Halloween 2009

I can't tell if I'm getting sick or if I'm just exhausted from yesterday. Halloween 2009 was definitely more eventful than 2008. It didn't make it easier that Ryan wasn't feeling well so I was on my own the entire day!

We started out at the Dungeness Kids Company in the morning where I met my friends Heather and Linsay and their kids for a Halloween craft (yeah right, we did the craft, the kids played in the store). Payton came as a spider, against his will. He had an absolute trantrum at home and kept pulling at the legs and refused to wear the hat. Ryan also wasn't that happy that he was wearing tights but whatever!

I finally distracted him before we walked in the store so I could snap a few quick picks before he pulled off the hat.

Here's a pic of Pea playing with Play dough. I was surprised that it didn't automatically go into his mouth.

We then went to QFC for some groceries and Payton was happy to find that they were doing cupcake decorating for the kids. He even 'won' some Halloween cupcakes for participating in this little game where they hit some blowup hammer against a ball. Cool, more sugar; just what he needs! Here are some pics of him enjoying the cupcakes (and forgetting he's wearing his spider costume).

We then went home and ate some lunch and played outside until he got tired. I needed him to sleep because we had a Halloween party to get to at 4. We didn't make it until 5 because he woke up CRANKY and did NOT want to put his Spider costume back on. So we had to revert to James Dean again. Here is the ONLY pic he would allow me to take of him:

We were both exhausted by the time we got home but it was a great day :)

The Petting Zoo

I mentioned in an earlier post that we took Payton to the Olympic Game Farm petting zoo a couple weekends ago. Here are two cute videos of Payton's reaction. I thought he'd go wild over the goats or the llama but he mostly wanted to chase the chickens :P

The first video shows the different kinds of animals we saw. The baby buffalo was super sweet.

The second video displays Payton's amazing Rooster impression. What a talented young man! :)

Where are you getting all this hardware?

This video cracks me up for some reason. It says a lot about how things are around our house.
1. I try anything and everything to entertain Payton (for example, banging a butter knife on the dishes before they go into the dishwasher).
2. Payton will always find a way to do the one thing he's not supposed to do (bang the butter knife on the cabinets, stick a screw in his ear).
3. I generally laugh while I'm trying to steer him in the right direction (for example, I just follow him with the video camera while he waves the butter knife at Ryan).
4. Ryan is the enforcer (Ryan takes away the butter knife and the screw Payton is putting in his ear, and exclaims: where are you getting all this hardware?).
5. I continue to laugh. :P

Long overdue

It's been awhile since I have taken the time to sit down and write about what's going on in our lives. But now that I am between projects and technically a stay-at-home-mom, I get the luxury of some downtime while Payton naps. Not saying that staying home full time is easy, but this is definitely a perk!

This morning we went to First Teacher at the community school where all the kids got a free book if they came in costume. Since i didn't think Payton would be able to move in his Spider costume, he went as James Dean. His hair didn't turn out quite like I'd pictured but we did the best we could without spending a dime. Can you see the resemblance? Ha ha. The costumes were hilarious: we had yoda, an oompa loompa, a turtle, a hawaiian dancer...Payton always has a lot of fun there and we took home a plastic bath book which I think is a genius idea!

Speaking of baths, Payton and I went swimming at SARC yesterday. I got a 6-month membership there so we had something to do on the rainy days. Payton loves to splash around in the water but his brain seems to be about 2 years ahead of what he's capable of. He was fine in his floaty for about 5 minutes. But then he wanted to get out and swim. 'Payton, you don't know how to swim yet.' So I took him out and held his arms and we glided around the pool. That was fine for about 5 minutes. But then he wanted to know what the people were doing in the 'big pool.' 'See them? They're swimming laps.' Well, he wanted to swim laps too! So, yeah, we lasted for about 20 minutes. We'll try for 25 minutes next time.

Last weekend we took Payton to the Petting Zoo at the Olympic Game Farm. It was a hoot! They had a baby bison and a llama as well as a ton of chickens, peacocks, goats, and lambs. Payton pretty much said 'hiya' to all of them but he was mostly interested in the chickens. Go figure! Here are some pics of our day:

And, thanks to my recent obsession with Garage Sales, Payton is now the proud owner of his own kitchen! I guess I suspected he'd sort of like it, but this guy wakes up every morning and scrambles

to his kitchen. He loves it! It's brown and green so I told Ryan it was the 'boy version' of the kitchen. Well, they DID have a pink kitchen too so I guess it's not that far off from the truth. What I like about it is that I don't let Payton leave his room until he 'cleans up the kitchen.' And he does! He loves to help but I have to check the garbage every day because he likes to 'put things away' in the garbage can. We're working on that.

Payton and Winston are the best of friends, and getting closer every day. Here are some pics of a typical day outside. Payton loves the idea of 'walking' Winston with the leash. Winston doesn't love it :P

Have a great weekend!

Dancin' machine

It's no secret that Payton loves to dance. Ryan turned on some hideous show with a bunch of has-beens singing their old tunes and of course, Payton loved it. I am starting to question his taste in music (Uncle Jim approves though!). Here's a video of Ryan and son dancing away, or rather bouncing, but you get the idea. Payton is trying to graduate himself from the high-chair to the big-boy chair :P

Peanut helping with the peanuts

As I mentioned in my last post, Payton has become quite the little helper. We were working in the garage and I was getting stuff together for a dump run, which included taking all the styrofoam peanuts out of boxes and putting them in garbage bags. Payton, of course, HAD to help. Here you can see why it took us so long.....(and you can also see how he likes to listen to things by cupping his hand by his hear. he does it all the time!)

That is not a brown shirt!

If you think Payton is wearing a brown shirt underneath his plaid one in these pics, you are incorrect! That *was* a white onesie, but Payton took a big gulp of my coffee which I left open (stupid me!) and there you have it...a brown, latte-colored shirt! As you can see, he was very pleased with himself. Luckily this happened AFTER church!

Payton is Mr. friendly these days! He pretty tries to kiss everyone he encounters, so I have to make sure he's only kissing the people I approve of :P He loves to point at the planes and birds in the sky, and is very into helping me right now (i hope that doesn't change!). For example, he likes to throw things away. When I went to throw something in the garbage yesterday, I found his two white socks in there. And he likes to shred the toilet paper and then throw the bits in the toilet and flush it. Shutting the doors doesn't prevent him from going anywhere now since he knows how to open doors. And he absolutely loves to open and close the garage door and play with car keys. I don't know if he's going to be an engineer or a race car driver, we'll see!

It is definitely Fall! I could tell when Payton was shivering after his bath last night! Time to break out the full-body sleepers again!

All is well at the Williamson household. Ryan has 2 wks off but I am working, which makes for an interesting dynamic. But it's all good....Ry is spending a lot of time outside clearing the weeds out so I can't complain :)

Updates on Pea:Mr. Independent! Payton does not like holding my hand...he pretty much wants to do everything on his own from reading, to walking on rough terrain, to trying anything new. I just lurk in the wings making sure he's safe. I guess his Daddy was the same way so I won't worry too much :)

When he runs (which is most of the time) he says 'go go go go go'
He is finally starting to ea PB&Js
He loves to feed himself with a spoon although it's not that often because I'm tired of cleaning up after him :P

We started Kindermusik this week and Payton is the ONLY child who seems to think what's in the cupboard is more fun than the story teacher is reading or the song we are singing. That's my boy!

So I had to post this video of Payton playing with the turkey baster. He is just cracking himself up. I publicly thank Winston for earning his keep in our house (aka, babysitting Payton while Mom cooks):

Not a baby anymore

You know your kid is growing up when they stand next to a newborn! Here's a video of Payton meeting Harper Finley Moore for the first time! He was very gentle. He says 'hiya' to everyone now. I especially love that Winston has to get in the mix (of course).

Payton had his 18 month wellness checkup yesterday and he passed with flying colors! He is now a solid 25 lbs. and the doctor checked him all out and he's perfect (of course!). I forgot to ask how tall he is! Oh well, we can just measure him at home :)
Here's a cute pic of Payton at Lake Crescent a few weeks ago. He had a ball (and so did we).

Winnie and Me

I was hoping when I was pregnant with Pea that Winston would be a good boy. I have heard many stories about how dogs get jealous of babies and act out with aggression. Well, not this boy. Winnie took to Mr. P immediately. I have all sorts of pics of Winston snuggling up with Pea when he was a few weeks old (much to the horror of all non-dog lovers out there!). I trust Winston implicity...even when he makes his Tasmanian Devil noises (if you know Winnie, you know what I'm talking about).

I got some video of Winston and Payton playing...a normal occurence at our house. I feel like I should pay Winston an hourly fee. Dinner is on the table and my dishes are clean because of him :)

Here's just a taste of how Winston earns his keep around here (i.e. taking abuse from Pea so I can get things done!)

Brobee is back!

I finally took the time to put 4 new AA batteries into Brobee and it's like Payton had never seen him before. Now they dance and kiss each other....:) Thanks Auntie E!

TGIF! Ryan and I are delivering the sermon at church on Sunday so we are spending most of our weekend preparing! Supposed to be sunny too. Yippee!

Stinky Feet

Okay, you might need to watch this video a couple times since he does the 'stinky feet' at the beginning. Payton has been wearing his Keens all summer and they are the best shoes ever, however, they make his feet stinky. So Melody taught him that his feet are stinky :P

He is also saying 'uh oh' now :)

It's a rainy Monday on Labor Day weekend and I am LABORING! Pea is at Melanie's house playing with the kids while I finish up a project. However, there's always time to blog (in other words, procrastinate).

I forgot to mention (or maybe I did!) that we took Payton to the Clallam County Fair 2 weeks ago and it was a hoot. Adrian and Emily came with us and they were a total dream. It's always fun to go to fairs and see everything through the eyes of a child. We saw cows, horses, pigs (and baby pigs!), chickens, goats, sheep....you name the farm animal, we saw them. And Pea wanted to touch them all of course :) we used a lot of antibacterial wipes that day!

The funniest thing was taking Pea on the Carousel...his first ride! We got on and I sat him on the horse (kids under 2 had to be on the inside), and he just thought that was fantastic. We hadn't moved yet but he was woopin' it up. Then we moved. And then he wasn't having so much fun anymore. I realize this must be jarring for a child because not only does the (rickety) horse go up and down, but you are spinning as well. I was told that spinning is pleasurable for kids until they get to be teenagers but perhaps not this little guy. Anyways, he had wide eyes of terror so I had to hug him the hold time but he was a trooper and hung on until the end.

Here are some shots of us BEFORE we started moving :) That's us looking in the mirror!

Still smiling....Now we've started moving.....I'm squatting down, holding him on both sides....Not so sure anymore....

Have a great day off!

Like Father, Like Son

Payton likes to copy Ryan. I guess it's common for little boys to emulate their Dads. This one took us by surprise. If this doesn't make you laugh, not sure what will :) What should we call this: The Tough Guy?? You tell me :)

We are looking forward to a relaxing Labor Day weekend. Ry and I could really use the break. Now, if only Pdog would do what we ask him to, it will be a happy household (he had another timeout last night). In fact, I asked Payton yesterday why he couldn't behave like Winston. I NEVER thought that would come out of my mouth :P

Testing, Testing, 123 TESTING

Payton was testing us tonight, but I'm happy to say that we won the battle (but are exhausted from it).

• Winston's water bowl is off limits, but he kept trying to put my hat in the water...lovely.
• The wood stove is absolutely off limits, but he kept opening the door and grinning at us while we said No multiple times.
• The dog door is off limits (to humans, not dogs), but of course I end up chasing him back inside.

Well, these actions earned him not one but TWO timeouts in his crib which he did NOT like. I'll report back and let you know if the timeouts worked. GEEZ!

But he's still cute. He is now into pointing at every mark on his body (bruises galore!) and saying 'Ow.' Here's a video of the day after he hurt his eye (see last week's blog for a recap of what went down): (note how fast he's moving...he's that way ALL the time now!)

And here's him saying 'Ow' :)

I need a 'do over'

I am about to lose it today. It seems like everything happens in threes and here's my three (in order of occurence):

1) Payton thinks it's funny to run away from everyone now. That would be great if he was 10 and knew that it wasn't safe to run with sharp objects in his hand. There is a door on our BBQ that came off and the pole that keeps it on was sitting on the side of the BBQ. Yes, we should have placed it somewhere where he couldn't get it, but he got it, and then he ran away from me when I called him. And of course, he fell while he was running and had the pole in his hand, and by the grace of God, it poked him under his eye...but very well could have gone THROUGH his eye. And that's all I'm going to say about it because the possibilities make me sick!

Pea cried for about 10 seconds (which is more than the 5 seconds he usually cries) and I called 911 while I fed him ice cream to distract him. They showed up and even having 8 medics (yes, 8) staring at him, he was still a ham and waving and blowing kisses. The medics deemed it a 'superficial' cut but urged us to take him on Monday for a tetanus shot, which we will of course.

The guys have him a tour of the ambulance and a cute bear which Payton couldn't care less about (but I'm saving it so I can tell him the story later on).

His eye is swollen and red but I think he's going to be fine in no time (and he's just as spirited and energetic...didn't miss a beat).

Lesson Learned: If I need to do housework or do anything that requires me to turn my head for a second, strap Payton to my back :P

2) Today Payton grabbed the phone and pressed REDIAL. And yes, a cop showed up at our house to see if there was a problem. No problem Officer.

Lesson Learned: The phone is no longer a playtoy.

3) I poured Orange Juice and this dark green powder that I drink which supposedly makes me healthy. I set it down on the nightstand to open the blinds and Payton grabbed it and poured it on himself and the carpet.

Lesson Learned: Refer to #1 Lesson Learned.

It's 2:30pm...the day is not over.

Lovin' on the Honeydew

The latest update: Mr. Pea LOVES Honeydew melon!

And he loves to dance (this was at Ryan's mom's 60th bday party...a 50s theme)

Update on Pman

Let's start with some pics of our main squeeze (all credit goes to Auntie E):

Ok, so it's been awhile since I wrote a decent blog entry. Perhaps it's because I am spending most of my waking hours either chasing after Payton or working! Sure leaves little time to write and reflect! But all is well at the Williamson household. Payton is now just another member of the family so everything seems much less overwhelming than it used to be.

I definitely had to share some of the amazing photos Auntie Erin continues to take of her nephew. The black and white pics were taken at the edge of the Dungeness River. During the heat wave we had a few weeks back, we spent a lot of time sitting in the water. Payton likes to poke sticks in the water and the mud, and bend down until his forehead touches the water so when he stands up it dribbles down his face. Oh, he thinks that's hilarious. That is, until he accidentally gets a mouthfull of water! Check out this pic, it's a framer for sure!This one is cool because his Dad (who couldn't care less that the water was freezing) is doing the same thing as Pea.

These pics were taken with Uncle Jim and Auntie E came for a surprise visit a few weekends ago. Payton loves watermelon and it sure makes for a great pic!

But it's a little backwards here....

And Pea sure loves his Dad (but the socks with the Crocs kills me). The last few weeks Payton has done quite a lot of changing. He is now climing up on the couch and likes to sit and watch TV. He still gets up to dance when they play music or sing but he is a lot more content just chilling. He is picking up books and flipping through pages on his own. He still has the attention span of a gnat (assuming gnats don't have much of anything!) but he is getting more agile with the pages and likes to say 'MA!' to the pictures.

In fact, everything is 'MA!' and every answer to my question results in the shake of his head 'No'. For example:

Payton: 'MA!'

Me: "What, do you want another blueberry?"

Payton: (shakes his head 'No')

Me: "Oh, so you don't want another blueberry?"

Payton: 'MA!' (pointing at the bowl of blueberries)

Me: "But you just said you didn't want another blueberry?"

Payton: 'MA, MA, MA' (starting to whine)

Me: "Payton, when you want something more, you should nod your head up and down" (as I move his head up and down for him)

Payton: (Laughing with blue teeth, while shaking his head from side to side)

And so goes most conversations :P

I have noticed a huge advance in his comprehension and we seem to laugh a lot with each other, like he's my best friend. Him and Winnie are sure getting along better which is great.

We are looking forward to a relaxing weekend (besides the wedding and baby shower!). I hope to post some new videos soon (one of Pea eating a tomato right from the vine!).

Cheers

Put up your dukes!

Payton is learning things so quickly now. I can teach him a sign (we are working on 'Please' right now) and he picks it up the first time. It's amazing! Ryan and Pea were playing on the catch last night and Ryan said 'Payton, put up your dukes!' and started play-punching him, and here's the result. Well, I guess he won't get messed with on the playground now! :P

Happy Friday

Tubal Cane Mine Hike

We are exhausted from a hike to the Tubal Cane Mine today but it was an awesome experience! The hike was about 8.5 miles round trip and Payton got an A++! He was such a trooper! The drive was about 1.5 hours, with 45 minutes on gravelly, windy roads and he didnt' fuss at all. The hike in was uphill most of the ways but still, no complaints. Once we got there, Ryan and Sean (our hiking companion, along with his Pitbull Toby) hiked into the actual Mine which had FREEZING water. Pea, the dogs and I stayed behind and Pea was content sticking his hands in the water and pointing at things. Here is a pic of him talking to the water. He calls everything 'Ma' right now!

Here's a pic of the opening to the Mine. No thanks!


We hung out at the top for about an hour and then made our way back which was super easy as it was mostly downhill...and because Pea slept in the pack! Isn't he cute?

Needless to say, we are looking forward to a relaxing Sunday at home:)

A Wet Pea and a Neurotic Dog

We were just about to go to Sunny Farms and I went to go get Payton but he was a little occupied...and wet! Serve me right for letting him put his hands in water so I could get my own shoes on. Oh well, I guess he needed a diaper change anyways.

In other news, my dog is psycho. His new thing is the Hula Hoop. What you didn't see is him racing around our entire property with it in his mouth even though it's three times as big as him.

We are all good and ready for the weekend. Ry and I just celebrated our 4 year anniversary yesterday and had a wonderful dinner out. We are planning on going hiking tomorrow at Tubal Cane Mines and we will definitely take the Weiners this time around. He looooves to hike! Me too :)

The Nose Thing

I pulled Payton out of his crib the other morning and I heard him sniffing really fast. I thought he had a cold or something but when I looked at him, he was smiling with his face all scrunched up. Where does he learn these things? I finally caught it on camera. I call it 'the Nose thing' cuz I don't know what to call it! :)

Salt Creek and Marymere Falls

We had a great weekend filled with fun trips and sunshine! After a tough work week, Ry and I wanted to make sure we got out of the house to explore the Peninsula. Since Pea loves sand and water so much, we chose to go to Salt Creek for some beach time and then hike to Marymere Falls to see the famous waterfall there.

It was rather windy on the beach so we didn't stay too long but it was enough so Payton could eat a lot of sand, walk Winnie (his new favorite thing) and hold a little crab.

We went with our friends Heather and Dean and their little daughter Ainsley. Ainsley and Payton are 3 weeks apart and look like twins standing together with the platinum blonde hair!

Here is Payton pointing at who knows and talking to the wind :P

Walking the dog!

We left the beach and drove to Marymere Falls for a little hike. Unfortunately dogs weren't allowed so Weiners had to stay in the car. The hike was very easy and the waterfall was pretty! Payton was indifferent but he generally is with 'scenic' things. Someday he'll appreciate it. His favorite thing was the stairs by the waterfall so we went up and down those a few times.

This last pic is just a cute one of him and Adrian at Ryan's soccer game last night. Payton looooves wheels. such a boy :)