Double Trouble!

It was so much fun to see these two. They were like two tornado's leaving a trail of debris behind them... well maybe not that bad. Payton plays really well by herself (such a blessing!) & every now & then I would see Ryan playing & Pay-Pay (as Ryan calls her) would be no where in sight. I would find her in the corner flipping thru a book. After a while either Ryan would discover her & play right next to her or she would emerge & join in on the fun. Is that a guilty look or what!
Ryan & Payton discovered that Bumpa's walker provided a good ride! Melissa made so many laps around the backyard! And when it was time to get off Payton reached up for me but when I put her down she turned right back around & wanted back on. I don't think that she realized that she was going to get down.
As you can tell they had a blast & were so still. They didn't try to get up or turn around or poke at each other or anything. It was so cute... & really is there anything that these two could do that wasn't cute?!?
Here's a picture of Casey! He is the noisiest sleeper. Payton made a lot of noise too but I don't remember it being as loud as Casey. Casey grunts quite a bit & Payton just squeaked when she slept.

Swings

Mom took Ryan to Hamilton Park & Payton & I joined them there. It is actually a pretty cool park but there isn't any shade (my only complaint). It has been so long since I've been there!They have these swings that are made for moms to swing with their kids on their laps. It looks like a banana seat. The consensus is that 1 swing does not fit all, but it still is a cool idea.
Payton either throughly enjoys swinging that she can't muster up the energy to show emotion (of coarse she smiles for the first few pushes then has the look above throughout the rest of the time) or she is completely bored out of her mind & her mom just isn't getting the message! I love this picture because of her hair.
And then there's Ryan who shows how happy he is & is just so much fun (not to say Payton isn't fun, I guess I'm saying she's more subdued at times).
Ryan is talking up a storm & I just can't wait till Payton will be doing the same! We have a lot to look forward too!

Payton & Ryan playing cards

The day before we came home Melissa & Tyler came up. Payton & Ryan played so good together. This video just cracks me up!

Las Vegas

Last week Donald & I were able to get away for a few days. Donald had a convention to go to in Vegas & I went as well. It was so much fun & was a much needed break! It wasn't necessarily because we were able to leave Payton with my mom & dad but it was more because I was able to not be a manager for a little while.

So one of the things that we did while we were there was go to Shark Reef at Manadalay Bay. It was cool. All of the aquariums we so awesome & the fish were huge!Although the weather was still pretty mild it was still nice to be in there because the atmosphere was so cool.
We walked so much while we were there is was exhausting. Every night we were so, well I was so sore. Donald didn't complain but it was probably because he wore good walking shoes.
It was hard to take pictures of us in front of the tanks & still have the fish show up. And then of coarse there is the flash reflecting off of the glass. Oh well.
I loved the variety of fish that they had. All so pretty & colorful even though the colors didn't quite come out in the pics.
There's a diver behind me. This was one of those where you walked down a tunnel thru the middle of the tank.
They had some sting rays that you could touch.
Donald didn't want to. He didn't admit it but I think he was scared!!! :)

They had some very interesting fish there as well.
Jelly Fish as well.
This was the first thing that we did on the last day there.
We ended up saving most of our sight-seeing till the last day. Not sure why but it just worked out that way!
Donald standing at the Belagio with Paris in the background. We walked around to all of the free things.
The Belagio has a water show.
The first one I didn't video until the very end. Then the second one later that night we were stand in the greatest spot but you get the idea.




In Caesars Palace, which Donald & I decided was the best one of them all.
And again one of the Paris but this time lite up.
The last morning we went to the M&M store. I was definitely worth leaving a little bit later then we had planned. We originally wanted to go the night before but we were so tired that we put it off until the next morning.


We had so much fun. I have to admit that I did gamble. I took a roll of quarters so I gambled away all of $10 in quarters at the slot machines. I didn't go to gamble I went to shop! They had some good outlet stores. I went to a OshKosh B'gosh & found their 70% off rack & went to town! I also found a Carters outlet store as well as Old Navy & The Children's Place (not all at the same mall though). I now have most of the clothes that I will need for her up to 2T. That may be the most exciting part about the trip! At least for me.

Spaghetti Bath

For a while now I have been trying to find new things that Payton will eat, even if it is messy. Yes spaghetti isn't one of those trial foods but the type of noodle is. One goal in introducing new foods to her is to up her fiber intake. So I gave her the whole wheat noodles & she couldn't tell the difference. I think she's just like her mom in that if the sauce is good the noodles don't really mater all that much!We have found that it is just so much easier to strip her down before eating. It saves her shirts from stains too, which is a huge plus!
Then of coarse it's straight to the bath. This is her time with her Daddy! It's Donald's 'job' to bathe her, while I get her meds, bottle & pajamas together.
Her favorite new thing is to kick while sitting up.
I know that there are 2 videos that are basically the same thing but the first one shows her talking & looking down her nose (which is something that she has always done & is just one of the things that makes Payton Payton!)



In the beginning of this video Donald pours a cup of water over her head & it drives me crazy! Her reaction to this has gotten a little better but you can still see her react.

New TV

Our old TV started to go out. We could still get the picture it's just that everything was reddish/pink. So I started sending Donald a bunch of links to different TV's that I found. I wanted to get him looking at some so that we could get an idea of price. So after getting the hint he went on & found this one. Yes it is pretty big & I wasn't expecting one this big but I'm not going to complain either.Our old one was a 52 inch & this one is a bit bigger but surprisingly very light! We need to find a better stand for it but we have time to look. I'm trying to find something that will be able to encase our equipment but it would need to have glass doors... I'm not satisfied that I want glass but I don't think that there is another alternative (I don't want just an open shelf either). Glass doors just don't sound kid proof (even though I know we aren't talking easily breakable/shatter-able stuff here.)
Of coarse one of the first movies we watched was Monsters Inc.
So we are now playing around with the idea of rearranging the room. I have tenants that come to my door & in the first 2 days that we had it I had 4 tenants come to my door & they ended up commenting on it. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. So we'll see. I'm still thinking about it.

17 months old ALREADY!!!

I can't believe that she is 17 months old already! She is getting so big! Her favorite thing to do is carry around a water bottle & bring it to me when she wants a drink. I then let her put the top back on, so I don't know if she brings it to me because she wants a drink or wants to put the top back on. Either way she is going to be very well hydrated this summer if this keeps up.The Lego table behind her is a new addition today! I've been looking for a lego table for about 3 weeks on Ebay & they were all getting too expensive. So Friday I went over to my Nana's house & the table was outside her front door waiting to be picked up by goodwill. I couldn't believe it! So Bumpa (my grandpa) tightened the legs & Nana washed it for me & ta-da! Payton hasn't quite figured out that she can attached the pieces to the top yet. Right now she is fully entertained by pulling legos out & setting them on top of the table & then putting them away again.
Right now Payton's chair is on the floor & it's worked out great. She goes over sits down, pulls the tray in front of her & snacks a little on a bagel. She doing it right now & is so funny!
I think that Payton just loves having a seat that is specifically for her. She's got 2, a booster seat & now this one that is on loan from my mom's house.
All that is left for Payton to start doing is talking. She chatters using her baby talk all the time. One day hopefully very soon she will try to chat with us, at least in a way that we can understand!

Tyler's Graduation!

On Saturday we drove down to San Diego for Tyler's Graduation from Law School. It was warm but there was a good breeze so it wasn't too bad, of coarse we weren't the ones in black robes either.

Explanation of what he's wearing... Tyler has a Red, Purple & Sliver chord that goes around his neck & hangs in front. The Red means that he had an Emphasis in Law, Technology & Communication (aka Patent Law). The Purple & Sliver meant that he was on Law Review so he was an editor for the legal journal that the school puts out. On his left shoulder is a big Purple & Yellow bundle of chord which meant that he graduated Cum Laude, specifically Summa Cum Laude.
It was held in an outdoor pavilion so the kids could run around in the back & not disturb anyone.
Ryan clapped after each song (there was a huge outdoor pipe organ that played & sounded wonderful) & during the ceremony when everyone else was clapping.
Payton kept herself busy by climbing & sitting on the steps & finding new people to meet. I watched her walk up to someone & sit right next to them. She looked up at them & they made a quick escape. She's social but shy as well, it'll be interesting to see how those two traits play out when she's older!
There were around 180 people graduating & still was just 1 1/2 hours long, not bad!
Tyler graduated Summa Cum Laude & here is a video of him going up there to get it. There were only 13 who graduated Summa Cum Laude! Go Tyler you smarty-pants!

Tyler just having walked across the stage to get his diploma/plaque & his 'hood' (which is around his neck & hangs down the back) symbolizing that he earned his Juris Doctorate.
A better shot of the hood.
Ryan excited to see his dad walk by & being silly.


Here is a video of Ryan w/ Melissa. He was cheering for everyone with the crowd & that is what you hear him doing in the very beginning. So cute!

Yeah Tyler!!!
I included this one not only because we know the people in it but so that you can see the organ in the background. It really was a cool pavilion.

The whole Family with Casey only 1 week old. Casey came with perfect timing to be able to attend!

~~ Tyler A Ward, JD ~~

It was a long day for the kids, but they were champs! There were no break downs, well not counting when Payton started crying because of the cheering.
So tired!
Kisses all around!
This was Payton's face when we arrived back at Melissa & Tyler's apartment. She was watching Monsters Inc & thank goodness for portable DVD players! It really saved us!