page I did while Payton slept today....I love pink and black! The journalling says: "Almost there! You are trying so hard to crawl lately, Payton...pretty soon you'll be on the move...good for you, sweetie."

so you think you can dance?

Okay, I don't know if anyone watches the show "So You Think You Can Dance", but as a dancer, I have to say that it is freakin' amazing. I was watching the show last night and I went through so many emotions...it's so hard to explain to people that aren't dancers, but there's something about performing onstage and dancing your heart out...it's a feeling that is so hard to explain or describe. Just watching the show made me miss dancing so much. Sure, I'll be teaching again starting in a couple weeks, but it's not the same as performing or taking class from an amazing teacher. I have no regrets in my life. Getting married and having my baby are the 2 most fulfilling things I have ever achieved. My husband and daughter bring me so much happiness....but watching shows like that last night, or even some songs that I'll listen to just bring me back. I'm just so glad that I danced for as long as I did and that I got to work professionally. I was able to meet so many people and see so many cool places at such a young age. I think I'll always consider myself a "dancer". It's not the kind of job that you just quit and move on to the next thing. It will always be in me. I will always be choreographing in my head when a song comes on that I like. I love that. This is a picture of me in 2000 performing in a show called "Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance" on a Princess Cruise ship. So fun. Good times.

i am a mother

Sometimes it hits me that I am a mother. Even though Payton is already 8 months old, it's still hard to believe sometimes that I am a mom. There is a tiny little person that grew within me who needs me and depends on me to survive. It isn't all about me anymore. And you know what? I like that. I like knowing that no matter what, Payton loves me. I like knowing that I can make someone feel happy and safe and special and loved. I have always been an independent person, but I love that she is dependent on ME. I know what makes her laugh, I understand her cries. I know her favorite toys, and I know when she wants to be cuddled and when she wants to be left alone. I am a mother. Crazy!! I never imagined that life could change so drastically, that your purpose in life could suddenly become so obvious. I love where I'm at. I love being a mother.