The 2010 Christmas Box

Christmas 2010 has been fantastic. The kids arrived Christmas Eve Eve evening. We had a great time visiting and playing with Peyton. She had a fun bath and then dressed in her new Santa "Claussss" pj's. She woke up Christmas Eve morning ready to play. Grammy read an e-mail that Santa had sent to her - Santa talked to her and even knew what she wanted for Santa to bring her - "her own makeup". She was a little intrigued, even though she isn't so sure about Santa. Since Uncle Mark, Joe and Tom were running a little late due to driving through snow and bad roads from St. Louis, we fed Peyton early and put her down for her nap. The adults ate when the St. Louis clan arrived, and then Peyton woke up in time for the gift exchange. She loved sitting at her new table and chairs with Great Grandma - only Great Grandma could fit in that little chair! They had a great time coloring AND playing chase, until Great Grandma couldn't play chase any longer. We all had a turn at the chase game - Peyton giggled and giggled. It was so much fun. The Mintuns all went to Great Grandma/pa's house, then we Santa brought some fun stuff for everyone at Grammy and PaPa's house!

Of course, among all the fun things, Peyton liked a box the best. She did somersaults off of it, and she "jumped" off of it - the whole 4 inches. To her, she might as well have been jumping 4 feet off that box. She was a hoot and having so much fun - what Christmas is all about.

The kids returned to Olathe late afternoon on Christmas Eve so Santa would find Peyton at her own home on Christmas morning.

Ron and I shared in the Candelight Service at the Methodist Church with communion at 6 p.m. - what a wonderful evening. The church was packed to capacity - beautiful music, and lots of it - meaningful scriptures - the presence of the Lord was in that place as we celebrated the birth of the Christ child, our Lord and Savior. Following the service, we had cake and custard with good friends Debbie and Dennis Sieger at their home before coming home around 9 p.m. to crash ourselves!

Christmas morning started with a Merry Christmas phone call from our precious Amanda - she was ready for Peyton to experience Santa, however, Peyton was still sleeping! Ron and I joined the Mintuns at Grandma/pa's house and had a delicious fried chicken (non-traditional) lunch before the St. Louis guys returned home.

Christmas afternoon Ron and I snoozed and relaxed and remimised about our fantastic 2010 family Christmas.

24 Hours with Peyton

Grammy & PaPa traveled to Olathe on Saturday for a glorious 24 hours with Peyton. Amanda and Chad were having an evening out for a pre-party, Christmas party and post-party with Amanda's company/friends, so we were the lucky ones getting to spend some precious time with Peyton. The time flew past so quickly. We made rice krispy treat wreaths that Peyton enjoyed stirring, molding and adding the red hot decorations on top. She was very proud of her creation. We did some art work, read books, played in her tent, ate dinner and before we knew it, it was time to give her a bath and complete her bedtime routine. She had attended a Christmas program at her church that day and didn't get a nap, so she was very ready to go to bed. We spent the night and had planned to go out for breakfast before returning home, however, the cold weather, snow and wind changed our plans, so we had waffles and bacon at their house. Did you know that bacon makes an excellent dipping agent for syrup and apple butter? Peyton loves to dip her food. Amanda and I took a quick shopping trip to Kohl's before we headed home around 11 a.m. What a fun 24 hours with the most special people in our lives. We are blessed.

Thanksgiving Pics

Thanksgiving, Annual Baking Day, Christmas Parade

Thanksgiving Eve came alive when Amanda, Chad, Peyton and Apollo arrived in time for dinner. When the house is filled with the laughter and joy of our adorable two year old Peyton, all is well.
Thanksgiving Day started with breakfast at Great Grandpa and Granny's house. Peyton brought smiles to all while we enjoyed each other's company.

Turkey and all the trimmings were enjoyed by everyone in the family except Mary, who had to work in St. Louis at the children's hospital. We missed you Mary! We gave thanks for our many blessings as we ate too much and marveled at what a good eater Peyton is! Our tradition of having homemade ice cream for dessert on Thanksgiving met with Peyton's approval - she loves ice cream! For the second year, all in attendance signed the Thanksgiving tablecloth which will be embroidered by Mary to be used again next year. A fun tradition. Mark, Joe and Tom visited at Mom and Dadddy's later for a few hours before returning to the Lake.

On Friday, Amanda, Peyton, Grammy and Granny enjoyed our annual Christmas goodie baking day while Ron and Chad played golf. Peyton was quite good at dipping the pretzels and unwrapping the Hershey Kisses and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - also good at tasting them every once in a while! Granny was so helpful in playing with Peyton after she got bored so we could get all of our goodies ready to share during the Christmas season. Peyton is crazy about her great grandmother, which warms my heart. We also decorated the Christmas tree. Peyton really got into hanging candy canes on the tree. We have a picture ornament of Amanda for each year of her life. When I would ask Peyton who was in the picture, she said, "Peyton" - I said, no that is Mommy. She would answer, "No Grammy, Peyton". I'll have to admit they look exactly alike - it was so funny. We also have picture of Peyton on the tree - they were Peyton too to her! She's a hoot.

Following naps for most, we went to El Sambre for an early dinner before attending the Christmas Parade on the square and the Hawthorn refreshments at the Elks. Peyton loved the "horsies" but wasn't so happy about all the noisy entries like the firetruck (woo woo for her), motorcycles, etc. It was a beautiful night to be outside. Sadly, the kids went back to Olathe on Friday at bedtime so they could decorate their own house this weekend and Chad was going to attend the MU/KU game with his Dad on Saturday.

We are blessed! God is good.

Peyton's 2 - and New York

I'm behind on blogging, so I have combined two recent huge events in our lives. Ron and I joined the Advantage Club travelers for a trip to New York City recently and had a blast. We saw two Broadway shows and all the tourist atractions.

Peyton turned 2 yesterday and celebrated with a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party. The cake was decorated by her Momma who did a fantastic job. Grammy helped a bit with mixing and cleanup, but Amanda did most of the decorating by herself. It was the first time either of us had attempted working with fondant, however, we were pleasantly surprised how easy it was to decorate with. Peyton had a super good time and enjoyed the day. Ron and I had gone to Olathe the day before to help out with getting things ready for the party, so Amanda and Chad took the opportunity with us there to go to Plaza III for dinner. We had a great time taking Peyton to Peachwave for frozen yogurt. On Saturday, Ron and Chad played golf while us girls went to get the balloons, decorated the cake and book a nap before the party. A fabulous weekend.

Halloween

PaPa and I spent Halloween Day this year with our favorite little goblin - Peyton! Amanda and Chad tailgated with friends and attended the Chief's game, so we were blessed with an entire day with our little sweetheart. We had fun with window crayons, Peyton "helped" with things around the house, we took a trip to Sam's Club and had lunch at McDonald's (oops, not as healthy as we usually try to be, but we made up for it with a VERY healthy dinner, all dipped in Ranch dressing). After a nearly 3 hour nap, we all went outside to play in Peyton's playset, but it was too cold to stay very long. She is quite accomplished at climbing the rock wall and liked dancing on the dance floor on the third tier. We had taken her a play tiera, earrings, necklace, etc. set, and she had a great time playing dress up. PaPa even wore the tiera at one point - now he looked pretty silly. Before we headed back to Clinton, Mommy and Daddy arrived back home and dressed Peyton in her Minnie Mouse costume to go trick or treating - wow - she looked so adorable. I asked her what she was going to say when she went out, and she looked at me with the sweetest look on her face and said, "please". How sweet. We had one of the best days ever.

Fall Weekend at the Lake

We had a great Fall weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks visiting Mark and Mary. Peyton and Lenny finally decided they would tolerate each other. Peyton enjoyed "helping" Great Aunt Mary with the meat tray for dinner and had a great time opening her Halloween Treat Bag from them - PaPa was happy to assist. Peyton discovered fudgesicles this weekend, however, Mommy said no to "choclet" for breakfast. We couldn't visit the lake without a trip to the outlet mall and watched Mizzou win on Saturday night - Mark and Mary had taken in some of the homecoming festivities and visited Tom earlier in the day. It was a relaxing time with family.

Louisburg Cider Mill & Deanna Rose Pumpkin Patch

After an extremely stressful week, the weekend was absolutely awesome - time spent with my two favorite girls in the world - Amanda and Peyton.

On Saturday, I met them at the Apple Cider Mill Festival in Louisburg, Kansas (Chad had Lasik surgery on Friday and needed to stay home and recover - Ron had a Rotary commitment). The weather was fabulous, and the event was very enjoyable. Peyton is fascinated by Elmo right now and was able to get the balloon art man to make her an Elmo balloon - it looked amazingly like Elmo! Like at Olde Glory Days, she wanted to ride the ponies, but when it came time, she was too scared. Poor little thing. We had fun looking at all the booths and eating cider donuts and drinking homemade cider - we even brought home a couple of gallons of it and some pumpkin butter and apple butter. Yummo.

On Sunday, Ron and I ventured to the KC area to run some errands, have a leisurely breakfast and to meet up with Peyton and Amanda at the Deanna Rose Farmstead Pumpkin Patch for another afternoon of fun. Peyton loved feeding a baby goat a bottle of milk, visiting the moo cows, turkeys and chickens and feeding the ducks. She had a great time playing on the playground, especially the slide. We took a hayride (which she did not like) through the farm and down to the pumpkin patch where she had fun playing in the corn box (like a sandbox but corn) and picking out her pumpkins to take home. The hayride (pulled by horses) back to the main area wasn't nearly as traumatic, but when the horses stopped, she emphatically waved her hands and said, rather loudly, "all done, all done". Guess she didn't want to go for another ride.

We then all went to their house where we visited Chad who was still not up to being out and about and then went out to dinner before we headed back to Clinton.

It was a super great weekend.

Weekend Fun

Amanda, Chad, Peyton and Apollo arrived in Clinton Friday evening for a weekend of golf and fun. While the guys played in the Boy Scout Golf Tournament - in which they placed by the way - we girls hit a few garage sales, visited with the great grandparents and enjoyed Panda Garden for lunch. Following Peyton's nap, we all went to the Aquatic Center to watch Peyton frolic in the water and "splash" as she calls it. She didn't have as much of a good time as she did the week before when we were keeping her because there was a little girl there, probably about 5 years old, who insisted on Peyton being her BFF, and Peyton was interested, which caused her some stress, but it was still a good time. We enjoyed the Samaritan Center fundraiser at the Christian Church on Saturday evening, and then the Todds went back to Olathe after lunch on Sunday. Why do weekends go so quickly? We enjoyed every minute of them being here and are so blessed. The first picture is of Peyton having fun in a puddle on the patio following the rain - the second one is of her riding her tricycle - in the kitchen of course! Amanda keeps asking me, "who are you, and what did you do with my mother? You would have never let me get by with the things you let Peyton get by with". Ha ha - the beauty of being a grammy!

Peyton's Clinton Vacation - #2

I forgot some of the most special moments. Peyton baked sugar cookies, frosted them and decorated them with sprinkles as a welcome home gift for her parents and also took some to her great grandparents to thank them for all the fun. Peyton also made fruit loop necklaces for her parents - the best part of that was watching her eat the fruit loops and give them to Apollo and Murray. She was so excited about the whole process. Here are a few more vacation pics to go along with this post.

Peyton's Clinton Vacation

While Amanda and Chad took a trip to Cancun, we had the pleasure of Peyton staying with us for a Clinton Vacation - I think Grandpa and Grammy had the most fun of all!

We couldn't have asked for things to go any smoother. We picked up Peyton on Wednesday evening - she rode home watching her Elmo DVD, falling asleep around Urich. When we arrived home, she woke up momentarily, I laid her in her crib, and she slept all night. She has always been a great sleeper.

Thursday Peyton and I took my Mom to the eye doctor for a shot in her eye (ouch, but that's another story) where Peyton was a trooper. We then had lunch with the great grandparents - Peyton loves to eat. She took a 3 hour nap and was raring to go when she woke up. Grandpa had filled her wading pool in the back yard while she was sleeping, and she was so excited to get to "splash" after her nap and snack. Thursday - successful.

On Friday, Peyton and I started the day by having breakfast with the great grandparents and blowing bubbles, playing with sidewalk chalk, taking a walk - you name it. Peyton and Granny (my Mom) are totally in love with each other and have such a good time. Mom can't see very well, but she manages quite well and lights up when Peyton is around. Grandpa and I took Peyton to the Aquatic Center Friday morning where Peyton had a great time going down the duck slide, etc. After another great nap, we fixed dinner together. Peyton loves to help and had a blast making guacamole, one of her favorite foods. She ate the chopped avocados and tomatoes and fast as I could get them ready. We almost had too much onion salt at one time - Peyton thought shaking it into the bowl was great fun. We took a family walk that evening, including taking Apollo and Murray. Bath time with the foam soap was fun, fun - Friday - Fantastic.

Saturday brought more fun playing, visiting a local playground, having splash time in the backyard again and finding new ways to climb on the Little Tykes slide - bubbles and fun at the great grandparents, visiting Kelly's house to meet the kitties and eat a popsicle and sucker (what's not to like about that), etc. Peyton enjoyed learning to ride her new tricycle with help of course - but she is getting it - if only her legs were a little longer! Saturday - awesome.

Church was our first stop on Sunday for the early service (Grammy took the Sunday off from playing the organ) - we had a great time visiting with everyone at coffee time - many remarked that Peyton looks just like her Momma did at her age - which she does. Great Aunt Mary, Great Uncle Mark, and cousin Joe came to Clinton to see Peyton and celebrate Great Grandpa's 82nd birthday with a delicious fried chicken lunch. Peyton had so much fun playing outside with everyone and eating corn on the cob for the first time. Nap time was short - a 15 minute power nap, but we couldn't complain as she wasn't cranky and it gave us more time with her! More splash time - more fun. Peyton enjoyed an ice cream cone at the great grandparents - and I mean she enjoyed every minute of it as evidenced by the ice cream covering her face. She giggled and giggled. Another good night's sleep - Sunday - wonderful.

Peyton's parents arrived in Clinton around 8 a.m. to see their baby girl - all three of them lit up like Christmas trees when they saw one another - it was a sight to behold and warmed my heart. Peyton had asked about them every day but was fine when I told her they were on vacation and would be back soon. She seemed at peace with that - I think they had prepared her well. Somehow she decided Amanda was on vacation and her Daddy was at work, so I just went with that! We had a great Labor Day visiting with the kids and hearing about their trip, and the guys even took in a little golf. It was sad to see Peyton go home, but that is where she belongs, with her parents who love her so much - and whom she is crazy about.

By the way, our new names are Paw Paw and GiGi (like go). Peyton was so funny - after the Amen after our mealtime prayers, her first word was "Eat" - and a big smile. The child loves to eat. Sometimes she would shake her high chair, saying Eat Eat. She likes to help with whatever you are doing. I had imagined we would have a great time, but the time far exceeded my expectations - we had an absolutely awesome time and are anxious for her to come back for another extended visit. We love her so much - and I think she loves us too.