Busy weekend!

We have had a busy past few days! I started off with me going back to school on Thursday, in a way I was looking forward to it (that routine thing I tend to crave), but it is always sad when I realize summer really is over. Me going back to work meant Peyton started her new "school" at Ms. Evelyn's. What a blessing! Ms. Evelyn is so kind, loving, and calm! Not to mention three friends from OPA were there with her, so they all got to start together. The $70 price cut is an added bonus, although I would much rather pay her the $160 a week that OPA required. She went in very well, especially considering she had not been in daycare since May. It's a comforting feeling to know she is loved and taken care of while I'm at work, which I have plenty of guilt about sometimes.

Saturday Peyton turned three! I cannot believe how big she is getting and I thank God for her everyday. Her big present this year was a Jeep Power Wheels. She was excited to see it, the first thing she asked was, "Where's the Ipod?" Times are changing for sure!

We had a party for all her friends at School Street Gym that morning, and they had a blast! Money well spent to let them run around and jump and play for an hour then eat cake! I got good reports from the parents of long naps that afternoon, so that is a definite success!

I was shocked that she took a nap afterwards, I thought she would be too hyped up from the party. When she woke up we headed to Nana and Granddaddy's for her family party at their pool. They have a new sunroom and newly landscaped yard. Luckily the weather cooperated and everyone had a great time! I love having family around!

Swimming with friends

Yesterday Peyton got to swim twice with her buddies. The morning was spent with Megan and "Baby Hudson" as Pey calls him, in their neighborhood pool. It's pretty tough to get a picture of both of them, but here are a few attempts...

They loved splashing each other the whole time! Just laughed and laughed!

Hudson trying to figure Pey out

After a three hour afternoon nap, we went to eat and swim with the Bishops. She loves John Luke and Samuel (or John and Luke and Sammyel as she says). She spent most of her evening pool time in the baby pool, because she can swim by herself without her floaties. I forgot to bring my camera, so no pics, but it was a fun time by all.

Pey-isms

Peyton continues to come up with her own way of getting her point across, or more frequently, getting what she wants. She is such a little sponge right now, taking in everything that she sees and hears, I don't know why I'm surprised at the things that come out of her mouth. I thought I would take a moment to list a few

meatball- perhaps the most famous to our family and friends. During those wonderful potty training days, Jordan once referred to her poop as a meatball, once is all it took. Now no matter where we are, she's quick to inform me "I've gotta make a meatball". Now it has even evolved into "I've got two meatballs in there, one is big and one is little". I have to apologize to her daycare friends because some of them have picked up on it as well! Not to mention the fact that she gets extremely grossed out at the mention of spaghetti and meatballs or meatball subs. Oops! Hoping it's just a phase!

"Here mom, here's a Diet Coke, you're cranky"- Last fall, when she was barely two, already she could pick up on my moods! We were getting ready to leave the house, and I was scrambling as usual. Peyton dug in the refridgerator, hoping to appease me, offered up a Diet Coke, I told her I didn't need a Diet Coke, she said, "Yes you do, you're cranky" I took it!

Behiney- This one covers just about everything. From "you a behiney" to "Old McDonald had a BEHINEY" to just a random "behiney" shout out when she is bored. Just like the meatball, she has no discretion on where or when this is used. I would scold her, but she doesn't mean it ugly at all, and she always accompanies it with a sly grin and look up, like she knows how cute she is.

Booty drop- The credit for this one goes to Uga. As the name implies, she stands up and booty drops wherever she may be. It started out on Uga's belly in the living room floor and has continued onto beds, floats in the pool, and trampolines. Can't wait to hear what they have to say about that one at gymnastics.

very=really- She knows that very means a lot, she's just not sure how to use it yet. Whenever she wants something now it's "I very need ______(bubbles, food, etc.) I very very do". Unfortunately, this usually ends with her getting whatever it is she just "very needs".

I'm sure I will think of more, but these are definitely her favorite and most frequenlty used. We're about to go eat at a sushi/hibachi restaraunt, let's hope there is no mention of meatballs or booty drops while we're there, if so, I guess I could just direct them to my blog for the explanation.

Summer of Fun

After reading several friend's facebook blogs, I decided to join in the fun. Peyton is changing so much, this should be a fun way to record and share her growth!

We began this summer with a trip to the Georgia Aquarium. Their advertising during Braves games paid off, everytime she saw the octopus she would say, "I want to go there". So off we went. She had a blast, although it was a little crowded, which was to be expected for a Saturday afternoon.

She continued to take ballet at Alice Depass through June, and attended a mini-camp in July. She really loves dance, and I can tell she is getting better at listening, following directions, and even some of the basic ballet techniques as well. The picture is from earlier this year, but you can see how much she loves it!

Of course our big trip this summer was a week at Walt Disney World. I knew that she was on the border line of being "too young", so I was sure to research and plan out things that were age appropriate for her, including leaving plenty of time for naps each day. My parents went with us to help out, and Peyton had a BLAST. She loved all the characters, rode lots of rides (Dumbo, Tea Cups, Go-Karts, Carousel, Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World, etc.), went on the Animal Kingdom Safari twice, and got a lots of swimming in each day. All that planning (which was some what compulsive at times) paid off every day as she lit up with excitement.

She's also had playdates with many of her friends from "school". It is so exciting to see her begin to form friendships and interact with kids her age. Here she is at Peyton Dobbs' birthday party. Her mom, Kristal, and I joke, "headlock or hug?".

With less than three weeks left before school starts back, the summer has again gone by too fast. Peyton will turn 3 August 1, and as I look back, I can't believe how much she has grown, or imagine how life was before her.