Back to Blogging

I've been plugging away at getting all of my photos backed up on two hard drives, and dvds. Still, it's so hard to hit the delete key because taking them off of my computer feels so permanent.  Anyway, I'm almost done, and ready to get back to blogging.  We've had some warm weather lately, and it's so nice to get outside!  I'm ready for summer!

Before summer comes we're going to try to get Libby up to the mountain.  Here she is getting outfitted for a little spring skiing.

Libby's running for her life after we cut paper and put it in her ball "popper" toy.  Lots of fun, but messy to clean up.  We had to clean it up right away because Peyton likes eating paper.
Playing pretend has become a daily pastime.  Libby feeds Bob in his high chair.
I'm ready...who's got the ball?  
I can't look.  Tell me when we get there.
Peytie woke up from a long nap at Grammy Jane's and had the hair to prove it.
Libby paints her rice table in the garage (with daddy's help).
Peyton takes in the mess.
Ready for rice...
We spend a lot of time at the rice table.
Peyton tries peaches.  The texture totally threw her.
Libby goofs around at dinner with Becky Bones.
Just tasting the table.
Peyton takes a turn in the yellow tub.  Libby loves playing in this tub.  She piles it full of blankets and climbs in underneath them.  She calls it her "bucket of blankets!"
We went to the Nelson's house on Wednesday night for dinner.  The girls rode in the wagon.  It worked so well that I loaded them up on Thursday to go play at the playground.  Peyton wouldn't stay put and nearly fell out, so I carried her and Libby had the whole wagon to herself. Grunden and the wagon in one hand, Peytie in the other.  Next time we take the wagon Peyton will have a seatbelt.
Look at me!
Bedtime snuggles with Grammy Jane.
Peyton has just started taking a bottle and Libby loves to feed her.
There's nothing quite as fun as an empty box.
Dimples...
Hello, Hollywood?  Yeah, it's Libby.
Taking a bottle from daddy.

We've Got a Crawler!

My camera is loaded with pictures, but my computer is so full that I'm afraid to download anything for fear that I'll cause a crash.  I'm working on getting everything backed up so I can get back to blogging!  

One thing I have to do before I wipe out my photo library is print pictures for Peytie's baby book. I'm determined that Peyton will have a baby book that is just as detailed and filled with pictures as her first-born sister.  Can you tell I'm a second child?  

We spent lots of time in the garage today.  While Libby was napping Shane and I got the garage cleaned up.  Last night he and Libby painted a rice table that Shane made her (pictures to come), and she couldn't wait to get her hands on it when she awoke.  Shane filled it with rice, I gathered scooping type toys, and she was in business.  She stood and played with rice from the time she woke up until bed time, only taking a break to eat dinner.  When it was time to come in the house to get ready for bed she was SO sad and had a total meltdown on my lap.  We recovered by watching some video of her playing at the rice table.  I imagine we'll be in the garage all day tomorrow.

Peyton crawled today!  She's been building up to it for a week or so now, and in the last week she's taken a few little "steps" forward, but tonight she really went for it.  She sees something she wants, and she's on the move until she gets there.  The good news is she's not very fast yet, which has its advantages.  The bad news is that now that she's covering some ground, her filthy clothes reflect just how dirty the floor is.  I remember this stage with Libby.  I'd always change her into a clean outfit before leaving the house because her knees were always brown.  Peyton is such a happy baby and has the squeals to prove it.  She loves the antics of her sister and they've become best friends.  Though if you ask Libby who is her BFF?  She'll say, "daddy."

The Girls Room

Last night was the first night of sharing a room for the girls.  It's no longer Libby's room.  It's THE GIRLS room.  We put them down after 8 o'clock and crossed our fingers.  Libby is a pretty light sleeper, and Peyton will often cry out in her sleep, or fuss hoping someone (anyone?) will come to her rescue.  Peytie did make some noise, and apparently Libby was unfazed, because she didn't wake up.  Well, that's not exactly true.  I did hear Libby's music box once. So, I think Peyton woke her up, and Libby turned on her music to drown out the fussing.  Anyway, bedtime tonight was a smoother transition and Libby was happily running circles (literally) around Peyton in their room just before bed.  As I'm sitting here Peyton is quiet and Libby is chatting to herself.

That's the scene at the end of this busy day.  Shane couldn't fish so he headed for Bachelor to get in a day of snowboarding.  My mom came last night and we went to Portland today to shop for a tent trailer for her.  We went to three RV dealerships, IKEA, the RV show at the Expo Center, and visited with Francis, an old family friend at his retirement home in Vancouver.  

Francis is a friend of my Grammy Pearl and Grandpa Marshall.  He and his wife Ellen moved next door when my mom was in about 7th grade and their five children were good friends to my mom and her two brothers.  When we got to his apartment he showed us the genealogy notebooks he's been working on for the last few years.  He doesn't see well any more, so he asked me to read though some of the travel logs of his relatives that arrived on Ellis Island in 1901 and 1908.  Some came from Liverpool on a sister ship of the Titanic.  Amazing!  He is 91 years old and offered to take us down to the dining room of the retirement community where he lives for some ice cream. Libby loved him instantly.  He also gave my mom some artwork (charcoal drawings and paintings) that my Uncle Jack had done, probably in high school, that he had.  Great day.

Chef Libby

We were gone most of last week for the Oregon Expression Session, an alpine snowboarding event held every year at Mt. Bachelor.  Shane put his season pass to good use, and I considered getting back on my board, but got overwhelmed by how much work it would be to prepare to be away from Peyton for that long.  So I bagged it and decided I'd get back on my board next year.  Anyway, we're back home and it's always good to sleep in our own bed.

Peyton drinks water (sort of) from a sippy cup.

Libby makes a face at me that she says the boys (Jamison and Jayden) taught her how to do.
My mom and I took the girls up the butte last Thursday.  This picture doesn't do justice to the blizzard that was swirling around us.  It was taken on the north side, out of the wind, which is why Libby isn't in the stroller.  Trust me, it was a blizzard.  Still, Libby was dying to walk, so when we got out of the wind, out she came.  As soon as we hit the wind she wanted me to carry her and had a total meltdown when I explained her choices (walk or ride).  She rode and then walked again when we got near the car at the bottom.  She always talks about walking the butte, so naturally we walked it on the coldest, windiest day of the year.  We might do it again in July.
Peyton wants to crawl so bad, and in this picture it looks like she is.  Not quite though, and she's getting frustrated with her immobility.
Just chillin'.
Yeah cottage cheese!  She loves the stuff.
Peytie was less than thrilled that her sister wanted to listen to her heartbeat.  Libby loved the stethoscope she found in Grammy Jane's toy box.
Peas please!
Peytie cranes her neck to see what's on t.v.
Libby poured her own bowl of bee grahams this morning.  There wasn't a one left in the box.
Chef Libby gets ready to help me in the kitchen.
Making Cowboy Caviar with me.  She loved seeing what I was doing, and talking about my every move.  She called the tomatoes apples, put in the salt, and stirred like crazy.  It was so fun to hang out doing a real task.  My baby is not such a baby these days.
Eating chips and dips in front of daddy's laptop.  She's watching Annie which is a total obsession, and a good obsession to have if you ask me.  She actually loves it when I sing the songs to her and asks me to sing louder.  That's a first.  When I tell her, "I love you Libby."  She responds with, "I love you Daddy Warbucks."  And she thinks it's hysterical to call me Miss Hannigan.  I've even caught her scrubbing the floor in the spirit of Hard Knock Life.  When she wakes up in the morning often her first words are, "Watch Annie."  I've thought of introducing other movies, but the truth is I love Annie.  She'll discover soon enough that there are others out there, so for now I'm just enjoying the ride.  Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow.....

I'll end with this....Peyton has a few long stretches of sleep in the last week even going eleven hours twice.  So, tonight for the first time, the girls are sharing a room.  Here's hoping for a good night's sleep.  Though, what seemed fun during the light of day to Libby totally threw her for a loop at bedtime, and I really think she wanted Peyton out of there.  I'm hoping this will be a good thing.