Summer Time!!!

Poor Payton can't catch a break. She of course had an ongoing ear infection which I hope is clearing up! Then last night when we were at Wal Mart, I noticed a rash on her neck but we kinda thought it just looked like a heat rash and blew it off. This morning, when I was getting her dressed I noticed it was all over her tummy and all over her back. First thought was roseola so I looked it up and sure enough, everything matched up perfectly. So I called the Dr. and they agreed that that is what it sounded like. At least her breaking out in rash means that the worst is OVER and we just gotta wait out the rash. She has definitely been more back to her normal self today than she has been on several weeks. Now here's to hopin Madelynn didn't get it in the contagious stages!!

We were given this awesome snow cone machine that makes D-licious snow cones!! Madelynn of course is in heaven! We have enjoyed snow cones a couple of times since then.

We have also enjoyed having Nay nay and kay kay around this summer! Just about every morning when Madelynn wakes up, her first words are "Hi, mommy. Nay Nay???" meaning where is nay nay (she still doesn't quiet know which is which and nay nay is easier to say so that technically means the both of them) I wanna see them! and we almost every day can't get through a full day without somehow seeing them.

Sick baby check-up...

Is that what you call it when your baby gets sick before her well baby check-up???

Thats what we got... a sick little Payton... again. She has been feeling a little under the weather lately and has been getting teeth, so I associated the sick with teeth... until yesterday when she started running a higher -than- teething fever. Luckily, it fell right on schedule with her 9 month check-up so we killed 2 birds with 1 stone! She checks out perfect as a 9 month old and is right on schedule with everything!

-29 in. long

-20 lbs

-18 1/4 in. noggin.

All just a tad bigger than normal, but PERFECT!!

On the other hand, she has another ear infection and is completely miserable!! Poor thing. Thank you Lord for ibuprofin... I don't think she would make it without it. You can't stop the girl from living so if she's gonna do it, I'de rather her be feeling great and being happy than being fussy and trying to play. God forbid she let me sit and hold her for 2 seconds while she is sick.

We are gonna do some serious sleep training for this girl. So we will not have a fun few weeks around here. She is obviously not gonna catch on to the sleeping through the night thing... so I'm gonna have to make her, if its the last thing I do on this earth!!

Anyways... Is there anything more fun than a serious of photos to show up until the moment you get the picture you are wanting??? Of course with little ones, that is almost always a must and I think they are so fun!! So here ya go.

Got Payton to smile in a picture!!! Madelynn-= tortured. (she has gotten to where she hides her face when I get my camera out)

Madelynn- "Don't fall for moms stupid tricks. She's not that funny."

This picture makes me laugh because this is SOOO them! Payton always "attacks" Madelynn (playing, of course) and then they get to giggling.

At last. My beautiful girlies.

and just cuz...

Poor girls got a big 'ol Dixon head.

But hey... another smile!!!

We got this little 4 wheeler thing back out for Madelynn. She was scared of it when we first got it for her, but we tried again now that she is a little older and she LOVED it. She had so much fun riding it around outside.

Didn't do so hot in the grass.

and lastly, Madelynn is obsessed with closing doors right now. No door is left opened. She has just got to where she can reach door knobs and is having so much fun with it. Another thing that we are loving watching her learn to do! She is just getting so BIG!

Letting go

If you know a whole lot about me, or you could possibly have figured it out by reading my blog and seeing my pictures, but I am a matchy, organized, perfectionist. I can be kinda anal about my girls clothes. Everything has to match. Shoes, outfit, bow, its all gotta flow... and if it doesn't it stresses me out!! I know, its RIDICULOUS!!!! But, its just the way I am... can't help it. I'm like that with everything, its not just my girls clothes.

Towels have got to be straight. Refrigerator clean, straightened up and organized. Freezer organized by type of meat. Beef on one shelf, Pork on another, and chicken on another. Pantry has to be organized where I can see everything. Every single morning when I get outta bed I have to make my bed, then go make Madelynn's bed. Toys gotta be picked up if they're not being played with. Constantly putting stuff back in its "home" because I can't stand it any other way. Table cleaned off, no dishes in the sink. Some people are just this way.. and I am one of them. Does it drive my husband crazy?? Most of the time, it does... but he accepts it. Does it drive me crazy... you bet!!! Do I wish I could just let things go and let my house be messy for a few days. Absolutely!!! and some days I have to force myself to have a messy home!!! Is that silly or what??? I guess only another person who is a little anal can understand this.

Ok... now that you know how anal I am about my life/home... We can go on.

Little kids like to be independent and do things on their own.. like picking out their own clothes.. I've heard it said many a times "so and so picked out his own clothes today" so I basically knew that the day would come that my child would wanna do the same thing.... and today was the day. She wanted to pick it all out on her own.. and I let her!!! She looked ever so lovely in her stripes of every color.

and I was able to just let it go and let her be HER! We even took a trip to Target lookin so lovely. :)

and as if she didn't look awesome enough.. had to throw in her new shades.

She makes me smile.

22 months and 9 months

Not that 22 months is an exciting age... and not that I'm gonna go on and on about Madelynn and where she is at in life... Just wanted to say one thing about that... 2 years=24 months. 24-22= 2 months until MY BABY TURNS 2!!!!!!!!! That is so mind boggling to me. Pretty sure I just had her and we just got home from the hospital and were adjusting to a newborn. Oh wait... is that her, sleeping in a big girl bed, paci free, talking to me... yep, it is. Excuse me while I go push the pause button on my life.

"uhh mom... I'm to cool for this"

My little Payton is 9 months... which in turn means that in 3 months, she'll be 1. Add that to the mind boggling list.

-20 lbs

-size 12-18 months clothes

-7 oz bottles

-still waking up in the night. 2 am and 6 am. (Oh Lord help me.........)

-Crawls like a monkey

-pulls up on everything and is walking around the furniture

-stands on her own for a few seconds at a time.

-100% eating solid foods

-had the worst diaper rash I have seen in my 22 months of being a mom.

-loves her big sister and tries to do everything she does.

-got her 2 bottom teeth in.. and if I'm not mistaken, she's got some more comin in already.

-sweet and cuddly.

-still crazy and won't sit still for more than 2 seconds.

little blurry... but you can see the drool and snot that we have had a lot of here lately.

So... in case you can't tell, I have been kinda slacking with this whole blogging thing. Don't really have an answer for that. That being the case, guess I'll fill ya in on whats been goin down. Which is really not to much. Nat has been doing some work on my parents house so alot of our time has been spent at Lowes, and my parents.

Me, I made 23 weeks on Sunday... seems as if I hit the half way point and everything slowed waaaay down. Baby is doing awesome and he definitely has his active moments, and sleep moments... The girls were never like, on a schedule.. I just remember feeling them moving any random time of the day. This little guy on the other hand, I can tell you down to the minute when he's gonna wake up. I am gonna say thats a good thing. Maybe he'll actually be a good sleeper rather than a horrible one like his sisters.

I registered the girls for moms day out this morning and I have mixed feelings about it. Part of me is so excited that they'll (mostly Madelynn) be around other kids/ppl. Like I always said... my child when never be the one that when they're dropped off, I'll have to say "I've never left her before so Im not sure how she'll do." Sure 'nuff... looks like I'll be speaking those exact words. Oh well... I just really hope that she does ok and it is a fun thing for her, and not something she will dread. Payton on the other hand... really couldn't give a rip about being away form me (for a short amount of time) so I know she'll do fine.

How 'bout our mall getting a Childrens Place?!?! I'm beyond thrilled about it!! I was pretty bummed when Old Navy closed, but I think I'd take a Childrens Place over Old Navy anyways. I went and did a little shoppin and was in heaven. I wanted to buy everything (but didn't). I'm glad to finally have a good kids clothes store.

I have been just awful at taking pictures lately too... I am blaming all my horribleness on being pregnant. :) But anyways... here are a few pictures.

Madelynn loves to be outside... it is usually a huge mistake to open the front door so I have to be careful and wise on my decision to walk outside for something. We usually spend a good amount of time outside every day so I had been wanting to get her something to actually do while we were outside. She was perfectly fine with just walking around doing nothin... but I thought she might enjoy a fun outside toy. So I had been kinda lookin around for one and my MIL came across this at a second hand store and it was quite a steal!! We have already got more than enough use outta it. She slides anything and everything she can find down. She has had so much fun with it.

We have had fun inside with it too. :)

Another outside thing that we have come to love is this little water mat thing. We got it last year, but it was the end of the summer and Payton just being born didn't give us any time to pull it out. She enjoys it. It is just perfect for not getting to wet.

She spends most of her time trying to catch the water in her mouth.

(Note: please don't judge the mile high weeds in our front yard. Between not having our lawn mower for weeks, Nats severe asthma attack making him not be able to do anything active, having a stubborn husband who refused to ask for help, and the rain... we had no time to mow. It has since been mowed, weeds killed and pulled. Thank you for understanding)

another.trip.to.lowes

The more active Payton has been, the more Madelynn has let her wiggle her way in to play with her and be around her without getting mad at Payton. I often make them go play in their room while I'm busy doing something and it has been quite enjoyable for the 3 of us. The other day I walked by their room and saw this:

and it about melted my heart with joy.

So precious!!

Mothers day

I am happy to report... and have been meaning to for about a week now, that Madelynn is O-ficially over and done with the paci!! It took just about 3 weeks for her to get completely back to normal without it. She is back to loving to take naps and going to bed at night... where as with no paci, she would cry the first few seconds. She is back to asking for nap time and that makes me so happy!! That was one thing that I really really hoped went back to the way it used to be. She has grown up immensely this past month. Her speech and words are amazing!! She is starting to put words together and talk to us. I love it. Hard as it was, I am glad that we did it when we did.

She has really taken to "bear" (I know, so original right)??? I am glad that she has found something to love... but I just wish it wasn't as big as she was. :) She has also taken a liking to her baby... where she wants to have bear all day long, she wants baby only at bed time... Whatever makes her happy.

I had a wonderful Mothers day!!! Nat made it a very special day for me with flowers, and a necklace, and a very sweet card. I am so blessed to be able to celebrate that day thanks to my 2 beautiful little ladies that God has so graciously blessed me with. They make my days crazy, fun, and full. You hear it your whole life, --there is no job like the job of a mom-- and you just don't fully know what that means until you are one. It is a hard job and some days are not fun... but it is indeed the BEST job you can have!!

Something that I wanted to do was write a little note to my girls on mothers day... so this is for me, and for them. So if you don't wanna read it, this is the end. But if you do, I'll warn you, it might be a little sappy (or maybe it is just to me since I am the one who wrote it, and they are my kids)

My beautiful, feisty Madelynn- July 20, 2008, the day you came into my life. The best day of my life!! You made me so happy. I love how you take your time at everything in life. Crawling at 10 months, and walking at 16 months, I know that that was just a little taste of what you will become. Taking your time and thinking things out before you decide to take the plunge. I see a little bit of your daddy in your personality. I think that is why the 2 of you but heads at times. You got a perfect little "pinch" of your daddy's stubborn, I'm gonna win attitude. And a perfect little "pinch" of your momma's laid back, easy goin, quite side. I love you my first born baby, and I thank God for every second we have spent together. I will be here for you for the rest of your life, and look forward to watching you grow up and become more beautiful than you already are. Thank you for making me a momma. I love you.

Oh my sweet little "spaz" Payton- One year after we celebrated the birth of your big sister, we got another little surprise. YOU! On August 21, 2009 you made us parents of 2 beautiful little princess'. Everyone told us since Madelynn was such a wonderful baby, we were in for it with you. Little did anyone know, The sweetest, most loving little baby had been born to US. You are your mommas girls and you are so precious to me. You make being called "mom" look easy. You are so laid back, like your sister, but at the same time, we like to call you spaz for a reason. At 8 months, you already want more, more life. You wanna go, you wanna walk, you wanna explore. Which I'm sure will come in handy when you are older. You are a unique little girl. It is hard to put into words what makes you unique. You are your own self. That is what I love about you. I can't wait to see what God has in store for you. I'm so thankful that you came into my life no matter how crazy that made it. Thank you for making me a momma x2. I love you my precious Payton.

My girls- If there is one thing that I wanted more than anything, it was 2 girls so that they could grow up together and be sisters forever... and when they said "Its a girl" when Payton was born, my heart smiled because I got it!!! I apologize before-hand for the matching outfits, and for the bows always on top of your heads. I love you girls with all my heart. I think that you are both BEAUTIFUL! Your both so different, but at the same time, you are so much alike. I look forward to the many girly thing we will get to do together as you grow up. You 2 make me feel special, you make me feel needed and I love that. Thank you for making me so important. I will always be here for you girls. Through the good times and the bad. You have made me who I am today and you have made my dreams come true. I LOVE YOU!!!!

and of course, we can't leave out the little man thats fixin to rock our world!!

I already love you so much my little man. You have already given me a run for my money the past 22 weeks you have been growing inside me. I have a feeling your gonna be your daddy's boy. I can't wait to meet you and to see what you look like. You just better stay in there another few months!!! You got a big job coming into this world. You got 2 big sisters (I am not responsible for any dress up clothes they put on you, or bows they put on your head) to protect and watch out for... and I'm counting on you for that!! We are so excited to throw a bubba into the mix. Its gonna make for some fun times. I love you my boy.

and of course, absolutely none of this would be possible without God and Him pouring out his blessings on me.

Spazzzz

I feel like I haven't blogged in a year!! I have been "taking it easy" to the max I think... taking it easy from everything. And to be quite honest with you, it is the pits!! Today was my first day on back on my own... it was nice to have a normal day with my girls. I hope that I never ever get put on full bed rest. How on earth do you mange something like that?!?!

I started working on mothers day gifts and have had lots of fun with it. I am so excited to give some awesome home-made gifts to the mommas in my life. I'll show you AFTER mothers day. :)

Anyways... Spaz is the new nick name that Nat has given Payton, and I have come to totally agree with him. When he first started calling her that, I told him not to!!!! My sweet little Payton is not a spaz. But oh my gosh is she ever (in a good way)!! When we do bath/bed time, Nat always gets Payton and I always get Madelynn... its just easier that way because Payton is a complete maniac when trying to dress her, or change her diaper. Under her little belly baby fat, I have no doubt that she has abs of steel. She is literally in a trying to sit up position the whole time and you have to fight her... and it basically wears your ever loving soul out!!

It is a chore to get her to bed because she wants to sit up and get up. The only only way you can get that girl to go to bed is to give her her bottle in her bed and let her drink herself to sleep. Yes, I know that that is no-no rule #1 for parenting a baby.. but I'm a firm believer in you gotta do what you gotta do... as long as its safe for you and your baby. Anyways... So now, you gotta give her her bottle and literally run outta the room, because if you stay in there 2 seconds to long.. she thinks -YA!! moms in here.... Play time!!!- and gets going and you gotta start all over again trying to get her to lay down as she pushes the bottle away and tries to sit up. She has GOT to be sitting up.. and is very quickly getting to the point where she has GOT to be standing. Laying is horrible for her. She is just so full of life and does not want to miss a thing!!! She is still so sweet, and has this sweetness about her... just in a crazy, spazzy, give me more of life kinda way.

Since we have discovered that this girl has a crazy desire to want more and to do more... I have wanted to get a walker for her... what would be more perfect than that?!? So we got her one, and she is a walkin fool! She walks all over the house. She is in the kitchen under my feet all day long, she follows Madelynn all over the place and sometimes Madelynn pushes her around or rides on the back. It has been so fun and I think that it is going to help her walk sooner than later. (and yes, I know that walkers are no-no #2 in parenting)

I am thoroughly enjoying seeing the differences in our girls. It is so neat to see how 2 people who came from the same 2 people are so opposite.

For the little man

You know those people that are told that they're having a girl, and they buy every single thing PINK. Pink car seat, pink clothes, pink swing, paint the room pink, pink, pink, pink... and then come d- day... the words they probably aren't expecting to hear fill the room when their new baby arrives... "ITS A BOY" and all you can say at that point is... oops! Well, I decided that I would never be that way... A.) because thats alot of pink you gotta fix AFTER you have the baby.. and B.) If I'm gonna have more kids, Im not gonna start over each time with pink or blue. Luckily, not knowing I was having girls till the day they were born, made me have to be ready for pink or blue. So everything I have is neutral.

I say all this to tell you, I just know I'm gonna be that person... I, for the first time in my life will be able to prepare... all for nothin, because I just have this sneaky little feeling it might still be a girl. Anyone else ever felt like this?!?! Is this normal when you actually maybe might know what your having?? I guess I'm just in denial.

Anyways... so like I said, being told I was having a little man, I have been looking (and buying. :/... like I said I wouldnt) little boy clothes. I even went as far as to this weekend, pulling out the tub I have in storage labeled "BOY" and sorting through sizes and washing it all and even put it all away in his own little drawer!!! I'm only 21 weeks mind you. (I am super glad I did because I ended up having a TON of NB -3 months... and need to make sure I dont get anymore that size) Still sounds kinda silly. But I can't help but to know that he is gonna be ok... and that he is more than likely a HE.

Going through all the little boy clothes, I found just some plain white onesies and got some great ideas. I had thought about this awhile back. Taking the "wrangler" emblem off a pair of Nats work jeans and sewing it on a onesie. It turned out way cute, I think. Nat loved it.

Its hard to see real good in the picture.

When I showed him, I asked him what it needed, his response was it didn't need anything and he wondered why I though it did. So I proceeded to tell him... well, I guess Its cuz I'm used to having girls and if this were for my girl, I would put little frillies on the butt, or something cute with ribbon to fancy it up. He just laughed at me and said it looked just fine.

Then I had the idea... just from looking around at crafty blogs, to sew an "S" (for Stetson) on one... and that turned out kinda cute to.

I used some old fabric I have had sittin around, traced an S, cut it out and sewed it to the shirt.

2 new, personalized shirts for free!!! Made of stuff just sittin around the house!!! If you really look around at what you already have... the possibilities are endless as to how you can re-use YOUR OWN stuff!!! I love that cuz I'm all about saving a buck or 2.

Everything with the baby seems to be better. I am able to feel him move alot so that is nice and re-assuring that he is still doing ok in there. Thanks to everyone who prayed for us. Please continue to do so... because I can tell you, from here on out, it will be hard not to worry about him, or myself.

Also, you may or may not have heard but, this week Nats asthma has been kinda bad... and he has taken the usual precautions with his inhaler, and taking breathing treatments regularly. When he got home on Friday it was bad... worst I had ever seen it in the 4 years that I have known him. All he could do is sit on the couch and barely barely breath. Thats what he did for several hours. He was pale and weak. It was scary to see him like that. This guy that I depend on for so much, to protect me and our girls was sitting there completely helpless and breathless. I kept asking him what I needed to do and when he finally was able to talk to his mom, she could tell by talking to him on the phone that he had to go to the ER. I was so thankful because I suggested it several times... and if you know anything bout Nat, you know that he turned it down and told me that was NOT what he needed to do... and continued to do so the whole way to the hospital. Thankfully, with the help of his mom, we were able to convince him thats what he needed to do. He is still not fully recovered and is still on lots of medicine to help him get well. Keep praying for him. Its not easy for him to work under these circumstances.