The Adventures of Payton and Madelyn.

Catching up (again)

2011-10-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

I've been such a blog slacker lately. Here's a few photos taken over the last 1.5 months!
Play-dates at the turf gym!

Checking out preschool with big brother!

Finding (and throwing) some leaves...which are hard to find in Juneau...

Feeding the ducks.

Erik training Maddie young....

Fun with stickers on a rainy day.

Trying on Payton's costume while he's away at school!

Meeting new friends!

And their new favorite "game" they call "making coffee"

One last hurrah!

2011-09-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a beautiful blue sky day and decided to take full advantage of it as it might be the last one until February! We packed up the kids, some stuff and our bikes and trailer and headed out to "boy scout beach", a really nice beach in the vicinity of the local boy scout camp.

The kids had a great time playing in the water and digging holes.

Madelyn found the container of cream cheese in the bag and decided to help herself.

On the way out we drove past the Jensen-Olsen Arboretum (run by CBJ) and decided to check it out on the way back. Boy are we glad we did! It was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! If you haven't been there, you should go check it out.
I wandered through the garden and not much was left, but there were a few cabbages...and they were big!

I had no idea it was possible to grow artichokes in Juneau. But here's the proof!

Mandatory self-family-portrait. Typical outcome for our family.

Our week in pictures.

2011-08-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Payton building his "treasure box" at the Home Depot kids workshop.

Maddie LOVES water. She sat in this stream and played for about 30 minutes.

Every girl needs to accessorize...though I'm not so sure your brother's underwear counts as an accessory.

My little morning burritos watching cartoons!

Now this is a pile of sand!

Long time no blog!

2011-08-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

I have a great excuse! In the last month-ish since I've blogged we've:
Had TWO offers on our house and accepted one of them.
Packed some stuff.
Found a rental.
Packed some more stuff.
Moved some stuff into the rental.
Packed even more...
Cleaned out the "old house"
Packed even MORE
and then finally...
Unpacked. A lot.of.stuff.

Now that we've settled in to our new place I thought I'd share our favorite part about it... The amazing view!!

We've had a lot of fun watching the different critters on the beach. This gull was so excited to have a dead chum all to himself!!

These two eagle hang out together and are regulars to our beach.

There is a salmon stream next door to the building next to us. Right now the salmon are running, so that would explain this visitor.

Madelyn really enjoys sitting in my chair watching the boats.

It's always a highlight to see my parents go by =-)

Even on a gray day it's hard not to stare out the window.

Unconventional playground.

2011-06-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

One would be amazed at how much fun it is to play on a fishing boat. I should know, I grew up on one. I'm happy that my kids can get a glimpse of my great childhood.

Aunty Maari was nice enough to tow the kids around deck in the trayco.

Next, and favorite, is the crane swing! Madelyn rode for quite awhile by herself. She didn't want to get out!

Weekend in Petersburg.

2011-06-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Waiting to depart Auke Bay.

Baba took the boys to explore the woods. They all had sticks and would whack every leaf they saw.

Maddie didn't want to be left out!

Playing at indoor park at the community gym.

My parent's house. Note the shop is bigger than the house..that'll change once they FINALLY tear down the house and build new (the house plans are almost finalized!)

Apparently the rules don't apply at Nana's house =-) (according to Payton, not Nana!)

Exploring the jungle, I mean, Nana and Baba's yard.

Maddie's new thing is crawling up into chairs, more specifically rocking chairs. She loves 'em!

Maddie didn't think the bubble wand, covered in sand, tasted all that well.

Payton and his pet Kelp.

The playground was a big hit.

Both kids were obsessed with the video games on the ferry. Lucky for me the demo is just as exciting as the actual game!

Boating.

2011-05-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of Erik's job is the ability to occasionally use the company's smaller boats for personal use. Since yesterday was a fairly nice day we decided to hop in the boat and go down towards Point Bishop for a picnic.

Erik's brother, sister-in-law and mom were in town and able to go with us!

Self-portrait!

Maddie LOVED splashing in the water and was soaking wet by the time we left.

Payton was happy to throw rocks the whole time.

Erik pondering whether the anchor set-up will hold the boat...luckily it did =)

Blog catch-up!

2011-05-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

I know I've been slacking in the blog department for the last month. Here's a quick photo post of the things we've been up to.

Trying to block hugs from little sisters...

Gardening!!

Finding new places to perch.

Riding bikes at the indoor turf gym.

Ford GT in a friend's shop. Payton was so excited to sit in it!

Payton driving the race car!!

Puddle jumping (and throwing rocks)

Helping mama clean house...

Discovering new things!!

"Helping" Erik remodel the bathrooms.

Coffee dates! (Notice how both kids have stolen our fraps...)

Maddie's new found love of backpacks.

Everything has potential to be a hat!!

Naps with Auntie Dawn!

After shots....finally!!

2011-05-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's taken so long to post after pictures. The master bathroom project (which consisted of new paint, shower and floors) took longer than expected. Erik was really busy with work and then top it off with two wee ones trying to help...and well take your initial time line and triple it =-)

As an added bonus we also decided to totally redo the main bathroom as well. It also got a new paint job, new floors and a new vanity. We are quite pleased with how it turned out!!!

Bathroom demo!!

2011-05-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

Demolition that is....

We've finally decided to tear out the nasty 80's shower in my bathroom and put up some new shower panels. Of course this being summer (and he was given a new boat..), Erik has been busy with work so it is taking us a lot longer to get this done!! I'll post some "after" shots once the walls are painted and the new floor is put down.

Before: (it's uglier in person, I promise!)

My little demolition helper, complete with safety glasses!!

Maddie sat perched on the toilet watching us.

A picture is worth a thousand words....

2011-05-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Barb (my mom's mom) holding Maari. She had 7 strokes, and lost use of her left side. Holding Maari was quite the challenge but she was determined (read: stubborn) to hold her and love on her. And people wonder where I get MY stubbornness from.... =-)

Future pilot?

2011-05-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

She is in LOVE with this airplane right now.

Rotary Park.

2011-04-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL weather we're having and rode our bikes down to Rotary Park to feed the ducks. I also bought a 50# bag of cracked corn...so we gotta use it up =-)

Madelyn wasn't quite sure what to think then they all came swarming. Payton had dumped out his bucket of food right off the bat (note the pile of food behind Madelyn.)

He was thrilled when they started to eat it!

Maddie preferred to just walk around with the empty buckets.

Of course we had to swing, since we're here!!

Kauai, Part II

2011-04-11T11:31:00.001-07:00

*Disclaimer: Please excuse the poor quality, all photos were taken with my phone.*

After the last week full of rain and snow, we're wishing we were back in Kauai...
eating lot of yummy fresh fruit..

Napping in our bloomers

Daily walks to Shipwreck beach (note the BIG roller coming in...)

Playing on the deck (okay, so we can do that here...but we need LOTS more clothes on!)

Attempting self-family portraits with kids is always fun!

We had a praying mantas on our screen one night! He was pretty cool!

My little post-pregnancy whispy hairs were ridiculously curly in Kauai. Not fair.

Poipu and Brenneke beaches were within a 5 minute (at most) walk from our condo. We walked there sometimes several times a day.

Madelyn LOVED when Erik helped her walk in the water and get chased by the waves.

Of course it's all fun and games until Mama gets hurt....luckily it's not broken, just badly sprained!!

Kauai!!

2011-04-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

We had a BLAST!!

We played on the beach. A lot!

We rode the train around the Kilohana Plantation.

Madelyn discovered she LOVES sand. She would sit for an hour or more (preferably in the shallow water) and play.

We drove up to see Waimea Canyon also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It was beautiful!

Obligatory family shot =-)

Expert hand washer!

2011-03-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

Madelyn LOVES washing her hands. She wants to wash them all day long...however I don't have time for that so we settle for a few times a day =-)

*Don't mind Payton crying in the background. It was time to get ready for bed and he wasn't happy about that!

Making waffles

2011-03-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

This morning Erik was making waffles and Madelyn kept crawling up to him and whining. He finally figured out she wanted her brother's stool so she could "help".

Erik assures me that she does really good up there (although it makes me a bit nervous!) She was all smiles for the camera!

THEN Payton saw what was going on and wasn't too happy....

Happy Birthday Madelyn!

2011-02-26T20:43:00.000-08:00

This last year has really flown by! I can't believe Madelyn is already ONE! She started off her morning by opening a few presents.

She preferred to play with the ribbon.

Payton couldn't stand the anticipation any longer and stepped in to help her. Luckily she's only one and didn't care =-)

She wasn't too sure what to think of her cupcake.

Then once she finally tried it she ate a few bites of frosting before smashing the rest of it in to the table. All in all a good day!

Happy Birthday Payton!

2011-02-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

Payton's T-Rex cake! It was harder than I thought to make, but overall I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Payton wanted his stuffed T-Rex in the picture too!

Opening presents before breakfast. A perk of being the B-day boy!

Erik and I bought him a scooter for his B-day and from the looks of it should probably get Maddie one of her own too....

The last three years have definitely flown by! Maybe it was all the sleepless nights...wait...we still aren't sleeping!

A little blog catch-up!

2011-01-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

I realize I've blogged so little these last couple months. For those out of town I'm sure it's not enough :) I have no excuses! The weeks have been flying by! February is sneaking up on us which means TWO birthdays!!!! Here's a summary of our last few weeks...

Bundling up (which takes an hour in itself!!)to run errands.

Playing indoor hockey!

Visiting Uncle Joe at his hanger and playing in the airplanes!

Tasting new foods!

Exploring the world around us...i.e. The Pantry.

Playing with "the monkey" (ipod touch)

And taking (and posting for the world to see!) embarrassing pictures that will come back to haunt him in about 13 years!!

Dentist!

2011-01-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

Payton had his first dental check-up today. At first he was pretty resistant to let anyone (especially a stranger!) near his mouth. But Frank the hygienist was fabulous with him...must be all that practice from his own 4 kids! Frank was real impressed with Payton's teeth. In his short 3 years (2 of them with teeth) he had hardly any plaque build-up!! I guess our hard work of brushing his teeth twice a day paid off ;)

*I would have gotten more pictures, but I had to bribe him with my phone in order to get him to open up!*

After the teeth cleaning Payton got a new Cars toothbrush, dino flossers and got to pick out a special toy. He chose some cheesy star shaped glasses. THEN he got to go to Hearthside Books and pick out another toy from mom and dad for being so good at the dentist! He chose a book about Tractors that even came with 6 little figures.

"Cooking"

2011-01-14T13:05:00.001-08:00

They were helping me "cook". I can't imagine what kind of a mess they'd make with real ingredients :)

Is this a sign of things to come??

2011-01-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

Future duck hunter?

2011-01-06T11:46:00.001-08:00

Erik sure hopes so!! Guess I'd better find some new duck recipes...

2010 in review...(in pictures!)

2011-01-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

January:
Still a month to go, but ready to be done with pregnancy! Enjoying the last bits of quiet (sometimes) of only one child.

February:
Madelyn Grace makes her debut and Payton's reign as an only child comes to a screeching halt!

March:
Adjusting to life as a family of four and introducing Madelyn to friends and family!

April:
The sun is out! Time to come out of hibernation and go play!

May:
We rode the ferry down to Petersburg for Little Norway Festival.

June:

It's absolutely exhausting being a big brother!!

July:
Spent TONS of time getting smothered...I mean...loved on by out of town cousins :)

August:
New ways to contain Madelyn!!

September:
Spent exploring the area with good friends and playing out in the nice weather!!

October:
Filled with fun times visiting family in Montana (and Erik got to go elk hunting)! Payton especially liked all the pumpkins!

November:
The start of our COLD fall.

December:
Payton helped everyone open their presents. Madelyn tried to eat the paper.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T20:09:00.000-08:00

We started our day out opening stockings. Payton was so excited that it was FINALLY Jesus' birthday!

Madelyn loved her new klean kanteen bottle.

She was also happy to get a baby doll...this picture just doesn't portray it!

Ethan B

2010-12-19T08:46:00.001-08:00

This is from the Juneau Empire. It's great shot of Erik's tug, Ethan B, on their way to Hawk Inlet on Wednesday. It was blowing about 50mph and seas were 6-8 feet. Surprisingly no one got seasick!!

Santa Clause is coming to town...

2010-12-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

...well to Home Depot actually...via helicopter! Payton couldn't care less about Santa, however he was thrilled to be able to watch the helicopter!!

Before watching Santa Payton and Erik built a wooden helicopter at the kids workshop. Madelyn was SO happy to have gotten a hold of the instructions. She likes to eat paper.

Erik, being Erik, had to make sure everything was just right before he'd let Payton pound the nails in.

Voila! Finished product!!

SNOW!!

2010-12-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

We finally got a bit of snow that stuck. While it's not much (maybe 4-5 inches total so far), it's still fun to play in! We all got our gear on and played in the snow while Erik cleared the driveway and sidewalk with the snow-blower.

Payton wanted to make (and throw!) snowballs.

I convinced him to help shovel snow instead. Thanks for the new shovel Baba!

Madelyn was content to watch from the backpack. She was a little under the weather due to teething.

The princess.

2010-11-21T10:46:00.000-08:00

This is her preferred place to take a nap. :)

A traveling we will go...

2010-11-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

otherwise known as our vacation...in pictures!

We left Juneau and spent a few days in Seattle where we went to the zoo,

Fed some chickens (and made a new/old friend!)

finally met the other Madilyn,

and saw some cool old airplanes.

Then we went to Montana where we rode motorcycles,

played in the leaves,

carved pumpkins,

mowed the lawn,

played at the children's museum,

helped stack firewood,

fed Rancher Bob's cows,

and spent a LONG day in Seatac waiting to get home!

Our poor BOB stroller looked like this almost constantly. Thank goodness we brought it, not sure what we'd have done without it!!

Home on the range!

2010-11-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

My cute little farmer and his even-cuter little cow!! Oh...and Aunty Helmi.

She REALLY wanted his hat!

Happy cow!

Who needs a playpen...

2010-10-03T09:21:00.001-07:00

When you have laundry baskets....

and long-line totes!

*Sorry about the poor photo quality, taken w/ my cell phone*

Rainy Day.

2010-09-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

When the city installed sidewalks a few years ago, it took out the slope of our driveway so it doesn't drain. While this drives Erik and I crazy, it makes for GREAT puddles to jump in!!

Payton has the best time running through the long puddle.

I found this cowboy hat at the kids consignment shop for Payton's Halloween costume. But he didn't want to wait to wear it :)

Just another day in the life....

2010-09-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

What a whirlwind weekend!! On Saturday we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and took Erik's work skiff down to Taku Harbor. We surprised our friends Dan and Paula (and their 2 kids), who were camping there, with their favorite hot Chai and a chocolate donut for their 3 yr old Dane.
Dane was a good host and he and Payton had a blast running around.

Some brave soul climbed two sturdy trees and built this awesome swing.

These two buddies had a great time swinging. (I couldn't get a picture showing just how HUGE this swing is!)

Taku Harbor was once home to a fish cannery as well as a Hudson's Bay Company Trading Post. It was fun to explore the remnants.

THEN on Sunday we were invited to fly out to a remote beach for an evening picnic!

It doesn't get any better than this!
Filling buckets of water.

Playing with sticks and fire!

Nursing a baby with the best view ever!

I should mention on the was back we had to wade out to the plane (which was threatening to get stuck on the beach!!) and got soaked up to our waists! Not a big deal since we were headed home. Besides, makes for a fun story to tell :)

Our week in pictures!

2010-08-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

Erik made a kayak cart so he can tow it behind his bike (for duck hunting).

What's wrong with this picture....

We rode our bikes down to Rotary Park so Payton could feed the ducks. Madelyn patiently watched.

Babies in buckets!

Hmmm, where can I ship him off to?

I can't decide....

2010-08-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

which picture is the best...so I'm posting them all :) Here's a few pictures from our impromptu photo shoot today.

Giggly Girl.

2010-08-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Our week in pictures!

2010-08-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

Grandpa babysits the same way as dad!

Look who's sitting up on her own! (for the most part...)

He fell asleep RIGHT before dinner. Made for a long night =/

It's a requirement to buckle her in to ALL baby accessories now.

He likes to use her stuff when she's not in it!

Last weekend we had some friends in town and took them up the Tram. Payton loved to look out the window. Glad he's not afraid of heights!

It was Coast Guard Buoy Tender Roundup. Erik's friend Jonathan is Captain of the second one.

From the Tram, we took Jonathan and Molly up to Father Browns Cross. There wasn't much of a view. Payton ran all the way back down to the main terminal (of course it's only about .7 miles

Dada's so funny!

2010-08-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

Odds and Ends.

2010-08-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

It was so nice AND warm this past week. We took advantage of the weather and went swimming out at the Glacier w/ some friends. Payton loved running in and out of the water. But he wouldn't go much past his knees.

Madelyn discovered blueberries and devours them....and makes a mess.

Our friend Joe bought a trail-cam and he and Erik have gone out to set it up in a few different places. These next 2 photos are an example of what was on the camera.

This whale got stuck on the bow of a cruise ship (it was determined it was already dead when struck.) and Erik had to go yank it off w/ the Tug and tow it to a beach in order for the scientists/biologists to do a necropsy (autopsy). Of course he had to have his picture taken with it!

Catching up!

2010-07-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

July has been a busy month! We've been busy....

Lindsi chopped off 14 inches of hair to be sent to Locks of Love.

Lots of snuggles w/ baby Madelyn

Fishing off of Baba's boat.

Playing superheros with cousins.

They had a great time running around the house w/ their "capes" blowing in the wind.

Quality family time!

Erik was summoned to help tow a dead whale to the beach so biologists could do a necropsy (cause of death).

Forced Family Fun....

2010-07-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

....Happens quite often at our house! And rarely do we have all 5 girls AND my parents in town!!! We've been soaking up the family time and have been quite busy.

Madelyn and Cousin Reese

Madelyn and Cousin Mackenzie

Hanging out with long lost Aunty Maari

Baba went to put Payton to bed and ended up falling asleep himself!

Puddle jumping w/ Nana and cousins.

Playing at new playgrounds.

Blueberry picking is a HUGE hit around here! I think we end up eating more than we bring home...

We love seeing Nana and Baba

and spending time on the boat.

4th of July.

2010-07-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to spend the 4th of July out in Tenakee. Alaska Seaplanes was closed for the holiday and took all employees (and guests!) out to enjoy the festivities. Erik had to stay in Juneau to work, but we had fun regardless!

After a 20 minute taxi on the pond...and quick airplane switch....we were off to Tenakee! We ended up missing the parade, but made it safe and sound!

My niece Mackenzie was especially excited for all the activities.

Festivities directer Frances dressed for the occasion.

Payton wasn't quite sure what to think of the fish pond, but he did enjoy the toy he "caught!"

Since our airplane arrived late, this was the only chance to see the Seaplane float. I think Payton (and pal Jody) enjoyed it more this way.

There's really not a whole lot of activities for a 2 yr old...so we spent most of our time down at the harbor playing on the toys.

4 Months old.

2010-06-28T20:25:00.001-07:00

Madelyn had her 4 month well-check today!
She weighed in at 14 lbs 9 oz and is 25 inches long!

June

2010-06-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

June has been a busy month! Our family has 4 birthdays and an anniversary to celebrate! When we're not busy partying, we've been:

Playing airplanes with Great-Grandma Bev (As well as thoroughly enjoying her company!)

Sporting sister's headbands while playing trains.

Self-soothing.

Snuggling in a blanket to watch morning cartoons.

Teaching sister how to "fly" an airplane.

Impromptu photo shoots.

Snuggling with Dad.

Making (and using!) homemade finger paints.

Watching for hummingbirds on the front porch.

Thumb sucker.

2010-06-18T16:51:00.001-07:00

I've always wanted a baby that sucked their thumb :) Way easier than binkies (in my opinion!) I figure since Erik was a thumb sucker, as well as Ana, Maari and my Mom I was bound to have a thumb-sucker sooner or later!

Madelyn has discovered her thumb this week and has been sucking on it almost non stop since! It's been a great soother for her and makes nap time a breeze! Good grief, could this child get any easier?!?! :)

Fashion...

2010-06-09T12:58:00.001-07:00

.....is not in a 2 yr old's vocabulary.

Update and misc pictures!

2010-06-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry my blogging has been so sparse these last few months. Two kids really keep you busy :) We've also had FABULOUS weather lately and have been spending a lot of time outside!

A favorite way to cool off around here has been the sprinkler and kiddie pool.

Cousin Mason has been coming over to play with Payton and join in the sprinkler fun!

Payton still has a HUGE love for coloring. Having a big piece of paper helps keep the colors off the floor (and body!)

Madelyn is doing great! She's growing like a weed!

She loves to look at the baby in the mirror. She's almost rolling from back to front, but can't get over her arm. She usually gets frustrated and cries. :)

"Sissy, wook (look) at me!"

Of course all these activities can wear a person out...so then it's time for snuggling!

Or just fall asleep where ever looks most comfortable.

Cross check!

2010-06-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

Got to start them young!

Mayfest 2010

2010-05-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Payton, Madelyn and I hopped on the fast ferry and headed to Petersburg for Mayfest- Petersburgs annual Norwegian heritage celebration. There's always lots of activities, great food and of course...Vikings!

Payton with Jodi the Valkyrie

Madelyn sporting a Valkyrie hat (snuggled in the Snuggli baby carrier my mom got when Amber was born 32 years ago *sorry to rat you out in age Amber!*)

Those crazy vikings hitching a ride during the parade.

The viking mother-ship "Valhalla"

I lied about Payton's age (saying he was 3) and entered him into the Dolly Derby. I won $100 when I was 6 fishing in this same derby! Baba did most of the fishing since Payton had the attention span of a gnat.

Finally, our patience paid off and Payton got to reel in a small scrapfish. He was really excited about his "big catch"

Feeling guilty about lying, we decided to release the fish w/out weighing him. Payton was a good sport about this.

Then we headed home. It was POURING out. Lucky Payton got a dry seat in the stroller. (notice his pole taking up half the dock!)

Add in some quality time with Baba and Nana.

And some new toys...

And you have a GREAT weekend! Next time we hope to bring Erik with us. He was stuck in Juneau working.

What we've been up to!

2010-05-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

Playing dress up. Madelyn's not too sure about the hat!

Enjoying morning snuggles.

Trying to catch smiles on camera.

Baking a cake for Grammie's birthday.

Welcoming "Bishop", Mason's new puppy!

The last two weeks!

2010-04-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

I know these blogs are starting to get less and less frequent. I apologize! Here's a few photos to catch you all up on what we've been doing the past two weeks!

We've been whole-heartedly enjoying our food! (blueberries)

I pulled out the Bumbo for Madelyn to sit in. She likes it, but big brother gets a little jealous and says "Payton's turn!" We're learning to share.

Madelyn likes snuggling with her brother during bedtime stories.

My Dr's nurse made Madelyn a VERY cute tutu with matching headband. I couldn't resist doing a mini photo shoot.

Who's who?!

2010-04-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Can you tell who's who? They're about the same age in these pics.

Aquarium.

2010-04-09T21:27:00.001-07:00

So this is as close to an aquarium as you're going to get in Juneau! The new NOAA Ted Stevens Marine Research Institute has a really nice lobby with a few saltwater tanks for the public to view.

Cousin Mason and Ana made the field trip with us!

Payton was in love with the fish! He kept screaming "FISH! CRAB! STARFISH" and now and then..."WHALE!" No honey, it's just a big fish!

This fish "sat on" the starfish for quite awhile. Can't blame him...looks comfy!

Payton was too distracted to smile for the camera!

Showing me how a whale swims.

Quick update!

2010-04-08T20:43:00.001-07:00

I apologize for the lack of postings. I'm usually busy holding a baby or chasing a toddler and forget I even own a camera!!
Here a bit of what we've been up to the past two weeks!

Payton loves to color. I stopped supervising for two seconds to go switch over laundry and came back to this mess...

This is how I found them after returning with Payton from a quick run to Safeway :)

Every girl needs frilly camo jams to match her brother!

My little diva sporting her new headbands!

One Month old!

2010-03-26T15:05:00.001-07:00

They say time flies...but you don't realize it until your second child! Today is Madelyn's one month birthday! This last month really flew by! I'm going to try and be more diligent about taking pictures. I've been slacking lately! Here's a few of the "birthday" girl and one of Payton for good measure!

Snow day!

2010-03-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to about 4 inches of snow! Payton was excited to see the white stuff, so after breakfast we headed out to build a snowman.

Madelyn didn't last long, so I missed most of the action. Payton decided to follow us in a few minutes later, leaving Erik to do all the work. But the end result was very cool :)

Hold baby!

2010-03-13T20:55:00.001-08:00

"Hold baby?!" That's all we hear all day long! Payton wants to constantly hold Madelyn. Then as soon as he holds her, he's done.

Alphabet!!!

2010-03-09T15:21:00.001-08:00

One Week Old!

2010-03-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a week since Madelyn was born. I've been trying to enjoy every minute because I know how fast they grow up! She's still proving to be a mellow baby. She sleeps for 2-3 hours at a time, hardly ever fusses and is very tolerant of her brother loving on her!

Meeting Cousin Mason.

Payton was nice enough to share his baby with sister. They're practically the same size!

Being a baby is exhausting!

Payton enjoying the Moses basket. (Kind of ironic b/c he hated it, along with everything else, when he was a baby)

Meeting Pat and Emma.

Home sweet home!

2010-03-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

It's SO nice to be home! It's hard to rest in a hospital when the nurses are in every hour or so to take vitals, give meds, etc. After 3 pretty much sleepless nights it was nice to be able to rest uninterrupted (except by Madelyn). She's such a different baby than Payton was. He was up and nursing every 45 minutes for the first 6 months. Madelyn nurses about every hour during the day, then every 3 hours during the night!! I hope she keeps this up!!

Enjoying morning snuggles!

My little thumb sucker!

Madelyn Grace!!

2010-02-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

Payton James would love to introduce the newest addition to our family...

Madelyn Grace Born Feb 26th, 6 lbs 13 oz 19.75 inches.
Both mama and Madelyn are doing great. We hope to be home Monday and will post more pictures soon!

La Nina vs El Nino

2010-02-25T13:50:00.001-08:00

Boy what a difference in weather we're having this year. This picture was taken today (2/25). We've hardly had any snow this year. I think Spring started in mid-December :)

Technically these next pictures were in Jan of 09, but this is the winter we had last year. Gives you an idea of the vast difference between this and last year!!

The snow was piled so high from the plows, we were sledding down our little hill!!

Last day!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is D-day!! My Csection is scheduled for 8am. I have to be at the hospital by 530. I'm only a little bit nervous, because it's surgery! But I know what to expect this time around!! I'll post pictures as soon as I can!!

39 weeks. 1 day from delivery.

Crazy hair!

2010-02-23T15:50:00.001-08:00

I think it's safe to say that Payton was enjoying his pancakes and blueberries to the max!!

2 Year Well Check

2010-02-15T18:14:00.001-08:00

Payton had his 2 yr well-baby check today. He was 33.5 inches tall and weighs 27#. He was in the 35% and 25% respectively. Dr Amy wants to weigh him in a few months to make sure he's gaining weight appropriately, but isn't worried b/c she saw how active he was at the office and says he's burning every calorie he takes in. I guess we'll be putting ice cream in with his fruit smoothies now :)

Dr Amy was impressed with his vocabulary, particularly when he was pointing out colors on the toy ambulance in the exam room! I guess I'm doing a better job than I thought!! Unfortunately, today's visit also called for shots. He got his MMR and Hep A. Payton always does better than I do. I'm always near tears (the extra hormones don't help right now) and he only cried during the actual pokes. I had a sucker waiting for him as soon as Nurse Sarah was done. He was pretty happy and forgot what had even happened 5 seconds later. And just when I think "Oh good, he's done with shots until he starts school"....Baby sister is just getting started! Oh well.

Why do I bother....

2010-02-13T14:59:00.000-08:00

...buying toys. Erik had to order a new marine toilet for his tug. Of course it came well packaged. Payton has been playing with the packing material for over a week now!! Currently it's a runway for his planes :-)

Prepared??

2010-02-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

With D-day scheduled for 18 days away, we thought we'd attempt to prepare Payton for what we'd be bringing home. We pulled out a few baby things-the bouncer, infant carseat, etc. and let Payton put his baby-doll in to test it out. Well Payton had other ideas!!

He just doesn't quite fit like he used to :)

Birthday boy!!

2010-02-05T21:59:00.001-08:00

It's hard to believe my baby boy is TWO!!! Seems like just yesterday I was waiting (and waiting...and waiting!) to go into labor. He had a mostly good day, he fell off his chair at Udder Culture during lunch (throwing a fit b/c he couldn't have his sucker until he ate real food!). Then the poor kid wiped out running in excitement to get his McQueen balloon. The good news is that his day ended with cake, and lots of presents!!

Flashback to the beginning :)

So much to see!!

2010-02-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

My favorite trail in Juneau is the wetlands trail. It's Payton's too. He loves to walk along and look at the airplanes coming and going. There is a lot more activity going on these days as they are expanding the runway!

Watching an Amphib take off.

Excavators and dump trucks are always great fun to watch!!

Wings Caravan landing right over our heads!

Payton read his "book" all the way home. It was too cute!

35 weeks, 4 days.

2010-02-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

Or if you want to count down to D-day (Delivery Day) it's 3 weeks 4 days. I realized I've been posting all my belly shots on Facebook and none have made it to the blog. I have been very fortunate to have been blessed with great skin. So far nary a stretch mark! I didn't have any with Payton (even 2 weeks overdue!) and I'm hoping I'm just as lucky this time around!

Future Airplane Mechanic?

2010-01-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

Looking for airplanes!

2010-01-23T17:40:00.001-08:00

Brownies.

2010-01-23T13:29:00.001-08:00

Aunty Hu-ho (Helmi) made brownies the other day. Payton got to lick the spatula and mixer when she was done. Needless to say, he was quite the happy camper!

Yum!

"Did I miss any?"

What does a moose say??

2010-01-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

Here's Payton's moose call, Erik's responding in the background :)

Snow days!

2010-01-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it's almost guaranteed to happen EVERY time Erik leaves town....SNOW! Not just an inch or two...but a foot or two!! Normally I LOVE the cold white stuff and don't mind one bit, in fact, the more the merrier!! But being 33 weeks pregnant and chasing an almost 2 yr old makes it near impossible to clear the driveway! Last time, I just put Payton in the backpack where he's ecstatic to be able to see what's going on (and he LOVES the snow blower!) but it killed my back! This time around I have my sister Helmi to be my snow slave :) She was kind enough to shovel off the porch then after a quick lesson, snow blow the driveway.

Erik's poor neglected truck, buried in the snow! (Note: this is even after a bit of rain, really compacted the white fluff we had!)

My happy helper!

This afternoon the power went out, so I thought what better a time to go play outside! Payton loves the snow, or "no" as he calls it. He played with the dog chuck-it the whole time. Much funner than a snow shovel!

Kuspuks.

2010-01-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

I found pattern for a size 2T Kuspuk (a native-designed pullover) and decided to try and make one! I was halfway done and wanted to try it on Payton to see if the sizing was true to the pattern. Not only did I find the sleeves are a bit too long, but he did NOT want me to take it off him!!
Here's my little cross-dresser in his cozy kuspuk, face covered in blueberries!! I guess I'll be making him a "manly" one next :)

Ice skating: Take 2!

2009-12-22T17:05:00.001-08:00

After waking up this morning, the first thing Payton wanted was his ice skates. So after breakfast we bundled up and headed up the street to the duck pond.

Payton "skated" around a bit with Erik then we put his boots back on so he could practice his stick handling.

Payton on ice!

2009-12-20T15:54:00.000-08:00

After church today we took Payton up to the duck pond so we, well Erik, could skate! Payton wanted his skates on as soon as he saw Dad flying around the ice!

Payton had a GREAT time and didn't want his skates taken off. But Erik's back wasn't going to hold out much longer!!

Once we got his boots on him, and the tears to stop, he had a great time chasing the puck around with the hockey stick.

Payton can count!!

2009-12-08T11:20:00.001-08:00

Okay...so it's only to 4, but that's a huge improvement over last week when he'd only count to two!!!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!!!

2009-12-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight we put up our tree since Erik's parents are here. Of course, Payton was a big help too!!! Luckily ours is fake, takes about 10 seconds to assemble and is pre-lit :) Not much for a 22 month old to help with!

Payton was checking out the lights. Telling us the colors! Everything is "yellow". Sometimes he'll throw a "red" in there.

Smelling the tree. Probably doesn't smell as nice as a real pine ;)

Cheesy grin for the camera!

You know you're a Redneck when....

2009-12-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

Your child has decoys for bath toys!

Future hockey star??

2009-11-29T15:07:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to watch my dad and uncle (as well as a good family friend) play in the charity game- Chicks with Sticks-VS-Geezers in Breezers. Payton wasn't too into the game, he was more concerned that all the hockey sticks had disappeared from outside the locker room. He wanted to play with them all.

Just hours earlier Payton was having a great time chasing Pauly around the house...he wasn't too sure of him in his goalie gear!

Baba (#19) and twin Uncle Kim (#13) ready for action!

Wearing Baba's gloves! Next year he'll be big enough for skates!! I can't wait!

Toddler + Flashlight + Chocolate Lab = Hours of Entertainment!!

2009-11-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

What's a mother to do!

2009-11-20T18:43:00.001-08:00

Payton was snuggled up on the couch watching Cars, while I went to clean up the kitchen and get dinner ready.

He was a little too quiet....now I know why! Too bad it's only 5pm!!

Feeding the ducks!

2009-11-11T15:19:00.001-08:00

Although we have a quaint little duck pond a block from our house...we've discovered the ducks at Rotary Park are a lot funner to feed!!
My mom and I picked up Mason to join us in the duck-feeding fun!!

Word has gotten out that there is food! The crowd is starting to get bigger!!

AND bigger!!!

They are fearless! These two were eating the bread from my hand!

Payton LOVED it. He kept trying to pet them.

Luckily I convinced him to just feed them instead!

Whirlwind weekend!!!

2009-11-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

Payton and I flew to Seattle to see Erik since we haven't seen him in three weeks and he had a few days off while the boat is in drydock! We flew in Thursday late-afternoon and made the 5 hour drive to Spokane the next day to see his parents, brother and sister-in-law (as well as Grandma, Aunt and Uncle, my cousin and her daughter!)

Payton did pretty well for the first 3.5 hours...then we decided to pull over in Moses Lake, find a playground and let him stretch his legs!

He really like the see-saw.

Erik's parents are building a nice log home (from a kit) and chose this weekend to put the roof on. (Another reason Erik wanted to drive over)

We can't wait until it's done!

Uncle Earl surprised us with this beautiful floatplane rocker he made himself for Payton! Thanks to Aunty Dawn for the idea and drawing up the plans :)

Payton liked to sit on it and try and spin the prop. He hasn't quite figured out how to rock.

We also were fortunate enough to be able to visit with my cousin McKenzie and her 3 yr old daughter Tayten. Tayten wouldn't say Payton b/c it was too close to her name :) She just kept calling him "Cousin" then would get frustrated when he wouldn't respond! But overall, they had a great time playing with each other!

Trick-or-Treat!!

2009-10-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went Trick-or-treating with my parents, Ana, Alan and Mason. Payton caught on right away that all the houses were giving away candy and would RUN to the doors to get his treat!! He would even say "trick-or-treat" but unless you speak "payton" it sounds more like "dii-o-deeet".

My little Astronaut! He didn't want to keep his hat on...luckily all the candy collecting distracted him!

Payton and Mason...I mean Optimus Prime

Fall Festivites!

2009-10-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

It was so neat to be able to take Payton to a place where you can do real fall activities!!

We went to an orchard and picked our own apples.

We had to keep a close eye on Payton because he liked to pick them off the tree and throw them like a ball!!

All that work makes you hungry after a while :)

Leaf Peeping.

2009-10-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

[I promise I'm not making it up!]

Payton and I just got back from a great vacation "leaf peeping" on the East Coast. Frances was kind enough to go with us and be our tour guide :) For those wondering what the heck a leaf peeper is: A person (people) who travel to New England in the fall to tour around and see the changing of the leaves.

We flew into Boston and rented a car and drove up to Portland, Maine to visit my good friends Hope and Dave Borg. On the drive up, we stopped in Ogunquit, Maine to let Payton out for a quick stretch. It was quite breezy and a bit cold!!

But beautiful just the same!

Dave and Hope were GREAT hosts and we were delighted when they took us on a tour of the lighthouses nearby.
[I apologize as some of these photos were taken from inside the car...but it was COLD!]

After two days of visiting we continued on to Brattleboro, Vermont to stay with Frannie's Cousin Kelli and her family. Payton took an instant liking to the leaves piled up everywhere!

He tromped around in the leaves like they were the puddles from back home :) Only leaves are obviously much drier and less messy!

When Baba babysits....

2009-10-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Erik and I came home from my ultrasound to find both Baba (Gpa Kurt) and Payton fast asleep. I always struggle to get Payton down for a nap...I wonder what his secret is?

Its' A...................

2009-10-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

GIRL!

Sorry I don't have any ultrasound pictures to post. We didn't get any good ones.

Ducks and Mattresses.

2009-10-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

Payton has become quick obsessed with feeding the ducks at the pond up the street from our house. He asks daily to go see the "quack quacks". Today was a nice day so we wandered up to get rid of some old bread.

Payton also LOVES the Mattress Ranch commercials. Those of you not familiar with him, see the video below. He's based out of Anchorage and his stores are all up north. Whenever the commercial comes on Payton stops what he's doing and runs to watch it.

It just to happened, they were in town so we stopped by the mall to say hi!

Sleepy time!

2009-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm working on weaning Payton and as a result have found some new tactics to get him to sleep other than nursing. He's become attached to his baby and sippy cup at bedtime. I tried to take his cup once he was asleep and he woke up and reached for it! Oh well, whatever keeps him sleeping :)

Nugget Falls.

2009-09-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

Today was so beautiful, and we were afraid this might be the last nice day til next year so we made the most of it! We drove out to the glacier and hiked to Nugget Falls. Of course Payton fell asleep on the way there and was VERY cranky for the first 5 minutes of the walk, we almost turned around and went home! But I was able to distract him by asking if he saw any Moose (what a sight that would have been out there!) and he woke up enough to enjoy the walk!

The happy hiker(s?)

Throwing rocks in the lake.

2009-09-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

If you listen closely you can hear him saying "moo" (moose).

He's loved moose meat ever since he was a baby. We used to give him Moose sticks to teeth on. They worked like a charm, and were nutritious to boot! In fact, that's how we get him to eat any kind of meat. We just tell him it's moose and he'll try it!! Someday he's going to catch on...then we'll have some explaining to do :)

Here's Payton and Dad showing off the horns. He doesn't look too thrilled, but he was really having fun!

Moose Hunt

2009-09-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

Ready for takeoff!

The valley of hunting.

The happy hunter!

Home Sweet Home.

The landing strip. Notice how flat the terrain is, not real easy for scouting moose!

But despite it all, they were glorious!! Here's the happy hunter with his catch!

Their "front lawn". Looks like they're having a yard sale to me....

Packing up to head home. Moose Antlers in hand.

Animals.

2009-09-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

I think Payton's favorite part of our vacation (other than being spoiled by relatives) was seeing all the different animals. We walked through the barns at the Sanders County Fair and saw goats, sheep, cows, horses and pigs. At first Payton didn't seemed too impressed...I think he was overwhelmed.

Meeting Mr. Goat.

While in Plains, Erik's family camped out in a Connie's back field and Payton and I were lucky enough to snag a nice room in her house with a queen bed, and toilet near by :) (gotta love running water and flush toilets!!) Payton played outside a lot that week and discovered he loved watering flowers (playing with the hose.) Connie's dog Toby wanted in on the action.

Connie has about a dozen chickens running around her back yard. Payton became obsessed with them. All he wanted to do was chase them around and pet them. I didn't let him get that close. I figure the chickens didn't want anything to do with a curious toddler either!

Brian and Charlie (Erik's parents) have 4 acres of grassy fields. As you can imagine, it can be a pain to mow it all. So they let Rancher Bob keep a few cows there to help keep the grass down. We would go out to feed them treats every day. Payton wasn't too sure about those big animals with the giant tongues. They might slurp your face!!

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

2009-09-11T18:41:00.001-07:00