Visual Tour

The visual tour is up for the house in case anyone is interested.... and no, our blinds aren't warped, it's something with the way the pictures are put together.

Let's hope we have some activity soon.

To Market, To Market

Well, our house is on the market! I'm excited, nervous and scared all at the same time. We're hoping it will sell quickly and we can get into a larger home that has all the features on our list (a playroom for Miss Priss, a bigger yard for P and Scout, a media room for LC, and a larger living room/kitchen for me, etc...).

If you know of anyone who's looking for a starter home* (under $175K), send them our way! The house is great and we have fabulous neighbors.

*Pics should be up tomorrow

2JC

Happy Easter to 2JC!

I met Jen and Jenni in the Sunday School class we attend with our husbands. Jenni and I were pregnant at the same time* and now Jen is pregnant with baby #3!!

LC dubbed us 2JC since we're together all the time. Mom's group is Monday mornings, women's bible study on Wednesday mornings, then usually lunch after, we cook dinner for the church every Wednesday afternoon, and there's usually a lunch or dinner somewhere in between! I'm so blessed to have these girls as some of my best friends!

*Jenni's son, Nate, is a month younger than P... we totally think they should get married, but they'll probably only end up as great friends!

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny came to see Payton this morning! She got a bubble blower, a foam puzzle, fruit puffs, a toy for her high chair, a key teether that makes tons of noise, a Little People girl, and a bunny who's feet and hands are little teethers. The bunny made tracks in the flour we left in front of her basket (a tradition in the Russell household)!

All dressed in her Strausburg outfit.. it was great to have a pants set for her since it was 40 degrees this morning!

The Chamblees ready for church

Lane and Payton at the Barn

Momma and Payton

Mom, Dad and Allie came with us to church and then had lunch. On the menu was roast, potatoes, carrots, homemade mac and cheese, deviled eggs, bread, and spring cake. This was the first time I got to use all my china!!

Payton napped for most of the meal, but woke up in time for dessert.

6 months old and biter biscuits!

Payton had her 6 month well baby exam today. She weighs 16 pounds, 12 ounces and is 26 1/4 inches long! She's still right in the middle of the pack as far as percentiles. Poor baby had 3 shots and 1 oral dose of roto vaccine today. We'll go back at 9 months to check her blood count... hopefully that will just be a little heel prick. Luckily, our next shots aren't until a year old!


6 months old with her bear and sitting up all by herself

Hey... you don't look like me

mmmmm.... biter biscuits

Hey sister, are you going to drop any of that?

I guess I can just lick it off your hand (don't worry, I was armed with baby wipes to get the slobber off)

Dear Payton,

You are 6 months old today little one!

I knew my life would change when you came into the world, but I'm amazed at how it changed me as a person. I'm in awe everyday at the things you do. I am so blessed that I get to stay home with you and witness everything you learn and the cute things you do. You've made me a better wife, daughter, sister, and friend. I will never forget that you were the cause of it! I cannot wait to see what the next 6 months bring. I know you'll soon be crawling, then walking and talking. I'm so thrilled that God chose me to be your momma and lets me walk this path with you.

5 years ago

Today marks the 5 year "anniversary" of the invasion of Iraq. My brother in law is currently deployed on a 15 month tour after only being home for 11 months. His first tour was right at a year. I am amazed daily by his bravery and his patriotism. I can promise you that I'll be one of many waving the flag as hard as I can when he comes home on leave in May and then again at his homecoming to Ft Campbell. My sister is stronger than I can ever hope to be. She is so supportive of Michael and what he does even if it means being away from her husband for over half of their marriage.

Remember Michael and Allison and all the other servicemen and women in your prayers!!

Teeth

Miss P had a tooth break through while we were on our trip! Today, the one next to it broke through!! I can't believe it... that explains why she's not sleeping very well during the day.

Concan, not Cancun!

Payton and I just returned from a 4 day trip to Concan with Mom, Dad, Allie, Nonnie, Deeda and Uncle Tod. We met up with Nonnie's sister's family for a family reunion of sorts. When Mom was little, they would make this trip every 4th of July with Mamaw and Papaw. We had such a blast in the Frio River (Spanish for cold) and have decided to make it an annual trip!

Easter Baskets

Lane and I started the tradition of giving each other Easter baskets when we first moved into our house 3 years ago (and yes, if you do the math, that means we lived in sin for a year... gasp!) These are not little baskets at all. Lane's "basket" has been filled with an IPOD nano when they first came out, an X-Box 360 and some other big gift (mommy brain has set in). I've gotten the entire box set of Sex and the City dvds and who knows what else. Ahhhh, life before a kiddo ;)

So dear readers, what should the basket include this year? I'm not really wanting to spend $400+ like I have in the past...

Also, if you have any ideas for Payton's basket that would be much appreciated! What does the Easter Bunny bring a 6 month old?

Snow Day

More pictures from our snow day last week!

Her Daddy did this while I was cooking dinner... she was not amused!

What happens when....

you try to feed your very tired little girl squash and prunes. It was everywhere!! At least I had the foresight to get her down to her diapee. Lane missed all this and the cleanup since he was playing golf.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel Let Down Your Hair

My wonderful sister has been contemplating cutting her hair. Not just a trim, but a serious cut!! After we all told her how great it would look, we made an appointment for today. She said she was up until 3 am thinking about it and has been sick to her stomach all day. We put a rubberband where it should be cut and measured over 12 inches that would be cut off. She's donating her hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths (Did you know Locks of Love sells the donated hair to wig makers?). I'm so proud of her and think she looks so sophisticated with the new 'do! Her hubby will be so shocked when he comes back from Iraq!

Beach Baby

Payton had to try on her new swimsuit a few days ago at Mom and Dad's. She's ready to hit the pool as soon as the weather will make up it's mind and stay warm!

Snow Bunny

Payton slept through her first snow on Tuesday night, but today it's snowing huge, feather-like flakes! She looked a little confused at the stuff falling out of the sky!

Why?

Why am I sitting here blogging at 6:18 AM??? Why did Payton not go back to sleep like she normally does after her 5:00 bottle? Oh, that's right... because the first rule of Mommydom is that just as you develop a sense of normalcy your darling little one senses it and throws your "normal" world upside down! But you know what? I wouldn't trade it for 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep... well... maybe 12 ;)

And since I'm asking why.... why is my husband out running at 6:00 AM? He's running in a 6 mile Mud Run in a few weeks. I guess he has to prepare because I don't think he's run 6 miles since his half marathon 2 Decembers ago.

Bama Baby

*It pains me to write such a title since I'm a Texas girl down to the core. At least P is a native Texan and will only be a Bama Baby when her Daddy makes her watch SEC football* (Only people from Texas understand the pride that comes from being born in this glorious state!)

It was a whirlwind trip to Bham this weekend! Payton was a champion flier both flights and adjusted so well to a million hands being on her and not being in her own house.

Lane and I were able to sneak away (who am I kidding... I think we were pushed out the door ;)) and had dinner with our friends Jay and Ashley while P had some quality time with Mimi and PaPa.

It was a GORGEOUS day on Saturday!

Lane and I took Payton on a ride in PaPa's Mule

Looking through all my pictures we've taken in the last 5 months, I realized we have maybe 3 pictures that include the 3 of us. Amazing how Momma is usually the one behind the camera ;)
Karson couldn't get enough of P! We couldn't get him to love on us... probably because he was giving all his love to Payton!!