This Life is for the Birds

Funny Little Story...and a Picture!

2011-05-05T13:26:00.003-05:00

So, yesterday afternoon we were leaving my school, and Clayton picked up a stick! We were getting in the car, and she put it in her mouth. I said, "Clayton that is nasty, a bird could have pooped on that" (I have NO idea why I choice THAT statement!!!) And her response was, "Mommy, birds don't poop on sticks, they poop on windshields!"
My funny 3 year old!!!

Here is a pic of Clayton and two of her friends from dance class who played soccer with her, too! (Kiera and Ashlee)...the whole JATO soccer experience will have to be another blog entry entirely!!!

FLASHBACK FRIDAY!!!

2010-10-29T15:56:00.004-05:00

Clayton and Bittons (Oct 2008 14 1/2 months old)

Hi, friends!!! I know I haven't blogged in SOOO long...I thought I would just post a couple of simple pictures from over the past couple of years...Clayton and I were looking through pictures on the computer earlier, and I came across these:

Last October

1st Day of School

2010-09-11T14:37:00.012-05:00

Clayton's 1st Day of School!!!

Clayton is going to Sprouts at First Baptist Church Hurst this year. This has been a HUGE adjustment for all of us since she has ALWAYS been watched my family or close friends!!! When she was 7 months old, we tried to go "day care" but Clayton and I both cried ALL day for those two weeks. It was awful!!! This seems to be a great fit!!! Mrs. Sarah (the director) sent us this picture on the 1st day from her cell so we could see what a great time Clayton was having!

Here a lots of shots that we took before school that day!!! It was September 1st which happens to also be my birthday!!!

In the parking lot before school started. (I got to take her to school!!!)

After school...she made it...with VERY few tears!!! She made a "mirror" as her project that day!!!

She did such a great job, she got a "prize" from the "prize closet" that night! She was so excited!!

She got a little Strawberry Shortcake play dough set!

Picture Session

2010-08-13T17:21:00.011-05:00

We decided to take Clayton and Memaw-Memaw (as Clayton calls her great-grandmother!) to get some pictures taken together! Clayton absolutely adores Memaw, and the feeling is completely mutual! They play for hours and hours, and we are so blessed that my grandmother is able to get around and play with Clayton the way she does! We took some "generation" pictures and some 3 year old b-day pictures since Clayton will be 3 on Tuesday...and my grandmother will be 85 in a couple of weeks. The pictures turned out pretty good...the photographer wasn't awesome, so some of the "shots" that could have been amazing were missed! So, here are the pictures...enjoy!

We decided to take Clayton and Memaw-Memaw (as Clayton calls her great-grandmother!) to get some pictures taken together! Clayton absolutely adores Memaw, and the feeling is completely mutual! They play for hours and hours, and we are so blessed that my grandmother is able to get around and play with Clayton the way she does! We took some "generation" pictures and some 3 year old b-day pictures since Clayton will be 3 on Tuesday...and my grandmother will be 85 in a couple of weeks. The pictures turned out pretty good...the photographer wasn't awesome, so some of the "shots" that could have been amazing were missed! So, here are the pictures...enjoy!

Dance Recital

2010-08-13T17:20:00.008-05:00

Dance Invasion!!! This is a picture from the end of the recital when ALL of the dance company was on the stage!!! (Well, everyone that was still there!!!)

Granna, CaCa, Uncle Grant, Aunt Starla, Keldan, Briley, Mommy and Daddy all came to my recital!!!

The Bunny Rabbit Blues

Both of the classes together performed during Act II- "The Wheels on the Bus"

Clayton next to her friend Mary

Clayton's favorite part was the Daddy/Daughter dance at the end of the program! She got to dance on stage with her daddy!!!

Treats for being a WONDERFUL dancer!!!

Mrs. Jami, Clayton's dance teacher (and owner of the company)

Worn out little dancer!!! She was sooo excited that she got to eat her look-alike cookie!!!

A Quick Little Story...

2010-07-10T20:17:00.003-05:00

Greeting to my fellow bloggers! It has been SOOO long since I have posted! So much has happened in my life over the past 6 months...I am sure at some point I will go back and share some of it...but for now, I have a funny Clayton story...one that if I don't post, I will not remember...

We are in the living room watching the Rangers...Clayton is bored and NOT wanting us to watch the game, but she is standing in front of the tv with her new roller skates on...singing silly songs that she is making up as she goes along like "I am twisting and singing and dancing in my new skates...la la la." Mark and I are both cracking up at her and laughing along with her as she "performs!" Mark thought he would be clever and say, "Hey, Clayton, why don't you make up a song to help you spell your name?!?" (Remember, before this kiddo was 2, she could name 20+ Strawberry Shortcake characters, all the fairies, princesses, mickey characters, pooh characters, all her aunts, uncles, cousins...TONS and TONS of things...but she for whatever stubborn reason REFUSES to spell her name...though I was writing it for her the other day and she finished it)...ANYWAY...Her daddy suggested that she make up a song to spell her name and this is the song she came up with..."I can't singing a song that spells my name because I don't know how to spell my name...I don't know how to spell my name...spell my name, spell my name"

That's all I've got for now!

Lauren's Wedding!

2010-01-04T23:12:00.001-06:00

Going To See Santa

2009-12-29T16:23:00.007-06:00

On Christmas Eve morning, we went to the Texarkana mall to see Santa! I would say it was a lot of fun...but seriously, Clayton HATES Santa! We talked it up...we even told her that we would both go with her and that I would hold her...she "SEEMED" to be ok with it...that is, until we were going to be "next." Then she FREAKED out! (This is, of course, after two little boys in front of us plowed over her and hit her with a toy car...nothing like making the two year old upset and crying before Santa has the chance to do that!!!)

Anyway, Ca-Ca was taking picture with my camera on the side...there was a really sweet girl who was trying to make her laugh and NOT concentrate on Santa...but it really didn't help! Nevertheless, we made it!!!! No, she didn't tell Santa what she wanted...and Santa even apologized to me because she was crying. He was awesome!!! (Just like last year when she was crying...but this year was actually worse, I think!)

There were bribes going on in the line on the way up there as Clayton was freaking out...she coerced us into a cookie on the way out of the mall! Boy, I can't wait to see how next year goes!!!

Christmas at the Little Gym

2009-12-17T10:04:00.005-06:00

Pumpkin Patches

2009-11-01T09:24:00.004-06:00

The Hauted Castle and More...

2009-11-01T09:23:00.016-06:00

Clayton and I made a rice crispie treat haunted castle for Halloween...Clayton had fun doing it...it didn't taste good, but it was fun to make...and then throw away!!! She is growing up SOO fast!!! She can actually REALLY help do stuff now!!! It is fun to do projects with her! And have REAL conversations with her!!!

Boo at the Zoo

2009-11-01T09:23:00.015-06:00

We took our annual trip to "Boo at the Zoo" again this year...This time the dads got to go with us! It was so much fun! Clayton and Keldan had a blast! There are tons of pics here...again, sorry for NOT putting LOTS of dialogue in here, but I am determined to get everything caught up to Christmas BEFORE Christmas actually gets here!!!

Little Gym Fall Party

2009-11-01T09:22:00.007-06:00

On Friday, October 23rd, The Little Gym where Clayton goes had a "Fall Fun Night." Clayton dressed up as Sleeping Beauty.

Melt down!!! She was tired...the crayons were all broken up...and we had to make a quick exit at that point before it got UGLY!!!

Going Down the BIG slide

2009-10-29T20:51:00.003-05:00

State Fair and School Carnival

2009-10-26T15:21:00.007-05:00

These are all in reverse order...but since it is December and I put these photos in almost 2 months ago...I figure I better just write something and post it! Clayton went to my school and had a BLAST for the Fall Carnival! We went to my school early that afternoon and I taught the after school program from 3:15 until 5:30...and Clayton did GREAT! She found several new "best friends" in Marycruz and Jaycee! And they loved her, too! Jaycee even went through the bounce obstacle and huge slide with her...she had a blast...I first sign that she was REALLY becoming a BIG GIRL...bittersweet!!!

Mark's BIG 4-0

2009-10-26T15:18:00.006-05:00

Well, Mark turned the BIG 4-0 a couple of weeks ago...yep, I married an O-L-D man!!! Or I guess we could say, he married a young chick! Here are some pics from the "surprise-ish" party that we had at his brother Michael's house! Unfortunately, I didn't really take pictures of all of the people there...oops! I really am not sure what I was thinking...but I got some cute pictures of Clayton, Ashleigh, Mark and Keldan...that's about it!!!

This cake right here...Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake...for those of you that don't know Mark...he HATES cake...but once he had a cupcake from Texas Star Bakery that was PB&J, and he loved it and said that he had to have his 40th b-day cake made from THAT cupcake...so Clayton and I took a couple of cupcakes to (as Clayton calls him) the Cupcake Man who makes all of our cakes...and he made a wonderful cake for Mark. The cake got mixed reviews...it definitely tasted like PB&J, and the icing was like PB fudge...but it wasn't truly BIRTHDAY cake in my opinion...oh well, it wasn't my BIG 4-0, so I didn't get to pick...and I have a LONG time til mine!!!

Clayton attempting to blow out the candle from the cake...big improvement from her b-day just 2 months earlier when she was crying b/c of the fire...

Here is the inside of the cake...grape jelly...

Me and My hubbs!

Clayton trying to basically shove the entire cake in her mouth...

The kiddos coloring with Uncle Mike

Dress Up...

2009-10-19T09:29:00.009-05:00

Cheese...So, we have reached the age of dressing up!!! On Sunday afternoon, Clayton came in to the living room with "matching" shoes on...now, you may think it is a coincidence, but actually, she NEVER puts the yellow shoes on...so it was quite funny to us that she wanted to match!!!

Snow White...poor pumpkin, all of them are SOOO big...but we just deal with it!!!

Princess Jasmine is our new favorite...I hate that it shows her tummy...so we won't be wearing it "out" in public!

Yes, we even sleep with our princesses!!!

Mommy's Birthday...

2009-10-19T09:13:00.005-05:00

Sorry, I don't have a lot of time to write right now...but here are a couple of pictures to tide you over until the next post!!! From my birthday which was in September...I know, I am an awful blogger!!!

Clayton's 2nd Birthday...Part 1

2009-08-23T16:50:00.013-05:00

Touring the NEW COWBOYS Stadium

2009-07-30T12:59:00.006-05:00

We took a tour of Cowboys Stadium with the Griggs fam a this summer. It was fun...for a little while! Our tour guide wasn't awesome...but it was FREE, so I can't complain too much!!!

Here is a pic of Clayton and Keldan on the path that the players use to go out onto the field

Believe it or not, they actually DIDN'T try to run out on the field!!!

Past Six Flags, you can see the top of Texas Stadium...

Sitting in a Luxury Suite...as if we will EVER be able to do it at a game!!!

Clayton and Keldan were entertaining themselves by "dancing" in the foyer...so cute!

Peach Festival

2009-07-29T22:00:00.004-05:00

We went to Weatherford to the Peach Festival in the middle of the 100+ weather in July! It wasn't probably the "smartest" thing we have ever done...but it was fun! It was just sooo hot and crowded that it was hard to enjoy it...next year, we will definitely get there as early as possible! Clayton had peach ice cream and a little bit of a peachy smoothie! As you can see by her face, it was HOT!!!

The bounce house was too hot for her...we actually had to go get our $$ back b/c it was so hot that it burned her and she wouldn't get back on...they were putting ice on it, but it didn't help! My mother-in-law said that it was extremely hot, too!!!

Pickin Blackberries

2009-07-29T21:56:00.010-05:00

This summer while Ca-Ca was in, we went to pick blackberries! We lucked out and get there the last day that they were going to be open. They were having to close out three weeks early because it had been so hot that all of the berries were burning up!!! So, we left Granna and Bittons house at 7:00 AM...and headed to pick some blackberries!!!

Check out that hand!!! Soo much blackberry juice on it...and her little face...but she had a BLAST!!!

Believe it or not, she did actually pick SOME blackberries...but we definitely got our $$$ worth in the ones that she ate BEFORE our bag was weighed!!!

Clayton was patiently waiting for the blackberry ice cream that you get AFTER you pick your blackberries!!!

Look at that little tummy full of blackberries!!!!

There is Daddy cleaning the shirt after all of the picking and eating of the yummy blackberries!!!

And she was OUT!!!

Clayton got to eat the blackberry ice cream at the store...but we bought her last pint to bring home so the rest of us could try it...we all had a spoon and passed it around on the way home! It was pretty good...didn't have a lot of flavor until we found the HUGE BLACK DOG HAIR FROZEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PINT!!! Needless to say, we all wanted to throw up when we saw it...YUCK!!!! BUT...we won't ever forget the experience...good and bad!!!

Funny Little Sayings...

2009-07-23T18:29:00.005-05:00

Funny Story #1

So we went to Atlanta yesterday to leave for Chicago. Bittons had to leave to go to the bank, and he told Clayton he would be back in just a little while. She assumed that he was going to "work" because that is usually where he goes if he has to leave while we are there. A little time had passed, and she asked where Bittons went...the she answered herself by saying, "Oh, Bittons go to make some money!"

Funny Story #2

So today...we are in the car...DRIVING to Chicago to see CaCa...and we had a new "bag" of tricks. Clayton's new thing is "princesses." We got her a package of Disney Princesses figurines at the Disney store...and some other things to occupy her interests on the THIRTEEN HOUR trip in the car with a 22 month old!!! Anyway...we also go this magnet board that has magnetic princesses on it. She played with it and thought it was fun. After a couple of hours passed, she asked for her princesses. I got in her bag and tried to get her bag of figurines out. She said, "No, not THOSE princesses, I wanted the maganeese (magnet) ones." It was really cute!!!

Yesterday she was playing in her playhouse at Bitton and Granna's House...she was looking in the bushes for Dora (she was playing pretend...I HOPE!!!) and she said, "Hey, Dora, nice a meetcha, I am Clayton"

#4 TUNA COOKIES...
Yes, Clayton comes up with some off the wall things...BUT...we were in the pool, and because Clayton LOVES to go under the water and look around ALL THE TIME, we have a little counting game that we have to do so that she will "take a break" and not continue to go in and out of the water non-stop...so we always go back to the steps SLOWLY...we sit on the step, and we count to 12. She has no problem doing this...she usually says, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7...pause...we say 8...and she says 9...10...11...TWELVE!!! And jumps back into the water...Well, the other night, she said 1,2,3,4,5,6, TUNA...What?!?! Tuna...then she started laughing...please keep in mind that Clayton has never had tuna...or even smelled it for that matter!!! Mark said, "Tuna, YUCK!" And Clayton said, "Yeah, tuna, yuck...but how 'bout Tuna Cookies?" So, we played a little "how 'bout Tuna pie, cake, etc...I have NO idea where she came up with this!!! So, if we want a little laugh...we just say, "Hey, Clayton, do you want a Tuna Cookie?"

Chicago Trip 1...Part 1

2009-07-10T08:32:00.005-05:00

At the beginning of June, Clayton and I went with Granna and Bittons to Chicago to see Ca-Ca! It was her b-day! Clayton got her some flip flops that have interchangeable colored straps and buttons...it was a really cute idea...but the shoe sizing was NOT anywhere close to correct! We went to the park a lot...there is a park not too far from Catherine's house that has lots of cool "hills" to run up and down....Clayton LOVED it! They, of course, were having a heat wave, so when we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, it was too hot for even the animals to come out. We didn't last there very long!!!

Lovin' My Babies

2009-06-21T23:21:00.005-05:00

Here are some pics I uploaded from June...that I never wrote or posted!!! She LOVES playing with babies! So here are some cute pics of her with her Bittons and Granna...and her BABIES!!!

Summer Swimmin'

2009-06-21T23:02:00.009-05:00

So, Clayton LOVES the water...here are some pictures from the beginning of summer that I have just now downloaded and put together...I am trying to catch up...so I'm not blogging much...just posting pics!!! They are pretty self explanatory!!! These are all from our pool...

The Little Flower Girl

2009-06-21T22:56:00.003-05:00

So Clayton is going to be the flower girl in Lauren's wedding this Christmas! Clayton is excited! Lauren is one of my former students/cheerleaders from Harvest that I spent LOTS of time with while I was there! I am so excited that now my daughter gets to be a part of such an amazing time in Lauren's life...it is quite cool!!!

We went to try on flower girl dresses so that Lauren could get an idea of what she liked...we finally ended up at David's Bridal...the 3rd place in the list of not so great places to find a dress for a 21 month old! We did find a dress...just in time for nap time for the little one...here are the picks...

Little Gym

2009-06-21T21:41:00.006-05:00

Clayton has been taking gymnastics lessons at The Little Gym since February. She loves it. We have seen a lot of growth in her attention span and in her upper body strength.
She absolutely loves the balance beam and bubbles on her tummy! Ms. Tish is her teacher, and she loves her, too!!!

I'm a PRINCESS!!!

2009-06-21T21:27:00.003-05:00

Clayton decided to put on one of my shirts and be a "princess!" She was dancing around have a great time...so we got a little video of it, too!!!

ICE CREAM!!!

2009-06-21T16:04:00.002-05:00

Yes, she has sprinkles all over her face...she ate ice cream when the Griggs' were over at the house last week...all by herself!!! She turned the bowl upside down to get every last drop out...and ended up with sprinkles all over her face...too cute!!!

Family Reunion

2009-06-21T15:54:00.004-05:00

21-22 months...

2009-06-18T15:34:00.002-05:00

I haven't done a lot of "What Clayton is doing at ____ age" in a while...so I thought I would fill in a few blanks!

Here are a couple of funny sentences that she has created in the last couple of days. On Saturday, Mark made her a Minnie-Mouse pancake because she didn't want a Mickey one. Do you think she figured out that she would get more chocolate chips with Minnie because of the bow? Anyway, we were sitting at her picnic table with her while she was eating her pancake and fruit and she got this astonished (and dramatic) look on her face. I really don't know where she comes up with this stuff...her daddy and I are sooo laid back?!?! Anyway, she said, "Guys, my Minnie Mouse pancake is looking at me!" We thought, wow, that's a lot of words!

Today we were having snack time when she woke up from her nap...again, at her little picnic table! I had put my head on her table, and she said, "No, Mommy, don't you stick your head on my picnic table!" That is 11 words...at one time!!!

Other favorite phrases...this is delicious...really tasty!
Everything is "Super-Duper"
She also likes to answer with "okay, sure, why not!"

She loves "Little Gym" and she singing the "Pat the Mat" song. Keldan goes to gym with us...and we can't talk about gym without added Keldan, Aunt Starla, and Uncle Grant to the conversation!

I just wanted to jot these down before I forget...hopefully I can get some pictures posted about our "Super Duper" summer really soon!!!

High Five...Shimmy Shake...and "Mines Horsie"

2009-06-02T22:06:00.003-05:00

I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks...I have some cute pictures...but for now, I will just put a couple of stories down before I totally FORGET!!!

The other day Clayton started saying "High Five...Shimmy Shake!" We thought maybe it was something that her Mamaw had been doing with her...but then we were watching the ONE AND ONLY Strawberry Shortcake...and they do a little "High Five, Should Bump, Hip Thump, Shimmy Shake!" It is sooo cute...and that was what she was doing!!! She is a little sponge and remembers everything!!!

Her other thing she is loving to do right now is "Lemme read you a story!" So she gets a book and puts it RIGHT in her face. She says (about 3 times), "Lemme read you a story...Once a time, there a pincess, Clayton, Mommy, Dada...Okay, I all done!" She also has a variation with CareBears...it is sooo cute!!!

So for the past couple of weeks, we have been leaving our neighborhood a different direction to get to Sublett. At the end of this "new" path is a house across the street with some "animals." Make no mistake, Clayton has been on many a "ride" down the oil-top roads to see "reindeer," "moos," "horsies," and "donkeys." She always does a great job of telling them apart. For some reason, at this house, the "animals" are a little more difficult to distinguish?!?! The first time we saw them, she said, "Hey, Mommy, look it's a horsie." I told her, "No, Clayton, I think that is a donkey, sweetheart." (Her response) "No, Mommy, it's a horsie...it's my horsie..."

So literally every day, she looks at the house to see if "her horsie" is there...and the little pumpkin REALLY thinks this "horsie" is hers. One day, I told her again that I thought it was a donkey and she said, "No, I ask Bittons when he gets her, and he tell me!"

Many times, it isn't there...and I get the "Oh, no, my horsie's gone...where is he...I find him...let's go." And again, she REALLY thinks it is hers! (Side note: There is a horse place right down the block from our house that has 20-25 horses in a big fenced in area that we have to go by 5 times a day so she can see the horsies...one of the horses just had a baby...so she is also obsessed with her "baby horsie") Anyway...Today, we were on our way to WalMart, and we drove by this house, and it had two "horsies" in front of it...Clayton said, "Oh, look, it's my horsies, there out here...I see 'em!!!" I replied, "I think they are donkeys, sweetheart!" And she said, "Yeah, maybe so!" It was so funny the way she said it...she finally got to see them close enough that she knew they weren't horses...

Outside...Yesterday!!!

2009-05-18T20:06:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, we had a "cool" front come in...Clayton wanted to go outside at 9:00 sooo bad...but it wasn't even 60 degrees yet!!! We told her it was too cold outside, but she kept begging to go outside...she finally came up with this attire!!! She found a Dora hat to go along with her pjs and light up sketchers! She thought that surely if she put on a hat and some socks and shoes that she would be warm enough to go outside...so...we gave in...

Below are my little gangster pictures...she is such a cutie pie!!!

Do you see that foot...almost touching the red brick...she knows she isn't allowed to touch that part because it is so close to the pool...but she was testing her boundaries!!!

My little drama baby!!! I had no idea how much drama girls could have!!! We have several friends who have boys that are Clayton's age, and none of them have the drama that we have on a daily basis!!!

I guess she got over it!!!

A Couple More Mother's Day Pictures

2009-05-18T14:19:00.005-05:00

Here are a few more pictures from a different camera!!!

Playing in the Rain

2009-05-18T13:55:00.003-05:00

I just loved this picture!!!

Clayton was playing in her "Clubhouse" and looking at Mickey's Comet through the telescope!

Running in the rain...even though you can't see her face, so I thought this pic was cool!!!

Bath Time...

2009-05-18T13:25:00.003-05:00

A week or so ago, Clayton decided she wanted to take a bath in our jacuzzi tub...with BUBBLES!!! So here are a couple of cute pictures! She had a blast...and now wants to take a bath in Mommy's tub all the time!!! Johnson's has a new "bubble bath" that is just like their other bath products...doesn't burn...and is SOOO light! And it produces TONS of bubbles!!

Easter Pictures from Emily's Studio

2009-05-18T13:17:00.004-05:00

Right after Easter, we went to our favorite photographer, Emily and had a few pictures made in Clayton's Easter dress...here they are!!!

Mother's Day at Granna's House

2009-05-18T10:28:00.012-05:00

For Mother's Day, we went to Atlanta to see Granna and Big Clayton. Clayton had a new dress to wear to church that Sunday. We put it on, and she immediately started turning in circles and saying, "I'm a pin-ces" It was SOOO cute...and I wish I had been videoing it, but of course, I wasn't!!!
We attempted a TON of pictures after church on Sunday...our best hope was to get some outside!!! She was really tired because we had been to the early service which starts at 8:30...but we did the best we could to get some pictures!

While we were trying to get pictures of Clayton outside, she was busy getting all of the lava rock out of Granna's flowerbeds and stack them all up!!!

So tired!!!

Clayton picked out a cake for Granna and me! She loves purple, so this one caught her eye!

Yes, she was sticking her finger in it...why do you think she wanted to get a cake for us!!!

Here is Granna's card that Clayton is about to present to her!!

Very excited about delivering it!!!

Granna let Clayton help her open it!!!

Clayton loves "Shortcake" as she calls her, so we had to get this card for Granna!

Clayton giving me my gifts for Mother's Day!

I got a CareBears card...which loves "almost" as much as Shortcake!

Clayton and Mark got me a James Avery charm for my bracelet. It says "Best Mom" which is kind of a joke BECAUSE...this week Clayton decided that she wanted me to be "Mom" instead of "Mommy." It really bothered me! Mark couldn't understand why...but it is simply because that signifies that she is growing up!!! It made me SAD!!! Anyway, the charm will always help me remember that!!!

Of course, she had to put the bracelet on!!!

Sweet Mark made a little certificate on the computer to give me a free day off...he would do this any time I wanted without a certificate because he is an awesome husband and dad...but the certificate was cute!!!

The rest are all just random pictures from that Sunday afternoon...mostly outside!!!

I had to include this one because that face was too cute!!!

She is chasing Otis around the yard!

The Sandbox

2009-05-18T09:56:00.004-05:00

We got Clayton a sand and water table! She had a lot of fun playing in it! She mostly likes to just mix the sand and water together...but it provides her with lots of entertainment outside...while it is too cold to get in the pool!!! And it lets us sit outside and enjoy some time on the patio...lookin at the pool...hoping to get in VERY soon!!!

Cute Little Video

2009-05-17T20:26:00.004-05:00

Mother's Day at Mamaw's House

2009-05-11T14:15:00.006-05:00

The weekend before Mother's Day, we went to Mamaw's house for a Mother's Day celebration since we would be out of town on Mother's Day weekend in Atlanta! We went over about 3:00 on Sunday afternoon so that we could cook dinner. We convinced Glenda to make Tequila Chicken that she used to always make. She hadn't made it in at least three years because she kept saying that she didn't have anything to cook the chicken in because her indoor grill thing wouldn't work anymore...or something like that! Mark and I had planned for a couple of months to get her a new grill/griddle for Mother's Day, so this was our sneaky plan to give it to her...AND get Tequila Chicken!

When we got there, Glenda was outside under the porch trying to start a little charcoal grill to grill the chicken...so we had to get her to open her present pretty fast!!!

Surprise!!! Here's your Wolfgang Puck Electric Grill/Griddle

Clayton also gave her several picture the we had taken in some cute little frames!!

Of course, we had cookies for dessert...and Clayton made sure she got one!!!

Cheese!!!

On her Tricycle with Mamaw!

Clayton ready to take a nap in the swing at Mamaw's...with her night-night, pillow, may-may, and Shortcake dolls

Clayton was "pretend" taking a nap!

In her Mamaw's glasses. I am pretty sure that I have a picture of me in my Memaw's glasses just like this somewhere!!! I'll have to find it!

Clayton shut herself in Cocoa's crate...she has keys in her hand, so maybe she thinks it is a car?!?!

Clayton playing with these little dolls that Glenda has had since Allie and Ashleigh were little...and they still work...they talk and sing...and Clayton loves them! She calls them her "friends"

Thunder Whales, Swine Flu, and...Pizza!

2009-05-03T21:53:00.003-05:00

So this past week has been kind of crazy! We have stayed busy, busy, busy, and I feel like I haven't blogged in FOREVER. Yes, I know, I don't even have Easter pictures up yet...but they are coming...I just have to get psyched up to do it!!!

In the mean time, I do have a cute little story!
Background- Clayton LOVES to watch the CareBears before she goes night-night...it is part of our bedtime routine. Most nights, it wears Mark and I out...but it sure did come in handy last night!!! It was a little stormy last night, and usually, it doesn't bother Clayton. Tonight, she kept hearing the extremely loud crashes of thunder...and she said, "Mommy, Daddy, it's McKenna, she's bringing the Thunder Whales...let's go outside and see them" Mark and I kind of looked at each other...and then we realized that there was an episode of the CareBears where McKenna (the little girl) helps a baby Thunder Whale (which their "singing" sounds like thunder) that gets stuck! Clayton remember that episode and related it to the thunder that was going on outside...it was so cute. Perhaps every child should watch the "Thunder Whales" episode of the CareBears...then they won't be scared of the thunder either...of course, the down side it that she was sad that she couldn't go outside and see them!!! Don't worry, every time she heard the thunder, she said, "OOhh, Thunder Whales, let's go see them!"

Through all of the thunder, we decided to order pizza...the weather wasn't really lending itself to grilling out, and we didn't really want to mess up the kitchen or get out in the rain...so pizza it was!!! There was only one problem...Clayton doesn't do pizza. Any time that we are eating pizza and try to get her to try it, she says, "Yucky, pizza!" We decided that we would try Chicken Alfredo Pizza since it doesn't have tomato sauce and that is what really "yucks" her out! We told her that we were having a "special dinner" delivered to our house just for her. We told her that they were going to bring it to the door and ring the door bell...and that she could give them the money. She said, "Oh, Bitton bring it to me." (Basically because he is the most common person that we make a big deal out of coming to the door!) Anyway, we built it up to be a really big deal so that she would hopefully at least try it. She tried it...and actually ate several bites of it. Not that I should be thrilled that my child ate a completely unhealthy food like pizza...but it certainly is nice to know she will eat it if we are in a bind...I mean, there is only so far that fruit, fruit, fruit and yogurt can take you!!!

And finally, SWINE FLU! I am so sad our district hasn't closed yet!!! I know that it isn't a big deal...and that we probably don't NEED to close...but I could REALLY use another "Spring Break" off!!! My brother-in-law teaches in Fort Worth, so he has the week off...we even have a school in our district shut down, but our district hasn't closed...and neither has Mark's...but I am hoping...I'll keep ya posted!!!

Thanks for hanging in with me on my stories...I will be back SOON with pictures from Easter, eating pizza, and lot of more fun thing that have been going on...

Clayton is 20 months old...can you believe it?!?!

Quick Little Story...

2009-04-21T21:37:00.002-05:00

I have been horrible at blogging lately! I think it is because I have too many things to blog...so I am overwhelmed!!! I still haven't even posted Easter pictures...did I even post Spring Break?!?!

Well, I have a little Clayton story from TONIGHT...and I thought, "If I go in and write it right now, I won't forget it...and maybe I won't be so overwhelmed about blogging anymore!!!"

So, here's the story...

Mark took Clayton in the backyard to see how she would play (even though we have the pool)...just to get an idea before we put a sandbox out there...she did great, by the way! She never even was interested in getting near the pool!!! Here's the story!

Clayton was sitting at the table under the patio enjoying some watermelon...and the all of a sudden started saying "Oooh, it's a mis-er-ee" She said it over and over again...I finally figured out...Oh, she's saying mystery (where does she get this vocabulary at 1 1/2 years old!!!)! Anyway, she kept saying "Look, it's a mis-er-ee...we have a find a clues...hurry" And she started walking around the side yard picking up sticks...she is so stinkin creative! She took her stick and said she was painting with it! She painted the columns of the patio and the brick...she's such a little pumpkin!!!

One more story...the other day we were on our way home from Fossil Rim, and we were trying to keep Clayton awake until we got home. Mark kept reaching back and getter her may-may (what she calls her pacifier). Her response to him was "No, ma'am, be nice a me!" It was soooo funny!!! She sure comes up with some funnies!!!

More to come with some pics soon, I promise!!!

Funny Little Clayton Story...

2009-03-29T19:26:00.003-05:00

Tonight, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law came over to hang out. After we ate dinner, the boys went outside to hang a UV-blind, and Clayton was keeping Rae Ann busy bossing her around. For a few minutes, I was just enjoying the fact that I was not the one being bossed around. Clayton had done all of her usual sweet things she does to entertain guests...you know, thinking that they are at her call or snap of the finger.

Anyway, Clayton had brought "Rae" into the living room with a baby doll. Clayton had also brought a couple of her "kitchen" items in. Rae Ann was rocking the baby doll, and Clayton was trying to get her to follow her back into the playroom. Rae Ann asked Clayton if she had the baby bottle...hoping that Clayton would go to the playroom by herself, get it, and forget that they were supposed to go into the playroom together! So, the conversation went like this:

(Rae Ann) Clayton, don't you want to go get the baby's bottle? It's in the play room.

(Me) You can go get it and bring it back to Rae...

(Clayton) Umm...no, thanks! Come on, Rae, let's get it!

(Rae Ann) Can you go get it and bring it back to me?

(Clayton) No, sir! 'mon, Rae, go get it!

I don't know where this sassy attitude comes from?!?!?!

And yes, I know that she will be the child that is bossing all of the other kids at school!

Funny Story...

2009-03-26T12:47:00.003-05:00

So...after lunch, Clayton and I were hanging out, and she said, "Mommy, I wanna a cookie." I told her that we didn't have any cookies at our house. She said, "Ok, Mommy, Mamaw's house, come on, let's go! Mamaw has em her house!" She is such a mess!!!

And here are a couple of pictures that we took with her Minnie ears on...

A New Park...

2009-03-23T21:10:00.005-05:00

I know you probably get tired of park pictures, but it IS what we do! This is a new park we tried...it is Redd Cane Park. It had a pond and some ducks...but Clayton was scared of the ducks and geese!!! It also has tons of concrete around a trail, so we should be able to take Clayton's jeep and let her drive it through there!!!

Clayton's Magazine Debut!!!

2009-03-23T21:01:00.004-05:00

Below is the link to the Portrait Pros advertisement that appeared in the Coupon Clipper magazine this past week. I didn't even know about it until a friend brought it to school and showed it to me...CRAZY!!! Kinda cool, though!!!

http://couponclipper.com/loc/PORTRAITPROS/Extras#t

A Couple of Tricks...

2009-03-22T13:43:00.005-05:00

I am not the most talented at videos...but here are a couple of short clips from this week!

Random Pre-Spring Break!

2009-03-21T23:45:00.009-05:00

The weekend before Granna's break, Big Clayton and Granna came to visit...they met us in Rockwall because we had been to Lauren Clayton's 2nd birthday party. Clayton fell in love with the little kitchen Lauren had gotten. She played with it like she has never played with anything!!! And because she loved it so much, I went on Craig's list the next morning and found one that we ended up buying that afternoon!!! It was a great deal, and we had never done Craig's List before! We picked it up in Bedford for $30, and it came with tons of dishes and plastic food! Clayton LOVES it, and it was perfect for us because we weren't ready to invest in the magnificant kitchen that we will eventually buy her...and this totally works for now!!!

We also went to the park that weekend...so, of course, I HAD to take some pictures of that!!!

Below are some pictures from Lauren's party!

At Lauren's party...my college roommie and I with our two kiddos!!!

Here is THE kitchen that Clayton fell in love with!!!

Makin' Cookies!!!

2009-03-21T23:18:00.009-05:00

We were at Babies R Us last weekend, and I saw these cool cookies that you make from scratch with your kiddos and then paint them! So, of course, I thought this would be a great project for us at the Bird house! Below are the "steps" in making these "wonderful" cookies! It was really fun, and Clayton did love making them...each step of them! So...in the end, that's what matters...right?!?!

Clayton and Ashleigh started out with the dough...and Clayton was trying to "pat" it down!

Then she took a break because Ashleigh wanted to feed her some of the dough!

Clayton "patting" the dough some more!!!

Now they are trying to make these adorable little animals...that weren't so adorable to try to get out of the cookie cutters!!!

Finished products...ready to dig out and put in the over!!!

After we cooked them, we iced them with a white icing that had to "dry" before we could do anything else! Clayton loved "globbing" the icing on the cookies!

Of course, you have to "sample" the product!!!

After the cookies dried later on that night, we painted them on her new picnic table...and she absolutely loved it...as long as I get the brush turned the right direction for her!!!

I love her facial expressions while she is trying to paint...tongue out, concentrating!!!

Yummy, yummy...good!!!

Mule Riding...

2009-03-21T22:50:00.004-05:00

So...when we got to Big Clayton and Granna's house, we always go for a mule ride! Clayton LOVES it...she always gets to see cows, horses, and donkeys. Big Clayton always stops and tries to "talk" to all of the animals. Last night, she was ready to go on her ride because she wanted to see the "aminals" as she was calling them! She was so excited! She rode in the back with Ca-Ca and I most of the time. We stopped to see the cows and she kept telling us they were "tuck in the fence." It was really cute! That was her way of reassuring herself that they would not come to get her. At one point, we pulled off the main black top road and saw some deer. We ask Clayton what they were, and she replied, "Reindeer, Reindeer!" She then went out to say, "Reindeer eat they dinner, corn!" Wow...we were very impressed with that! Our little baby isn't a baby any more...she is a little girl! She can express herself in sentences and comes up with things we have no idea how or why she remembers them!!!

I will add a couple of pictures as soon as I load them on the camera!!!

On a side note, we went to Granna's school yesterday to let Granna show her off. After roaming all around the school and walking into random classrooms to sit at desks and wave at kids, we went back to Granna's room. Clayton was trying to climb in one of the "plastic" chairs that all schools have...you know, the ones with the holes in the middle...you see where this is going, yet?!!? Well, Clayton's way of climbing into chairs is to get her upper body in it and pull herself up with her arms around the chair...so, she started climbing in the chair and then started yelling "I tuck, I tuck...hep, Granna, Mommy, Daddy, I tuck!" Granna was nearby, so she tried to get her head out, and bless her heart, she was really stuck!!! Luckily, Mark was there and was able to turn her head sideways, so she could get her OUT!!! Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture because it was too awful at the time!!! She was SOOO upset!!! For the very few minutes that her head was stuck, I kept thinking, "Oh, no, we are gonna have to get a saw or something to get her head out!!!" Luckily after a few tears and getting to sit in the chair and type on the computer, she was healed!!! (One more note...her new favorite thing to do is play "I tuck, hep, I tuck" so it wasn't uncommon for her to start yelling that before we actually realize that she wasn't "playing" this time!!!

Fun with the G'Parents!

2009-03-17T10:36:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago, Clayton went and stay with "Bi-ton" and Granna on Sunday night. Here are a couple of the pictures of her fun...

Big Clayton built Clayton a "Clubhouse" out of some old boxes, and she loved it!

Clayton just chillin' in her big girl chair that Aunt Ca-Ca got her for Christmas!

Clayton having a tea party on top of her Clubhouse!

Clayton playing on her AquaDoodle Mat...she's getting to be such a big girl!

And last, but not least...here's a picture of Clayton's eye! She decided to take a great dive off Granna and Big Clayton's bed while Granna was trying to change her diaper. It wasn't quite as bad as Halloween when she fell on her nose...but it was a pretty ugly fall! She got a pretty bad carpet burn my her eye...and it turned into a nice little red scar...but I think in another week, it will be completely gone. Did she learn a lesson about diving off the bed?!?! I doubt it!!!

The Big Blue House: Pay It Forward: My First Giveaway. :)

2009-02-21T11:17:00.001-06:00

The Big Blue House: Pay It Forward: My First Giveaway. :)

Check the post out on Melissa's blog...it is such a great idea...I'm trying to come up with my craft...and then maybe YOU can win on my blog!!! In the mean time, check this one out!!!

18 Month Pictures

2009-02-18T21:18:00.004-06:00

We went yesterday to see Ms. Emily and have Clayton's pics done! Wow, trying to get pictures of an 18 month old is VERY difficult. Above is a picture of Clayton spinning in circles! We actually took a series of pictures of her turning in circles and put them all together in a long composite! It turned out pretty cute! The whole time we were there, Clayton was having stimulation overload! She would see a "prop" to take a picture with and we would drag it out...by the time we would get it set up, she would say "No, Em-lee...no, no" and this continued on for quite some time...This was the best we could do!!! It does get better, right?!?

Another one of her "prop" ideas...

We wanted to take a couple of pictures of her laying down on the mat, so we told her that Mickey Mouse was in the camera...she didn't buy it for that picture at all...but a few minutes later (when we had moved on), she was trying to find him in the camera!

Above, she had just finished "jump, jump" and said "sit dOWn"...and then demonstrated!

The bicycle...another prop she wanted to drag out!

Kissing her monkey...

We have our 18 month check-up tomorrow, so I will add her stats and some "things" she is doing now!!!

Valentine's Part II

2009-02-17T20:46:00.004-06:00

So...Valentine's Day, we decided to go to a Japanese Hibachi restaurant! We went at Christmas to one in Texarkana, and it didn't seem to bother Clayton. We made a big mistake this time!!! We thought it would be fun and entertaining. It would have been except for the fact that the big, tall Japanese MAN started talking to Clayton with huge knives and spatulas in his hands that he was banging all over the metal table area...not a good start...then came the fire...and the screaming...and the tears! It wasn't much fun from that point on. Never mind that she had been perfect for the first 35 minutes that we sat there before the whole cooking process started...but from that point on, huge tears and absolutely NO WAY that she was going to step foot back in that area...EVER!!! So we had to take "shifts" of eating! Oh well, we learned a valuable lesson...Clayton hates Hibachi!!!

Clayton and Granna using chop sticks to eat raisins and gold fish!

Aunt Ca-Ca sent a bunch of wonderful Valentine presents to Clayton. It was sweet, and Clayton loved them all!!! Here she is playing with Darby and her "think, think, think" cap!

Sharing a sweet Valentine's kiss with her mommy and daddy!

Valentine's Pictures...

2009-02-17T18:02:00.007-06:00

Here are some pictures that I took on Tuesday before Valentine's Day so that I could make Valentine's cards from Walgreens. I took a ton, but Clayton wasn't in one of the most cooperative moods! I have a whole new appreciation for photographers!!!

This is Clayton running away from the huge teddy bear that her grandparents gave her last Valentine's! I thought we could "use" it for the pics...BIG mistake!!!

Clayton pulled the bows out off of her monkey's ears, and then she thought she would try to put them in her hair...too cute!

San Antonio

2009-02-14T13:13:00.012-06:00

This past Wednesday, Clayton and I went to San Antonio with "Button" and Granna! We drove down on Wednesday afternoon, and we came back on Friday afternoon. Not a long trip, but long enough with a one year old! She actually did great! We stayed at the Marriott River Center, and Granna and I went across the street to the TMEA conference while Big Clayton aka Button stayed in the hotel. Below are some pics from the trip!

Here's Clayton playing in the chair at the hotel.

Here she is in her "Ta-La" as she calls it...pose! Note the hand out and the makeup brush/microphone in the other hand...

Clayton jumping on the pillows...and loving it!!!

Here is Clayton with her backpack/leash ready to go to the Alamo and riverwalk!

What we didn't know it that Clayton HATES elevators...she's always been in a stroller if we had to get on an elevator at the mall or something...but she was not a fan of it...especially when the bell hop didn't get on the same elevator with us, and he had all of our stuff!!!

Just hanging out at that River Center Mall

Outside in the park area of the Alamo...

A trip to the Disney store can cure ANYTHING!!! Today, she was addicted to Daisey! All the people in the store were amazed that she knew all of the characters and was calling to them by name. She was also going around kissing ALL of them! It was really cute, but it was really stressful, too!!!

Playing on the bed in the hotel room with Button and all of her Disney Characters! They were having buy 1 get 1 free, so we did get several...but she already had some!!!

In The Leaves

2009-02-14T11:55:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday, Mark decided to work in the yard. Clayton decided that she wanted to go outside and "help" him. Below are some cute pictures of her "helping" Daddy in the yard!!!

Look, Mommy, I found a leaf!

Clayton got tired, so she was "sleeping" on the concrete for a few SECONDS!!

Clayton with Pooh and Tigger and Darby in the leaves!

Still in the leaves with Darby and Pooh...

She pulled the rake all over the yard and all over the concrete...it was pretty funny!

And going back to "night, night"

Kickin Chicken!!!

2009-02-14T10:32:00.002-06:00

So, Sunday night, Clayton thought it would be great to play with her chicken! She didn't really like the flavor of it, so she decided to start putting it in the empty water bottle! It was pretty funny! She would put every piece of chicken into the bottle...dump it all out...and refill it all back into the bottle...I did get a video, but I need to edit it before I post it because it is too long!!!

Corn on the Cob

2009-02-14T10:12:00.002-06:00

Clayton has decided that she LOVES corn on the cob...I think the pictures speak for themselves!!!

Today...

2009-02-10T14:25:00.002-06:00

Today was such an AWFUL day for us!!! Clayton has had this "cough" since before Christmas. We have been to the doctor two times already, and they cannot find anything "wrong" with her. However, the doctor also says that it is not normal for a child to have a cough for that long, either! Clayton doesn't have fever, but you can definitely tell that it makes her feel bad at times! We went back to the doctor today (for the 3rd time), and Dr. Daniel suggested that we have lab work done for allergies. After we left the doctor's office, we went to the lab work place. Please keep in mind that Clayton already had a TERRIBLE fit from the time we rounded the corner and saw the "scales" until we left out of the building...and Dr. Daniel didn't do anything to her, really!!!

So, we went to the lab work place...and it was horrible!!! I don't think that I have ever cried and hurt for my child like I did today! Not even when we were going through all of her sickness last Christmas and testing for CF and every other disease imaginable!!! Mark had to hold Clayton in the chair with his legs around hers and his arms holding hers down while I tried to talk to the itty bitty pumpkin and try to make it "all better." It was SERIOUSLY over 5 minutes!!! She got the needle in there easily, but the fit that Clayton was throwing (and being really tense!) stopped the blood from flowing, so the nurse was having to "squeeze" to get the blood in the tiny tube!!! She was screaming and crying out in pain and fear...it was AWFUL!!! Have I said that yet?!?!

As we were walking out of the back area, I noticed (and I am not even kidding!) three women in the waiting room who were crying b/c of hearing Clayton!!! They each said, "Oh, poor baby, sweet thing," etc. And that was only for ALLERGY TESTING!!! UUGGHH!!!

So, we walked out, and Clayton was doing the hyperventilating breathing (you know, you used to do it, too!) and Mark looked at me and said, "Let's go!" So, we went next door to the ice cream place!!! Mark is soooo against Clayton having sweets, but I guess he felt it was warranted this time!!! We were all pretty shaken up over the whole ordeal!!! (The whole ice cream thing started when another little boy came in with ice cream before Clayton got her blood taken and she was yelling "ice keem, ice keem"...

What a day!!! And I still have a 2nd grade Valentine's program tonight!!!

Keldan and Clayton at the Park

2009-02-08T10:35:00.003-06:00

Last Friday was really a nice day, so Starla and I took Clayton and Keldan to the park. They had a great time. We stayed there for almost 2 hours!!! They loved to slide, and after we took their picture together once, they thought they should pose together every time they were going to slide. Here are just a couple of pictures...if Clayton could stay outside all day every day, she would be a happy camper!!!

Starla brought bubbles, too. Clayton just wanted to carry the wand around, and she wasn't really so interested in the bubbles.

We actually got one picture where they were both smiling and looking that the camera!

They loved swinging...we had to go back a couple of times to the swings!

This is where Clayton figured out that she could "kind of" slide and stop herself and pull herself back up!

Happy Birthday to Vance...

2009-02-07T12:41:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Vance's 2nd Birthday! At first, I was a little nervous about taking Clayton because we hadn't been to a real brithday party at a REAL place at that point! All of our birthday parties had consisted of just being at someone's house with cake and gifts. BUT...we did it! Clayton had the best time! The party was at The Park Mall at the Carousel. The kiddos got unlimited rides on the carousel and Chick-Fil-A and cookie cake! Clayton acted like such a big girl. Here are some of the pics!

Clayton on the carousel

Clayton and the birthday boy eating Chick-fil-a

Clayton with her waffle fry, and Vance getting ready to bail out for another carousel ride!!!

Just enjoying the carousel ride after ride after ride...

Mommy, is this a rocking horse?

2009-02-07T12:10:00.002-06:00

Here are some cute pics of another one of Clayton's silent excursions! We left the door to the laundry room open one night, so Clayton, who was about to get a bath, walked into the laundry room (of course)! She dumped the trash can over and decided that she would ride it like a rocking horse. She was yelling, "Horsie, rocky-rocky, horsie." She was having a great time, but there's a good chance that we will need a new trash can in our laundry room soon!

Guilty as Charged!

2009-02-07T11:24:00.002-06:00

Clayton is the Queen of Climbing and getting into things she shouldn't...and yes, I know, that's what she's SUPPOSED to be doing at this age. Mark's brother and sister-in-law came over the other night, and Clayton was roaming around and playing in "her" drawers in the kitchen. She was being awfully quite, so I went in to the kitchen to see what she was doing. Rather than playing with the things "in" her drawer, she was actually in her drawer playing...crazy little pumpkin!!!

17 Months!!!

2009-01-19T10:01:00.004-06:00

So little "baby" Clayton is 17 months old!!! I cannot believe it! Life with her is so much fun right now! She is talking up a storm and just growing up!!!

Her weight- 25 lb.
Her height- ?33-34 in.

Over the past month, she has gotten 3 molars (the fourth is working it's way in)...so she has 10 teeth now...but I can see her 4th bottom tooth coming in and that final molar!!

She loves to do the "Hokey Pokey." She loves to "run, run," "kick, kick" and do "circle, circle, circles" all the time. She has started to do motions to "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider" when SHE wants to!!!

She can repeat anything that you say, pretty much. She has two books that she can "read." She knows all of the animals in her farm book and can tell you their names and what sound they make. She can go to the fridge and verbally tell you what she wants! And she definitely can tell you what she dosen't want! She LOVES "yogut" (yogart) and pears.

Bathtime: She loves bath time. She has a bath tub Darby, Buster, Elmo, and Dora. She loves to play with them. She says "I on a baff" (I want a bath!) and goes to the door and knocks on it.

Funny/Interesting things:
1. She has NO concept of space...she thinks she can "fit" anywhere! She loves to get in her baby doll pack and play and go "nite-nite." She tries to cram herself in the little people lego container. The other day my mom got her a Cabbage Patch fairy, and she took the box that it was in (which was actually already torn in half) and tried to "sit" herself in it.

2. She loves to give Otis a cookie...and over the past few weeks, she has actually started calling him Otis instead of "doggie."

3. She loves to be outside...doesn't matter what the temperature is.

4. She has started throwing "tantrums" once a day. Usually it is when she is really tired...which brings me to my next fact...

5. She is trying to move herself to 1 nap a day...unfortunately, this nap is around noon.

This list could go on and on and on...I'm going to go ahead and posted it before I continue it into her 18th month!!!

Here are a few pics of my 17 month old pumpkin!!!

We have started trying to use a "leash" with Clayton when we go out for "short" adventures. This was our 1st experience...she actually did really great. I know, we are horrible for using it...but it is sooo much better than having her in a stroller or risking someone taking her!!!

Clayton and Haley at Christmas

2009-01-18T19:48:00.005-06:00

My mom's best friend in the whole wide world...that she has known since she could walk is Dianne Whatley. Like all friendships, theirs has evolved over the years. It is in a new place these days. Their granddaughters are playing together. Haley is 4, so she's been around for a while, but this was the 1st time that she and Clayton could actually "play!" They had a blast. Clayton was saying " M'on Haley, play..." and Haley would say, "Up here Baby Claytlin". (Did we give our kiddo a hard name or what?!?) Here are a couple of pics from their Christmas playing experience!!!

Christmas Recap...

2009-01-17T21:49:00.011-06:00

Lookin' cute in her Santa Hat and PJs Christmas night before we left to go back to DFW

Christmas Eve completely passed OUT, and it was only 5 o'clock!

Cute little Pooh towel/robe that she got...she LOVES Pooh!

Unwrapping the "freaky" Dora who has an abnormally large head!!!

The destruction that was the Clayton house...after Christmas unwrapping!!

The Whole Crutcher Clan...minus Uncle Don who is taking the picture!

Opening her gift from Memaw!

Just sittin on the boxes and letting people hand her gifts to open!

It's a Bitty Baby!

Clayton opening her 1st American Girl doll from Uncle Don and Uncle Jeannie (that's what I called them!)

Clayton helping Memaw open her presents!

so sweet!

Lovin on her baby Aunt Kathy gave her

Clayton getting her present from her Great-Aunt Kathy!

Clayton with her two babies...Tabby and Gabby!

Clayton pushing her tricycle around the room!

Clayton drinking her baby's bottle!!!

Clayton and Darby going for a ride in the jeep!

Hangin' out over at her tent!

Unwrapping the HUGE chair Aunt Ca-Ca bought her!

Clayton really seeing all of what Santa brought for the 1st time! Look at that face!

She is so excited!

Look at the smile on that pumpkin's face...she knows something is up!

Waking up in Mommy & Daddy's bed Christmas morning!

Look what SANTA brought!

Giving Tabby a "keess"

Just chillin with her newest "baby" named Tabby!

Her methodical unwrapping of a gift...

"Just touch it, Granna!"

Giving Aunt Ca-Ca a head-butt!

So cute in her little SANTA outfit!

Just the immediate Clayton fam!

Christmas Eve with the WHOLE CLAYTON CLAN!

So we had an amazing Christmas this year. It was so much fun with Clayton. She had so much fun unwrapping the presents. She would literally make sure every speck of paper was off of the gift before she would open it. Mark and I let her sleep with us that night...she hadn't done that in a LONG time...and Mark and I didn't get any sleep. She is such a bad bed partner...she flips and flops and talks in her sleep...but we woke her up at 7:30 because we were ready to see what Santa brought!!! We came down the stairs, and she was amazed. She played with her Barbie Jeep, Dora Ball pit, and Disney princess tent.

She took a break in the middle of opening gifts for some fruit. She sat in her Barbie Jeep with her feet up and had her Granna feeding her. It was quite hilarious! After a couple of hours, she was exhausted! She crawled up in Big Clayton's lap and wanted to go to sleep. They decided to go back to the bedroom and watch a little Pooh and fall asleep...as Clayton started to walk back there, she almost fell down because she was half asleep...yep, she was so tired from Christmas presents that she fell asleep while she was walking!!!

After a nap, we headed out the Uncle Don and Aunt Jeannie's house. We had a lot of fun there...then we headed back to DFW for the Bird Christmas on the 26th! We picked up Ashleigh on the way in and stayed at Glenda's all day on the 26th. We played Guitar Hero until our eyes just about popped out from staring at the tv.

Here are some pics from the events of from the 24th-26th...

Emler Swim Orientation...

2009-01-17T19:53:00.005-06:00

Last Saturday, we went to Emler in Colleyville to go through swim orientation. We were amazed at their program. It is a 5 month course, and it is AWESOME! We loved it, but decided that we would wait until the summer (when they offer one in south Arlington 5 min. from our house instead of 45 min.!!!) because Clayton would be just a little older! We are, however, going to join the Y in Arlington for the next couple of months so that Clayton can keep her "love" for the water. We did swim lessons for a couple of weeks at Lifetime Fitness until our swim teacher stopped showing up for lessons...anyway, I'm tired of this story...so there you go!!!

Button...

2009-01-17T11:52:00.005-06:00

Clayton has finally started calling "Big Clayton" (my dad) something!!! He wants her to call him Big Clayton, but that's been a challenge! She was calling everyone else by his/her name at Christmas, but she would just go to him and pull on him when she wanted him! Right before we left after New Year's, she started attempting "Big Clayton" but it came out as "BiCatun" really fast and jumbled together! She saw them this weekend, and she immediately had his name down...she is calling him "Big Clayton" in her own little way..."Bi-ton" So now, we have morphed it into "Button" and we are all calling him that...which I think he actually loves deep down inside because Clayton started it!!!

An Amazing God Story...

2009-01-11T08:56:00.002-06:00

Hello, my fellow blogger friends. I have such an amazing story to pass along. It is not my story, but it is the story of a friend of mine that I used to lead worship with at keystone. She and her husband have an AMAZING story about their adoption process. It is sooo exciting. Please go to Holly's blog and read her story (especially Saturday, Jan 10th and Sunday, Jan. 11th). Your eyes will not be dry when you finish it!!! Please join me in praying for them over the next few weeks as it will be such a whirlwind experience.

Holly's blog is http://holpeterson.blogspot.com/

I'm telling you...it is an incredible story!!! Mark and I are so excited for them!!! Congratulations, Ben and Holly!!! Baby P is going to be SOOOO blessed to have you as parents!