Setting up the bassinet ~ 4-28-10

Cameron and Daddy tackled the bassinet. Cameron was such a big help.

Once company leaves the baby will sleep in the bassinet in our room. Or at least that's the plan. We'll see how things go. I still have to find the mattress that goes in it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it is in a box with the baby clothes. I was hoping to get those down tonight from the attic, but Michael came home not feeling the greatest. SO, they will have to wait until this Sunday. We'll add that to our ever growing To-Do list.

Cameron liking "Baby Brother's" car seat ~ 4-27-10

Now we have the car seat washed and ready! It's not in the car yet, but that's not a big deal. Cameron took great care to help me put the cover on and re-attach all the parts. He had an even better time trying it out again.

Baby's Room ~ 4-26-10

We finally tackled the spare bedroom and soon to be baby's room. It's not finished by any means but at least things are set up and IF he were to come tomorrow we would have a place for him to sleep! Cameron put the blue bear in the baby bed. It is his from Nana when he was a baby. And if you are wondering the twin bed is for me while we have company. I figure it will be easier for me to sleep in with the baby rather than waking the entire house up.

New Landscaping ~ 4-25-10

BEFORE

AFTER









Since we lived in our house we have done a little landscaping but for the most part it was pretty good. Since the last set of flowers had died they were pulled up which left some pretty bare spots in the front of the house. We finally went on Sunday to get some new plants and are happy with our selections. We can't wait until the bushes get larger and fill in even more. We still have some more to do but it already looks better. And thankfully that dreaded palm is gone! We are headed to get mulch REALLY soon. Hopefully that will complete the look!

32 weeks 4 days ~ 4-22-10

Here's Baby Payne 2.0 and Cameron at 32 weeks 4 days pregnant. Cameron says at least once per day that he wants to hold "baby brother." I hope he still wants to hold him once he's home with us!

We are continually being asked if we have a name picked out. I am still waiting on Michael to make a list for us to discuss. Several weeks ago I threw out some names and Michael didn't like them. So I told him he better come up with some names so we can discuss them. The baby name books were put out on the counter last Tuesday and still "Nada" on the names.

6 weeks 1 day and counting...

HAPPY EARTH DAY 2010 ~ 4-22-10

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. I'm super excited - would be even more so it TAKS wasn't NEXT week. Think about ways you are impacting the Earth and commit to at least 1 way to make things better for future generations.




Some things to consider:

Recycling
Composting
Starting a Garden
Eat local food
Cloth diapering
Turning off the water when you brush your teeth
Turn off the water when you are washing/rising dishes
Take shorter showers
Adjust the water level on the washer to the correct size of load
Take your car to a professional car wash rather than at home
Spread the word


Don't forget to Wear GREEN today!!!

32 week Doctor Appt ~ 4-20-10

On Tuesday, we went for our 32 week doctor appointment. As of today, Thursday we are 32 weeks and 4 days. It's hard to believe the time has gone by so quickly and there is still MUCH to do. I am measuring 30 weeks, but the nurse said not to worry. It could have just been the way the baby was laying. We go back in 2 weeks and see how things are looking. Stay tuned...

On a side note to this...We have a field trip scheduled at school on May 4th when I will only be 34 weeks. The Assistant Principals are drawing straws for who gets to drive the pregnant lady on the field trip - with hot water and towels (according to them.) They are BOTH afraid I will go into labor. I told them there was nothing to worry about...Geez...MEN! Who knows it could be a blessing to get things started a little early (but not that early.)

Walking on the Treadmill with Nana ~ 4-18-10

We went over to Papa and Nana's on Sunday. They moved the treadmill back into the living room from their bedroom. Cameron kept going over to investigate but couldn't quite figure things out. Nana got him on and showed him how it worked.

Strawberries vs. Blue berries ~ 4-12-10

Which one do I choose??? We are enjoying our frozen blueberries and fresh strawberries. Mmmm, yummy.

Organizing cabinets ~ 4-11-10

We were able to add some boards and shelves to our cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms. It gives us some great space to move things around and keep things a little more organized. Daddy and Cameron did a great job!

Cloth Diapers from the beginning! ~ 4-10-10

I'm so excited to say that our cloth diapers came in for Baby Payne 2.0. They are SO tiny compared to what we started with Cameron at a little over a year old. Funny enough, the sender put them in a disposable diaper box to ship. :)

I'll have to get a picture of the covers that they fit in. They are SO much smaller also that what we used with Cameron. At this point all of them are washed and put away in Baby Payne 2.0's room ready to be used!

Chocolate Bunny vs. Strawberries ~ 4-8-10

Imagine a kid that chooses the strawberries over the chocolate bunny! Yep, that's our kid, but not until after he took the bunny's nose OFF!

Baby Gifts ~ 4-7-10

We have some great friends and family that are blessing us with some great gifts.

Thanks to:

• Susan, my stepmother, for the bottles and bottle cozy's
• Toni, a friend at work, for the Johnny's socks that she picked up while on Spring Break
• Stephanie, Michael's cousin, for the "Grass" drying rack

All the items will go to great use!

Club Green Grant recognized at School Board Meeting ~ 4-7-10

One of my co-workers put together a grant proposal for a foundation that our school district offers to teachers and groups within the school district. I'm the sponsor for a recycling and environmental group at our school since I started it almost 3 years ago. Kiddos stay most weeks on Wednesdays to recycle the paper that collects in recycling bins in the classrooms, work areas, and copy rooms. The kids have a great time and learn a little along the way.

Back to the grant... About 6 weeks after submitting the grant proposal we were notified we had won an almost $3,000 grant for recycling bin for classrooms, copy areas, and the cafeteria. In addition, we've planned to get some rolling bins to transport the paper to the recycling bin outside where it is all picked up.

At the school board meeting they recognized all those who had received a grants which varied from a few hundred dollars to $3000! We are super excited to have received so much and the opportunity to make a difference in our environment! Now I just have to get everything ordered by the deadline and cross my fingers we'll get everything by the time I leave for the summer!

Getting ready for "Baby Brother" ~ 4-5-10

So we've finally decided - more like got around to- to start getting the baby's stuff down from the attic and getting things in place. Cameron helped Daddy bring "Baby Brother's" bassinet down from the attic. We also got the car seat bases and a couple of other items down from the attic. More to come in the upcoming weeks.

Happy Easter 4-4-10

We had a great and relaxing time on Easter Sunday. We invited Papa and Nana (and Uncles Scott and Mark - who didn't show!) over for breakfast. Daddy did the cooking of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. We had the intention of hiding Easter eggs but the weather wasn't cooperating. So we went over to Papa and Nana's for Easter lunch and hid Easter eggs there. Cameron really enjoyed it and had a real challenge finding all of the eggs hidden by Daddy and his Uncles.

A Shelf FINALLY ~ 4-3-10

We've been in our house for over 2 years now. For part of the first year we had a huge armoir in a certain part of the living room. But I would say for the past 1 to 1/5 years we have had mostly empty space there after selling the armoir. We purchased our chair that you see in the picture probably about 6-8 months ago. However, we've had nothing to hold the electronics because it's been difficult to find something just the right size. I FINALLY found a shelf that seems to do the trick! We still have to work on the cords but for now the electronics are OFF the floor!

Lexi??? ~ 3-30-10

Lexi will be the new addition to our family...

I bet you thought I was talking about a little girl. Well, not exactly. Michael was able to finally get rid of the old Civic and trade it in on "Lexi." Michael has been looking for quite a while trying to find just the perfect car and he found it at a dealership in Austin. He had a friend go test drive it and check it out. Then he drove to Austin and traded in the Civic for "Daddy's New Car" as Cameron refers to her. Here are some pictures of the old Civic with the busted up dash from when some teenagers decided to steal it the week before our wedding and the beautiful Lexi. Thanks to our friends Lee and Lindsay for test driving and taking some pics for us.

Helping Nana and Papa ~ 3-28-10

Cameron helped Nana and Papa put up a ceiling fan in their bedroom. Can we say a dirty boy?

Belly "Cheers" ~ 3-26-10

A VERY long time ago, Papa showed Cameron how to say "Cheers" to someone and touch glasses. He's been doing this for quite some time. Well on this particular occasion, Cameron decided he would pull Michael's shirt up and give him "Cheers" with their bellies. It's one of the cutest things he's done and it had us laughing for a while!

Getting ready to ride his bicycle ~ 3-26-10

Soon Cameron will FINALLY be big enough to ride his bicycle that he received for Christmas. So, we've been looking for a helmet and some pads for our upcoming bicycle rides. Doesn't he look handsome?