Birthday Party

Thomas Cake

Invitation

Hailey with her conductor hat and train whistle

Blowing out the candle

Eating ice cream and cake with Jolie

Holding his new Iowa State basketball jersey

Going potty

This year we decided to keep the birthday party low key and only invite family. I had so much fun doing little things that I wasn't able to do for the 1st birthday due to the amount of people that came. The theme was Thomas the Train so we had conductor hats and train whistles for all of the cousins and I made a Thomas cake! I think Payton enjoyed every minute of his party and the kids all seemed to have a great time. We had Lou's pizza and salad for dinner and the cake for desert. Payton loved all of his gifts but I think his favorites were an easel from Graham's parents and a potty seat & wagon from my parents. When he opened up the potty seat he wanted to sit on it then and in front of everyone! He kept telling me to take off his diaper and he must have spent 10 minutes sitting on it and getting off to see if there was any pee pee in it:) How funny! Who would have thought that would have been such a hit?

2 Years Old!

Payton the day we brought him home from the hospital!

2 years later....licking the spatula from his birthday cake

Eating his sundae (without a spoon)

Emma & Andy

Opening gifts at Alyssa's

This weekend has been a whirlwind of birthday activities for Payton. Graham's parents arrived on Thursday night and while pulling out of the subdivision with Payton to go get them from the airport, a 17-year-old girl reversed her car right into the truck:( Oh...then she decided to take off!! Graham managed to follow her across Naper/Plainfield and cornered her in a court. She was pretty shook up and when the police came she had her dad do all the talking. What a pain in the butt now that we have to get the truck fixed.

On Friday Payton turned 2! I can't believe how big he is getting. We met Graham's family out at Red Robin for dinner and Payton loved when the waiters sang to him. He was clapping right along with them! He opened some presents later at Alyssa's house and then off to bed to get ready for the big day on Saturday.

Party Time!

Payton on the coin operated train that he swore was his and nobody else's

Paige on Payton's train:)

The train that ran around the top of the diner

Payton wearing the train conductor hat they get for being the "birthday boy"

The choo choo bringing the kids' desert

Digging in!

Becky playing "Brain Warp" - a game we use to love to play in college

Becky & I with our cookie cake the girls got us

This past weekend was full of fun and relaxation! My girlfriends from ISU pampered Becky and I for our 30th birthdays with a manicure and pedicure, pizza and great company on Sunday. I had so much fun just hanging out with them and doing "girly" stuff that I normally don't have the time for. I can't thank them enough for doing that for us. I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends in my life:) Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

This weekend was also the annual birthday bash for Payton's playgroup friends. This year we decided to do it at the All Aboard Diner in Downers Grove instead of at a house. What a great place! I can't wait to go back. The diner is all decked out with train decorations. They even have a train going around the diner near the ceiling and a train that brings out your food!! Payton LOVED it!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day

Taking pictures with his new camera from his babysitter

Holding his heart guy that he made today

Last night Graham surprised me when I got home from work with a babysitter (Nana) and a night in the city at the Auto Show. This is something we have been doing for a long time and was one of the first big thing we did when we first started dating. We had a great time and I still had time last night to bake heart-shaped cookies and get Valentine's Day goodie bags ready for Payton and the two other kids at his babysitter's house. Here are a few pictures from today. I tried to get a picture of Payton with stickers that covered him from head to toe but he took them off as fast as he put them all on:)

Women vs. Men

Jen and Sami (Jen is NOT a dog lover but Sami chose to sit by her anyways:) Playing "Loaded Questions"

Emily and Payton

Jen and Payton

This past weekend was pretty busy for both Graham and I. Graham had a weekend 1 credit hour class which started Friday night and ended Sunday around 3 so he was pretty much tied up with that every day! On Friday night, Payton got to go to book club with me at Emily's house and had a quick playdate with Francesca before they both went to bed while the women ate, gossiped and talked a little about the book we read:) On Saturday we hung around the house since it was soooo cold and then later that evening my friends Jen & Emily and ther spouses came over for a night filled with pizza, wine and games. We played Cranium, men vs. women, and of course you can probably guess who won? Yup, the women crushed the men. They were speachless afterwards and ready to go home!

Sunday, I spent the day running errands for Payton's birthday party and for our playgroup birthday party which is this weekend. Payton got to spend a few hours with Nana and Papa!

Austin Turns One!

Kerri and Austin "the birthday boy"
Ally, Payton and Hayden just chilling

Austin digging into his cake

Today we had Austin's first birthday party. Austin's Mom, Kerri, is a friend of mine since grade school and our boys are almost one year apart. We had a great time and Payton got to play with his friend Hayden who was his very first friend. Here are a few pictures from the day! Thanks Kerri for a great time:)

Snow Day!

Putting on Daddy's hat and gloves
"Help the snow is past my knees"

Here is one of Payton dumping snow on himself! LOL

On top of the mound, which would later become his hotel fort

I received a phone call at 5:30 am telling me that there was no school today and I felt like a little kid again. Graham got a phone call around 5:45 and then my mom called at 6 am so I was sure to get the news somehow today. It was so much fun having Graham home on a snow day! We went outside right away after breakfast and got a kick out of watching Payton try to walk in the 6+ inches of snow we got. He kept falling and saying "stuck Mommy"! We played outside for about an hour and shoveled before heading out to Ikea for some running around and cheap lunch. After Payton's nap, he and Graham went back outside while I tutored, and built a snowfort hotel! What a fun way to spend a day off!