Payton's Five!!!

Happy Birthday Payton!

Payton turned five, April 15. She's my little tax baby - and she'll tell you that she was born on tax day.

She had a party this past Saturday. When we talked about who she could invite to her party, I told her she could invite 5 people since she was 5 years old. She said, as she counted on my fingers, Samuel, Sarah, two girls from school, and on the last finger she hesitated and then said, 'Evie, Tucker, and Reese' - all in one go, really fast. It was super-cute.

Payton requested a princess party. So, we decorated the house with pink streamers. I painted a picture of her invitation on the easel. I'm no artist, but at least you can see the resemblance.

First we had a hunt for Princess Payton's lost treasure. We hid necklaces, bracelets, and chocolate gold coins. We're still finding bracelets and coins in the back yard. But I think the kids got a kick out of it.

Then, we had a pinata. Now I think it looks like a tiara, but Payton said it was a princess chair. I'll let you decide.

The kids each had their own approach to the pinata.

Aaahhhh!

Grrrrr!

HmmmmF!

Tap...

Professional batter....

But in the end, everyone got what was truly important.... CANDY! (Like we don't have enough still left over from Easter.)

Next was the cake. Of course, Payton wanted a castle cake.....3 cake mixes, 14 ice cream cones, 1lb of white chocolate, and 2 lbs of powdered sugar, 2 sticks of butter later....

She liked it : )

I think the cake deserves one more look....

It was a good party and a good day. 

The Dollar Store

I have a love/hate relationship with the dollar store.

And let me tell you why.

Where else can your child pick out a toy for ONLY $1. He or she can't be tempted by anything more expensive. When you tell your child they can pick ONE thing out of the entire store, you know you will only be paying one dollar (plus tax), no more. Plus you have a happy child.

Now, the downside: that toy only lasts one playing session because, after all, it was only one dollar, and things that cost only one dollar, were probably not made very well. Dollar store toys do not last. This can make your child very UNhappy.

But, yesterday was a happy day for the dollar store. Payton picked out an inflatable dolphin. Dolphin danced. Dolphin twirled. Dolphin was ridden. Dolphin drank from the sand table water and then got turned over and was baptized in the same water. Only Payton.....

Ian got a water tube blaster. At first I was skeptical of this pencil looking thing. But it shoots water up to 26 feet. It's pretty sweet and only took Ian a couple of times to master.

So we are happy with the Dollar store today. Ask how I feel about it tomorrow.

Easter!

Scott had to work Easter weekend, so unfortunately we didn't see too much of him. Grandma and Grandpa were a good distraction and helped get ready for Easter.

We filled eggs...

We dyed eggs...

The kids made their Easter nests, so the Easter bunny would leave treats.....

We listened to Easter music. (Aside story: So, I have a choir CD of Easter songs. There is one song in particular that is very moving/disturbing. It is a dramatic depiction of Jesus' trial and has a part where the choir sings 'Let Him be CRUCIFIED!' over and over again. I swear this was Payton's favorite song the whole week leading up to Easter. She wouldn't stop asking for it every time we got into the car. Easter is over and so are the requests....)

Finally, Easter came. Payton looked adorable in her dress. We got some great pics after the service. Ian, unfortunately, fell asleep on the way home and is missing :( in the pics.

The Pruitts came over for Easter supper. Afterwards the kids had an Easter egg hunt. The poor children had to wait all day for this.

Can we go yet?

Please?!?!?!

Day Trip to the Frescoes

While Mom and Dad were here, we went on a day trip to visit the churches of the frescoes in Ashe county. The frescoes were painted by Ben Long  The first one we came to on our route was just outside West Jefferson - St. Mary's Episcopal church.

Payton was enthralled with the church and didn't want to leave. She seemed to enjoy having full reign of the place. Ian came, saw and was ready to go. I really enjoyed the stained glass windows in this church. They were beautifully made. The fresco was pretty nice too.

After the first church, we stopped in downtown Jefferson for a bite to eat. And then we visited the local cheese shop. Yup, did you know that West Jefferson has a cheese factory. You can even go into the viewing room and watch them make 2000 lbs of cheese a day. It was actually pretty interesting and Ian really liked the sharp cheddar cheese samples. Grandma was impressed with the fresh cheese curds (squeaky, squeaky). Payton was thrilled with the ice cream.

The second of the two churches of the frescoes was in Glendale Springs - Holy Trinity Episcopal church. The mural in this church seemed much bigger, but it didn't have the stained glass. Ian fell asleep before we got to this one, so I got to carry him around. It was still a beautiful little old church.

I'm feeling a little guilty about not blogging in a while. There's been so much going on that I haven't had time during the day and by the time the kids are in bed, I just want to veg. But maybe the next few days will be slower and I can catch up on some posts....

My lapse in posts all started with my parents' visit, so maybe I should start there.

Mom and Dad came into town on the Tuesday of Holy Week (almost a week and a half ago). The kids were, of course, super excited to see Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma had been having allergy issues in Tx and was hoping they wouldn't follow her here. Well, she was out of luck. Poor Grandma lived on tea, honey, and lemon. The amount of pollen here is crazy. The trees are beautiful, as are all the flowers, but if you breathe outside for too long, you feel it (and not in a good way).

The first afternoon they were here, we just hung out and played in the backyard. The Grandparents each took a turn playing chase with the kids.

The next day we took Grandma and Grandpa to Reynolda Gardens so they could see some of the trees that they don't have in Tx. The kids always love running around this place and I can't get enough of it. I would love to have my own private Reynolda Gardens in my backyard if I could.

Ahhhh! Spring! We had a play date with Samuel and Sarah at Reynolda gardens this week. The daffodils were up and blooming. The weeping cherry and pear trees were showing their colors. And the Japanese magnolias were gorgeous!

 While I like to meander around the gardens, the kids like to see how fast they can run around all the little racing paths. First one out of the gate was Samuel. I like these series of shots. At first he's like, 'What's that ledge over there?' There is a second of contemplation......

 and then the next thing Jill and I knew we were yelling at the rest of the kids, "Don't jump OFF THAT WALL!" I wasn't worried about the girls doing it, but Ian is another story.

Some other cute pics.....

It was also perfect weather to fly a kite.

Samuel and Sarah's Daddy said that this next picture looked like the front of a rock'n roll album.

What would the title be?