Two Peas in a Pod - Part II.

I'm telling ya, these two are best friends for life!!  I opened the screen door this morning and these two were enjoying watching all the activity going on outside.  I kept watching to make sure neither snuck out (the screen is detached, yeah I know, mother of the year for even letting his sit by it) and Peyton kept hugging Ginger.  Every time I went to snap a pic, it was over.  Then, he did this...

And I was able to capture it this time!  Precious!

Four Year Wedding Anniversary!

We celebrated our four year wedding anniversary yesterday.  I can't believe it's been four years already!

We went to Red White & Brew for dinner last night.  It's where we had our rehearsal dinner, so it seemed fitting.  :)

Peyton was being so stinkin sweet & funny last night.  First off, he sat in a booster seat and kept laying his head on my shoulder, looking up at me, then smiling.  Then he'd put his arm around me and hug me.  He must've been so happy!

He was blowing kisses to all the ladies & getting their attention.  Then, he started doing this head banging thing on Steve.  We usually tell him to stop it, but last night it was just too hilarious.  I happened to shoot a video right as he did his last one and it was his hardest one, but oh man was it funny!

We had pumpkin cheesecake for dinner (nom nom!) and we shared quite a bit with Peyton.  When we got home and put him to bed, he went down like normal, but about 10 minutes later he just started talking and talking and talking and talking.  Steve went into his room after 20 min and he was just laying in his crib talking, surprised to see Steve in there.  After about 30 more min of it, I went in there and the same thing happened.  So we decided he must've had too much sugar!  He hardly ever does that and he wasn't upset, he was just wired!

Here's some pics of the fun last night!

I was taking this pic of us and had the phone turned around so you could see us on the screen.
He kept pointing to the phone and then to me, saying mama!

Here's the video of the head banging!  It's kinda dark, but it happens in the first second and he attempts again and stops himself.  Ahh, hilarious! 

"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly."

-Sam Keen

Two Peas in a Pod.

I love how Peyton loves Ginger.  They're two peas in a pod.  I occasionally catch Peyton hugging & kissing Ginger and smiling from ear to ear while doing it.  It melts me!  I love how Ginger lets no one but Peyton pull toys out of her mouth and tug on her ears (however, we're working on not doing this.)  I also love how when Ginger barks at something outside the window, Peyton pretends he's a dog and does it too...

"A boy's best friend is his dog."

Phoenix Zoo & Cake Pops!

This past week we did a few super fun things.  We made a trip to the Phoenix Zoo on Wednesday & made Halloween cake pops on Thursday.

I met Steve's sister Jenifer and her three kids for a day at the zoo.  It was a really fun time & we did so much!  I didn't realize they have a few water play areas (splash pads) at the zoo - so this was a pleasant surprise for me considering it was a beautiful 95 degree Fall day. haha.  Her kids are absolutely adorable with Peyton - Jake (10 yrs) was so nurturing with him, I couldn't get over it!  Madison (12) was very sweet & excited to show him things, then Ian (almost 3) and Peyton actually played together!  They were chasing each other and belly laughing together, it was too cute.

Peyton, Madison, Ian, Jake

Madison walked around with Peyton at the Splash Pad

Lunch time!

We couldn't miss out on the farm with all those noises Peyton loves to make!

Here's a candid shot I caught of Jake being super sweet with Peyton.  :)

I have a pic just like this I took last year of Peyton and a pumpkin this big - except last years pumpkin was real!

Ian & Peyton on the cow

Peyton busted out his killer horse noise that impressed the kids and Jenifer to the max.

Madison, Jake, & Ian on the tractor. 

On Thursday, my sister Julie & our friend Megan came over (they're both teachers & on Fall Break) and spent the whole day, from 11am to 5pm, making incredibly cute and delicious cake pops!  Usually when things are so cute, like all those fondant cakes and such, they don't taste all that great.  But let me tell you, these cake pops are the best tasting ones I've ever had!

This is my new thing, and I can't wait to make them for Thanksgiving and Christmas now too!

All the goods.

Crumbling the cake with my sister.

Megan rolling them into balls.

Missed a few steps... but here's the final product! 

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns." 

-George Eliot

Attention: We have a Celebrity Sighting!

How did I forget to mention in my last post that we ran into Chester Bennington of Linkin Park at Barro's Pizza?!  He's the singer of Linkin Park & has a home in Gilbert.  This is the 2nd time we've run into him, the first time Steve saw him at Dick's Sporting Goods at the San Tan Mall a few years back.

Even though the guy doesn't know us, we have a little history with him.  ;)  Steve's parents worked with his dad in the Phoenix PD years ago and when Steve was in the band Girl Kicks Boy, a few members were friends with friends of his (yeah yeah I know, friends of friends of friends lol).  But we'd hear stories about Chester from them all the time and his dad even came to some GKB shows.

Pretty exciting stuff when a celebrity lives in Gilbert, AZ.  =)

2009, Dick's Sporting Goods

2011, Barro's Pizza

Life.

My life, in pictures:

It's been beautiful out the past few weeks, which means walks and park playtime!  This silly guy lasts about 25 minutes in the stroller before he's ready to get OUT!

This picture doesn't do justice, and really, I don't want to post one that does (eeek!)  Peyton has a stye in his left eye.  After a trip to the pediatrician and some eyedrops, it's improving.  1 more day of the drops and another week of recovery and it should be "alllll done!"

 Happy Birthday, Joan!  Last Sunday we celebrated Grandma Joan's birthday at Oregano's... Peyton was such a happy boy that day, his smile was ear to ear and it never stopped!  

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 Laurie treated us to Amy Grant & Michael W Smith concert in Tucson a few weekends ago.  Our 2nd weekend away from Peyton, which was needed!  It was a very short trip, but a fun one!  We had 2nd row seats!

Last night we went to my friend Melissa's annual Oktoberfest party.  It's always a fun time and nice to see old friends!  With Jessica, Melissa, & Lauren. 

This was taken today at Grandma Mary's house, playing with the Fall decorations.  Last weekend my mom took Peyton for the night so Steve & I could go to the ASU football game.  That was our 3rd time away from Peyton for an overnighter... we could get used to this sleeping in business... :)

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness."

-Charles Spurgeon 

Rest In Peace, Steve Jobs.

It hit me hard yesterday when I heard about the passing of Steve Jobs.  I knew he had been fighting pancreatic cancer for the past seven years and he retired only two months ago, but it's one of those things that makes you feel strange.  I think more so because it makes you think about death and how the richest of the rich can't even escape cancer - as they say, it doesn't discriminate.  I know he impacted millions of people, my husband & myself being two.  Here's a blurb from a speech he gave at a Stanford graduation in 2005 that (my) Steve lives by (mostly the second paragraph).  I've already caught him watching the speech over & over since yesterday.  :)

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."