Garrison Is One Month Old - Peyton's Dance Class

On Wednesday, Great Grandma Mintun and I went to Olathe to spend the day with Amanda and Garrison. Grammaw was a great help and enjoyed holding Garrison while Amanda and I did a few things around the house before going to Olive Garden for lunch and running a few errands. Great day.

On Saturday, I headed to Olathe for the weekend to spend time with Amanda, Garrison and Peyton while Chad played in a two-day golf tournament - lucky me! We started with lunch at Cheddars - then a trip to Oak Park Mall where Peyton loved trying on Mommy shoes - then an open house at the dance academy next to Peyton's school where she will start lesssons next week.

On Sunday, Ron and Grammaw joined the fun. Before they got there, Peyton and I took a Grammy and Peyton only trip to Quick Trip to get breakfast - it was a hoot watching as she picked out her donuts and put them in the box herself. She was so proud of herself. She wanted chocolate hot (hot chocolate to most), and we managed to get back to the house with two boxes of donuts and 3 drinks. She is sooooo much fun. We had planned on taking Peyton to the pool, however, Johnson County pools are closed for 11 days, so that was out, but we enjoyed playing outside on the play set and having fun around the house before Merle, Debbie and Emily stopped by to meet Garrison. Chad got home after his tournament, and we enjoyed hearing about his great day on the course before we all headed home.

Garrison turned one month old on Monday - time flies. He gets cuter by the day and is really filling out. He is a wonderfully sweet baby and so good. He sure likes his Mommy to feed him! Peyton is a good big sister and enjoys "helping" with Garrison. She is a good wipe getter and diaper handler. She gets a little overzealous with her hugs and kisses sometimes, but she is sure smitten with her little brother which is great to watch.

Another memory filled weekend with the family - God is good.

Deanna Rose Farms Visit - Garrison's First

Back in Clinton after a couple of days in Olathe with the joys of my life. On Friday, I helped Amanda with a few chores around the house so that we could have a fun day on Saturday. Late Friday afternoon, Amanda, Garrison and I went to Peyton's school to pick her up - the smile on her face when she saw us was worth a million bucks! Garrison is like a little magnet, drawing all the other 2 year olds to his stroller - but Peyton, she only had eyes for her Grammy! My heart was so happy. We went to Jose Pepper's for dinner - and the pink balloon of course - and then played outside on her playset and had a "rock picnic" which was fun.

My brother, Mark, came to Clinton for the weekend to spend quality time with Mom - I was so thankful he was able to stay the weekend with her while I was away. They did some touch up painting on ironwork around the house and enjoyed visiting. Mom was thrilled that Mary sent her potato soup - one of her favorites. Ron had to work on Saturday, so he didn't go with me to Olathe this time either.

There was a terrible thunderstorm on Friday night, preventing all of us from getting much sleep. Amanda and Chad were up with Peyton when Garrison wanted to be fed - busy, busy time. Chad went to Iowa to play in a golf tournament on Saturday, so us girls - oh, I guess now Garrison too, ha ha - had the whole day to ourselves. We began at IHOP for breakfast before going to Deanna Rose Farms when they opened. It was even free admission day! Not many people there at first, which was nice, and it was about 75 degrees - perfect! Peyton and I fed the ducks while Amanda fed Garrison discreetly. Peyton and I had quite a discussion about the covered wagon - the "why's". After a trip to Target to buy Peyton a new movie - Grammaw Mintun was treating - we stopped to get lunch at Chicken Nuggets - what Peyton calls McDonald's. Then I had the pleasure of watching her new Tinkerbell movie with her for rest time - we both fell asleep.

Peyton's boyfriend and his parents (the Mayberrys) stopped by to meet Garrison and for Evan and Peyton to play. We had dinner, gave the kids a bath, and Grammy headed back to Clinton.

Having lunch at Mintuns today with Mark before he goes home - celebrating Ron's birthday too, a little early.

God has blessed me with such a wonderful family.

Garrison's 1 Week Birthday

Garrison is one week old and cuter than ever! He is so sweet and is such a good baby. His Great-Grandma, Grammy and Momma spent the day with him at his home - what a wonderful way to spend a day. We didn't get to see Peyton or Chad - they were at school and work respectively, but we will see everyone on Sunday when we next visit.

Big sister Peyton is now dressing herself most days - it is my understanding that her Grammy would have had a heart attack if I had seen her this morning when she went to school - a striped, primary colors shirt, a pink and white, tie-died skirt, her "Sunday" lacy socks, pulled up to her knees, and her sparkly, very busy tennis shoes. Oh my! Amanda tells me there are 19 others in her class at school who look just like her every day! Oh myyyyyyyyy. Too funny.

Great Grandma had shots in both her eyes on Thursday for macular degeneration, so she stayed at Amanda's house and napped while Amanda and Garrison took me out for a belated birthday lunch - it was so much fun for Amanda and me, but Garrison slept through the whole thing - and the trip to Target afterward. He is such a good baby!

Welcome Garrison Arthur Todd

My birthday had already been a lot of fun, but I had no idea how good a birthday could get! I will now be sharing my birthday with my first grandson, Garrison Arthur Todd, born 7/29/11 at 11:24 p.m. - weighing 6 lb. 7 oz., 19 1/2 inches long.

Ron and I had just started to watch a movie when the phone rang - Amanda was calling to tell us she thought her water had broken, they were taking Peyton to the neighbor's house, and then they were going to the hospital - could we come pick up Peyton and spend the night with her. We quickly threw together a suitcase (my stuff had been packed for a week), and headed to Olathe. Peyton was so excited to see us. Ron and Peyton were asleep when the text came that Garrison had arrived, so I drove over to St. Luke's South to meet my sweet little boy.

Chad, Ron, Peyton and I took donuts and balloons with us to the hospital Saturday morning to see Mommy and Garrison and had a great day. Ron and I came back to Clinton on Saturday night. Great-Grandma, Debbie Sieger and I went back to Olathe on Sunday morning to see Garrison and to take Peyton to lunch and "running around". She had a blast.

Garrison, Mommy, Daddy and Peyton all went home on Sunday afternoon to start their lives as a family of four.

God answered our prayers - a healthy baby and a healthy Momma - thank you God. We are blessed.