A few of Payton's favorite things!

Payton isn't allowed to play with the matchbox cars b/c he puts everything in his mouth and sometimes the little wheels fall off! So on the rare occasion he IS allowed in the box, he tries to pull EVERY car out! Did I mention there is about 300 of them?



Out of all the neat toys Payton got for Christmas...this box has been the most entertaining!

Bundle up!

We've been taking advantage of this nice COLD weather we've been blessed with as well as the vacated duck pond up the street! Payton usually stays in the buggy where it's warm so Erik's been speeding around the pond with him so they can "skate fast and look at girls". Men.

Nice cousins!

Now that Payton has been "cruising" for a while, his cousin Mason has taken full advantage of his walking/pushing abilities!

Happy Holidays!

Well, I'm happy to report we had a fabulous Christmas! Not only did we get some great gifts, but we got to spend the whole week with family! Disma surprised Helmi with a ticket to the US, my parents and Maari ferried up from P-burg, Ana Alan and Mason live down the street and of course my Aunt Cindy and family are here as well!

We got a late start on opening our presents as poor Erik had to do a barge assist that started at 5am and so he didn't get home until 1pm.


Payton was more interested in playing in all the wrapping paper than anything else!


But he did enjoy ripping into his presents (and ours too!)

After all the presents were opened, we went up to the duck pond by our house and got in a little skating and a mini hockey game!

Nanny pushed the boys around on the ice.

Sneaky little bugger!

So, I turned my back on him for ONE second...to grab the wet clothes from the washer. Well when I went to put them into the dryer, this is what I found:

He played in there for about 5 minutes! And then he pooped, and I didn't want to smell him anymore :)

Hair Craze

I've been dying to put Emma's hair in pigtails, and she FINALLY let me do it! Well, then I got a little carried away....


Sorry Payton, I hope these pictures don't come back to haunt you when you're 16!! :)


Whoops...stay away from the crazy lady with the comb and hair clips!!

(Not sure why this photo is sideways...it isn't loaded on my computer that way.)

Weekend Getaway!

WE'RE BAAAAAAACK! As some of you may know, we had an unexpected trip to Spokane. Erik's grandma Bernie passed away and we just returned home from our trip south. Payton was a great traveler this time! He rarely squawked in the car (a HUGE improvement for those that know his track record!), slept most of the time on the airplane, and had a great time visiting with all the relatives!

Since we had an extra day in Spokane before we came back home, we stopped at Charlie's best friend Isla's house...and ended up on their buffalo farm in the freezing temperatures watching Isla's husband and son vaccinate some mama's and their calves!


The Herd.


Bundled up, watching the action!


Mama getting her vaccination.


Baby's turn! He was sooooo stinkin' cute and little! Probably the size of Cedar, our dog!

Who needs to walk!?!

My parents bought Mason a little electric 4-wheeler last year. He has since outgrown it and so it was passed on to Payton. He's a bit too young for it, but he likes to ride it! I have to hold the "go" button (and him!) and drive him all over the house! It's quite the thigh burner!

He's a little excited here.... :)

Tribute to Grandma Bernie

Erik's Grandma Bernie passed away yesterday at the age of 92 (almost 93?).

She had many grandkids and a few great grandkids, but I think Payton might have been her favorite :) She always told us that he was the sweetest baby alive (Boy did he have her fooled!! *haha*)

This photo was taken in June aboard the Alaskan Pride (the boat my dad was running). I hope if I make it to 92, I'm HALF as spry as she was!

We will miss her tons, I'm so grateful she got to meet Payton and spend some time with him! I can't wait until he's older to tell him what a wonderful great grandma he had!

Where's Da-da?