Peyton Finding Religion

Tuesday night, Peyton started in that she wanted a baby brother. She then decided she wanted twin brothers. I kept telling her that if we had another baby that God might give us another sister. She didn't understand that if she asked for a brother that God might not give her one. She then told me that I needed to tell God that she wanted a baby brother. I told her that I wasn't doing it and that she could talk to God all by herself. I then went to get the phone to call Melanie and Peyton asked, "Moma, do you have God's Cell Phone number." Now I am sure that I asked my mother many questions but I can say with certainty that is not one I asked.

Since the Women of Faith Conference, I have been listening to a Mark Schultz CD I got there after we saw him preform. One of the songs is her favorite and she dances in her carseat the whole time it is on. She also loves the one after it and it has the phrase, "One Life, One Love, One Way Home," in it. She has been singing along for a couple of weeks now. Today she told me that the song was wrong because we have two ways to our home. I then had to explain to her that when he said Home, he meant Heaven.

Tonight we went to church for the Welcome to the Family dinner. On the way home, Peyton asked if we said prayer before we ate. We told her that we did and she wanted to know what we said. We tried to explain to her that Pastor Barz said the prayer and that it wasn't one of the set ones like she says in school. She then fussed at us because we didn't remember the prayer. Brian tried to explain to her that its not a "canned" prayer like she does in pre-K and that Pastor Barz made it up- she wasn't having it. Finally I just told her to ask Pastor Barz about it tomorrow morning. I've handled the other religious questions this week- I'll let the professional explain this one to her.

He kept his eye

Well Buddy got to keep his eye. The vet just thinks it is allergic conjunctivitis and gave us drops. However, the heart murmur he was found with last year has gotten much worse. The vet started talking about a timeline if we don't treat it because he is a senior. I know he is almost 9 years old but he doesn't seem like a senior to me. He told me that we would start to see his energy decrease- which we have. So we need to take him to get an ultrasound of his heart to see if it is the mitrovalve prolapse that the vet thinks it is. If that's the case then supposedly we are looking at a pretty cheap medicine as treatment and that should add a few years to his life. It is odd to think of him having only a few years left. Melanie said we should go ahead and get a bulldog puppy so we can have an easy transition for the girls- like I need another hole in my head.

PACKING TAPE WORKS- for now at least. I have made it through a nap and bedtime without Landree taking a diaper off. She hates it and when I walked into her room this morning she started in- Tape OFF, Tape OFF! So we have a temporary solution for the diaper bandit.

We are becoming official members of the church this weekend. They are hosting a Welcome to the family weekend. Tonight they are having a dinner and tomorrow morning breakfast and we will go over everything about the church and we are being assigned an elder who we will eat dinner with tonight. On Sunday, they have the welcome reception at church and since it is Lutheran Schools week, the preschool is singing during the service. We might go to Sea World this weekend. They have a special thing for opening weekend so we are thinking about going out there tomorrow after church.

Happy Days

On Sunday we were recovered from the party and went to early church. We then did some clothes and shoe shopping. Peyton and Landree got new tennis shoes and we weren't able to find soccer cleats in Peyton's size. Brian did get new ankle braces, a knee brace, and high tops for basketball season. I had to go bra shopping and Peyton is very upset that she is not getting to wear bras like her cousin Maddie- Thanks Aunt Cat. She was so pitiful and told her when she gets to be a big girl she can wear a bra. She asked me if she had to wait until she was a big girl like Maddie (who is only 3 months older) and I told her no- a big girl like Katie. She didn't like that answer and then took it up with Brian who as you can imagine shut her down quickly. Brian bought a pair of jeans in SIZE 36 and an XL polo! Whoohooo! He is dropping weight so quickly and I told him that when I met him I considered him a big guy- not a fat guy- but just a big guy. I no longer consider him a big guy and he says he hasn't been this small since he was in high school. My daddy always told me to marry a fat boy because they were warm in the summer and shady in the summer- I guess I better buy an extra blanket and an umbrella. We went to New Balance to get new tennis shoes for him and he has even lost weight in his feet. He is running 6 days a week so we bought him two pairs of running shoes- one for home and one for work.

Landree is the diaper bandit. She does not like wearing them and wants to run around with a shirt on and bare naked from the waist down. She is currently taking a nap with packing tape around her diaper- not on her skin. I'll let you know how it goes. She is talking so much right now. I can't get over how much she is saying. She still loves bottles and scared Brian on Tuesday when he found her playing in Campho-Phenique.

Three happys- Next Thursday, I am getting a water softner- yeah! I am so sick of spots on my dishes and hard water stains in the shower. Happy #2- On October 6th, I am going with my mom, sister, and aunt on a 4-day cruise to the Bahamas! My mom is turning 60 during that week and Melanie and I couldn't figure out what to do to celebrate. We found a cheap cruise and Auntie Lila wanted to join us. Almost two years later, Melanie and I still haven't got the social security money that was owed to Daddy and in turn to us. We should be getting it soon. This money will pay for the majority of our cruise and I think that Daddy would completely approve especially since his favorite sister in law is going. Happy #3- Brian and I are leaving on June 1st to go on a 7-Day cruise in the Caribbean! This summer is our 10 year anniversary and we are so excited to go on our first adult only BIG trip. Okay that means I have to be in a bathing suit and ready to go on physical excursions. So I am setting the goal of losing 20 pounds in 12 weeks and being more physically fit. This could be pushing it. I have been stalled out on losing weight and I hope this is the boost I need to get it back together. I started back on the treadmill this morning and I have charts to help organize myself- you know I like a chart. I won't tell you what I weigh but I will keep updating on Tuesday nights on how I am doing.

Well we are taking Buddy to the new Vet today because of his funky eye. The vet is consider really great and is the Dog dude on one of the local tv stations and he's just around the corner. I'm hopeful but any Vet has big shoes to fill after Dr. Mehaffey. That woman made house calls when Baxter was sick because she didn't want to stress him in his final days. I'll let you know how it goes. Peyton is worried that they may have to take his eye out and keep him there. Who knows were she got that from?

Doctor/Play Day/Party Time

Landree had her 2 year check up on Thursday. She was in the 75th Percentile for height and weight- so she is no longer underweight and her head is in the 90th percentile- she's her Daddy's girl. She is right on target for everything and after watching her scoot a chair over to use as a climbing post to get on the examining table and then slide back down head first her doctor told me that she thought that the broken thumb was only the first of many broken bones. She also believed that she was ready to start potty training. So while at Target we got a new potty chair to go downstairs. That night after Brian put it together, she TT'd immediately and I don't know who was excited more- Landree, Us, or Peyton.

All the girls were out of school on Friday so I invited them over here and got a preview of the summer. The girls played the Wii, house, played outside, watched a movie, did paint by numbers, snacked, and argued. Landree is definitely growing up and I got tickled when I heard her hollering from the playroom- "My Turn, My Turn." Kacy decided to take over potty-training duties for the day and as long as she asked- Landree went but she doesn't know she needs to go beforehand. Peyton's 2-year old teacher trained her with M-Ms- one if they sat on the potty, 2 if they TTed, 3 if the pooped. Well, no mms here so Kacy and I came up with a new system. An Elmo sticker if she goes #1 and the great Abby Cadabby sticker for #2. She is thrilled and is now asking for her stickers after she goes. Well now that you are all grossed out- I know- I am thinking that Master's Degree and student loans are coming in handy around here.

The Willards were sweet and offered to take us out to Chili's for supper and the McDonalds joined us. Everybody knows I have some brown spots on my forehead from hormones after I had Landree. Well that is everyone but Abby. I was putting on makeup to get ready and she came to investigate. All of a sudden in a concerned voice Abby said, Mrs. Erica- you have left that on your head toooo long. The person that put that on you did not know what they were doing." I'm not sure what she thought it was but obviously she thought someone had messed me up. Brian told her that I got lippy and he punched me in the head. Brian then told her he was joking and Abs told him that maybe it was a thief that did it. On the way there, we were deciding what we were going to have based on our Weight Watchers points. Brian said he was so hungry he could eat a horse. Kacy piped in with, "So, how many points would that be?"

I stayed up really late last night or this morning for the third night in a row. At midnight, I decided I have become my mom. Not an opinion or judgement- just a statement of fact. I finished Landree's cake before lunch yesterday but decided at 11 last night that I didn't like it and took it down to it's base frosting and started fresh and then stayed up even later than I had planned. I can't tell you how many times I went to bed with my mom sewing and then waking up the next morning finding her groggy- drinking coffee with a completely different outfit than what she started with. Pretty much the same thing I do- except I don't sew.

This morning I was exhausted and the girls piled in our bed to watch TV while I tried to get some more sleep and Brian was running on the treadmill- those of you that haven't seen him in awhile wouldn't even recognize him. I gave up on the extra sleep after Landree sat on my head for the second time. I started cleaning up the kitchen and Brian went to get his Valentine's present- a One hour massage. He was nervous because he has never liked getting massages in the past. I tried to dip Oreos on a sucker stick in Landee safe chocolate to make favors for the party but it didn't work so I just crushed oreos and mixed them with the chocolate and spread them out on parchment paper. I got the girls ready and Brian picked us up to run some errands. He loved his massage and thinks we both need to be getting one at least every two weeks. I guess he had some nasty knots in his calves and neck. We got home and got the girls fed and in bed for nap. I decided to put a rhinestone two on a plain shirt of Landree's. We did a clean on the the downstairs and everyone got ready for the party. My camera died on Friday so Haley brought her camera and took pictures for us. I told her I am hiring her from now on. I was planning on making Chicken and Dumplings and Barbeque Sandwiches. Well then on Friday, Kacy asked me if she could come over next time we had Mayan Chicken Burgers. So I decided to make those instead since they are easier and Landree loves them with their guacamole. We also had fruit, salsa and chips, veggies and Landree safe ranch dressing. Landree walked through and shoved broccoli in her mouth and took a piece of cauliflower for the road. Brian said that she was not his child. Peyton came though a few minutes later asking for some of the Oreo chocolate- Brian said that she was his child.

We had a great time and Landree enjoyed her presents. Haley will be burning a CD with the pictures on it for me so I'll post those when I can.

This is the cake I made for Landree to eat:

Since Abby Cadabby is new to Sesame Street- no one has any cake decorations for her. So I melted Wilton Candy Wafers to make her Abby Cadabby Cake. I gave up trying to get the buttercream smooth on both cakes at about 12:30 this morning. I did use fondant for decorations but I hate the taste of it so I refused to cover a whole cake in it.

Here is the cake for the rest of us:

Here is my baby two years ago today in a hotel waiting for sister to get over the flu.

Brian calls that his bulldog baby

And here is My Beautiful Two Year Old Toggaler (Peyton's Word for Toddler) Today

Isn't that one of the most beautiful pictures you have seen. Thanks Haley. This angel went to sleep tonight with a soft-bodied Princess doll on her chest, Elmo tucked under one arm and Abby Cadabby tucked under the other. Isn't life wonderful.

She's TWO

I can't believe that she is now two. My heart is not ready for all of this. She had 3 banana-chocolate muffins for breakfast. Peyton couldn't wait to give Landree her present. Of course Landree had to put it on immediately.

We went to dance class and then came home to get Peyton ready for Rodeo day. There is nothing for me to say, the pictures speak for themselves.

Grandma and Papaw sent her birthday gifts to her- A dress me up Elmo and an Elmo phone. She didn't appreciate it when Peyton wanted the phone

She also loved the box they were sent in and used it as a bed for herself and Elmo.

I love the back of her shirt- Abby Cadabby Fairy Wings

At the end of the night, Peyton and Landree used wipies and put Elmo to bed. Landree kept saying, "Elmo- nite-nite" and "Elmo- Bed."

We are getting the carpet cleaned tomorrow and Landree has her two year check-up so it should be another interesting day. It's 9:20 and Landree just started crying- it might be an interesting night too.

We're still alive I promise

Okay we have survived the second round of strep throat with no one else getting it yet. Landree has been whiney and cranky the last two days and Brian is taking Benadryl at night so keep your fingers crossed. I still have pictures and a video to put up but haven't gotten to it. Just bare with me. I have decided to become Betty Crocker in my free time. I spent part of Sunday and Monday piping colored chocolate to make butterflies and Abby Cadabby. Today I have made 4 different cake batters and baked them, two batches of frosting, and banana chocolate chip muffins. I am on still on Weight Watchers, I promise. I even hit my 10% goal tonight (Brian hit 65 lbs tonight). Anyway, I made chocolate and yellow cakes for Landree and chocolate and yellow cakes for the rest of us. I am going all out in decorating cakes- at least that is the plan since piping chocolate was the first piping I have ever done in my life. Let's see how everything looks on Saturday.

Tomorrow is my babies birthday. I can't believe she is going to be two- no more discussing her age in months. I told Peyton that Landree wasn't going to be a baby anymore. Peyton told me that Landree would always be my baby and that now she was going to be a toggeler. I even corrected her and said toddler but she is sticking to toggeler. Of course, I love it because Peyton so rarely misprounces words.

Peyton has decided she wants a pet of her own. She called Aunt Melanie and told her she wanted a kitty, hamster or a guinea pig. My wonderful sister responded with, "I talk to your mom about it." Whooohooo. I think that is the first time she hasn't automatically told Peyton she would buy her whatever she asked for- probably the reason she wanted to call Aunt Melanie. She put the screws on her Daddy this evening. Brian told her about having to clean up poop and pee and she started having second thoughts. She then announced that we would need to buy her gloves so she could clean it up. Brian told her no and then she asked for a puppy in which Brian gave me a look. I returned the look with the, Not no- but hell no. I am the one who takes care of the animals around here and I'm not house-breaking a puppy.

Speaking of house-breaking- anybody want to take my almost 2 year old and potty train her. She has decided she likes fresh air on her butt and takes her diaper off whenever she feels like it- whether it is dry, wet, or muddy. All of this would be great if she was ready to potty-train- but she's not. I think that is by far the cutest hiney I have ever seen but my gosh I am sick of the sense of dread that comes into my stomach when I see it and wonder what mess she has left with it. Today I put a pair of Peyton's panties on over the diaper and when I got her up after nap she didn't have her pants on but still had her diaper and panties on. Maybe I have found a temporary solution.

Tomorrow the girls will have their Banana Muffins for a birthday breakfast where Peyton is insisting Landree will open the Abby Cadabby shirt she bought her for her Birthday (parent-financed), Peyton's dance class, Peyton's school and it is Rodeo day- R-week, haircuts for the Queen and Princesses of the house as Peyton puts it starting at 4:30 and hopefully Daddy will get there before mine starts so he can take the princesses home, and then Landree's Birthday supper and she has requested peessa (pizza).

If you talk to me tomorrow- be gentle. My baby is turning 2 and I just found out that my almost 5 year old is going to have Kindergarten Roundup on March 31st at her new school and will even get to go into a Kindergarten class. Oh I just don't know if I can take it all.

Never would have guessed

When the fever got to 104.5, I took her in. She has strep throat again. She had it 3 weeks ago and we must have just made it go into hibernation because it is back. We loved the after hours clinic and they normally give the first does of meds and fax it to the pharmacy so you can go straight home. They were out but still faxed it for us. We were back home in one hour and 10 minutes- can't beat that. Peyton is a little out of it and is somewhat talking out of her head but she is doped up and exhausted. She couldn't understand why I wouldn't get a carwash at 10 o'clock at night. Now if we can only keep the Wild Child from getting it.

You'll have to wait

Well I was exhausted this evening from Peyton's Valentine's Party but I was all geared up to post pictures from today, the poop-monster, and a video. Well it's Wednesday so that means a Willard or Craft girl is sick so it's Peyton this week. She has had a cough for the last two days and tonight she developed a 103.4 fever and is very pitiful. So no blogging has gotten done tonight and now I am sitting here debating taking her into the late hours pediatric center. So maybe we'll be back to normal tomorrow and I'll get to post all the details.

My next purchase

This will be my next purchase. Can you guess who it will be for?

My weekend

Well the children survived, the house was still standing, and the world kept turning without me home for two days. Meanwhile, I had one of the best few days ever. Those ladies that have been to Women of Faith, know exactly what I am talking about. Those of you who have not been should sign up immediately. We spent Thursday night, all day and night Friday, and Saturday laughing, crying, singing, and experiencing our faith in a whole new way. I know anyone who knows me is not in the least bit surprised that I went through many kleenexes while we were there- I only went into the ugly cry once. They had their normal speaker team there and then had Jim Caviezel- Jesus from Passion of the Christ, Max Lucado, Sherri Sheperd, Squire Rushnell and Louise Deart and we were serenaded by Mark Schultz- an unbelievable songwriter who brought many tears to our eyes, Michael W Smith- I don't think anyone has done more for Christian Music than he has, and Mandisa- a voice that was 10 times better than we heard when she was on American Idol and surely the angels even stop to listen when she sings. Anita Renfroe is one of the funniest moms around. If you haven't seen her Momsense here is a link to the clip- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM. I have seen Sheri Sheperd on the View but had no idea how great she is. She is hilarious and so down to earth. We stayed at a hilarious Holiday Inn. It was the LaTropicana. It cracked us up when we saw an big silver Airstream was part of the landscaping. Haley has the pictures and will be posting whenever she recovers http://haleywillard.typepad.com/. We got the urge to snack at almost midnight and we couldn't find a single vending machine that would take our money and give us a Diet Dr. Pepper. Maybe it was the Weight Watcher's spirit trying to tell us we had no business eating at that time of night. I haven't had so much fun in a hotel since I was in a Sorority.

The last main speaker on Saturday was Luci Swindoll and her ending quote was from a friend who said that she loved God because you never knew when he was going to surprise you out of your socks. I then realized that he had surprised me out of my socks- okay it was 85 degrees and I wasn't wearing any but you got the idea. This week two years ago, I was in Little Rock at a hospital praying that God would heal my baby in the hospital bed and protect the one I was carrying, one year ago I was praying to God for guidance in our decision to move to San Antonio and this year I was sitting at a Women of Faith conference with two women that are so completely different from me but together- we work. I thank God for bringing the two of them and their children into my families life. Who would have guessed? Needless to say I came home exhausted and refreshed. They really should have these every 4-6 months here just so I can get refueled.

We are having trouble with Peyton and her constant whining and crying when she she doesn't get her way. So last night after one of these big fits, I put her in the bed and she and I talked a long time about how she can not always get everything she wants and that she has to trust us that we know what is best for her and when we prayed, I asked God to help her in that area. She wanted me to read her bible to her and I did some and she didn't really get it. I told her that the bible was written in grown up words and that we need to get her a kid's bible. She asked if she could ask Nana to buy her one for her birthday. Of course Nana has already been to the bookstore and found one before lunch today. Who could deny a request for a bible let alone a grandparent?

Landree is cutting another molar and she was very fussy tonight. At bedtime, she always gets in Peyton's bed and listens to the story and goes willingly to bed. Well she threw a fit tonight and Brian had to take her to bed screaming. I told Peyton it was time for us to pray and she told me we she should see if Daddy wanted to pray with us and that we should pray for Landree. So Brian came in and she asked him if he wanted to pray with us. She told him we all should hold hands and here was her prayer word for word:

Dear God,
Please help my baby sister feel better in the morning because I have school tomorrow and we don’t want her fussing around school and where everyone can hear her. Please God put your spirit in her so that she will feel better Amen.

Have you ever heard a better prayer?

We're still Kicking

Okay so it has been over a week since my last post. We've been busy here. We had our big Superbowl party on Sunday so I spent most of last week getting ready for the party and most of this week recovering and working on our taxes (I still want to know how the Brian who majored in Math and minored in Finance and works at a bank, doesn't do our taxes). I am definately my mother's daughter and like to start projects without really determining if I have the time to finish them. I knew I needed to get my house clean and food cooked for our party but I couldn't just leave it at that. No I had to start a few projects this past week. We had five boxes left from our move- yes I know I moved 9 months ago- and I felt the need to go through all of those and get them put away. I went through and organized the girls and our closets which created a ton of laundry that I needed to do before I packed them away. I then decided that the curtains that I have had bought since the fall needed to be put up. We did get almost everything done and had a great time. We had a ton of food and a lot of people here. I did find myself tear up a little after everyone had gone. We have lived here only 9 months and it was really great to have so many friends here to enjoy.

Since my last post, Landree has been up to a lot of mischief and has attempted to empty five bottles. She tried to clean the toilet, rug, and herself with a bottle of shampoo, she attempted to freshen the air in the kitchen with a bottle of lysol, she thought she needed a soap bath during the superbowl and of course after a bath you would need to dig in one of our guest's purses to find a bottle of lotion to cover yourself with, and finally she felt the need to wash the bathroom floor with shampoo. Good news- she did make it through an entire church service on Sunday. Bad news- she acted like a wild banshee during Ash Wednesday service today.

One of Peyton's friends from school had a Valentine's Tea Party on Friday. The girls had a great time. They decorated cookies, painted and played. Here are a few pictures from the party.

Peyton was a little obsessed over Groundhog day. She made a little groundhog puppet at school and asked me everyday if the groundhog had seen his shadow or not. Well she was upset when I finally told her that he had seen his shadow. I guess they had made predictions at school and she didn't think he was going to see it. By Monday I had decided Ol' Phil just hadn't gotten his nap out. When the weatherman uses the word Sultry to describe a day in the first week of February, either Ol' Phil has lied or you've moved to the wrong place. We got in the car Monday afternoon and Peyton announced she stunk. A few minutes later she told me she was sweaty and that must be why she smelled so bad. By the time I picked her up from school today the ashes had worn off her forehead and she was not impressed. She asked me to rub foreheads with her so we could share ashes.

Haley, Leigh and I are going to the Women of Faith conference this weekend. It starts tomorrow night and runs through Saturday afternoon. Friday night we are staying at a hotel close to the the Alamodome. I am very excited to go but I do have a lot of things to do before I leave. The girls are going to Kidz-Kare on Friday so I have to get all their food together before I go. One of the moms from Peyton's class is going to pick her up for school Friday afternoon so that she doesn't miss Pajama Day. It will be the first time Brian has taken care of both girls by himself without any help. I know the girls will have a great time with him. Saturday evening we will just trade kids because he will have to work Saturday night. Here is a sweet picture of my girls: