The Colvin Family

My Vote for American Idol...

2010-02-18T12:32:00.002-05:00

Yes, this is my official coming out...Hi, my name is Lindsey Colvin and I am addicted to American Idol. I love Ellen and Simon, Kara and Randy and talk to them on the TV like I'm sitting right next to them. I have even passed this obsession on to my little girl (she laughs at everything Simon says and will go up to the TV to give him kisses). Call me crazy, but I just love it. Now that I've confessed, lets get to the heart of this post.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in some of the people that they let go through to the top 24. They kept saying (especially to the girls) that there was a lot of competition and that it was really difficult to make a decision, and yet they let contestants like Mr. Jim Morrison Wannabe through. Perhaps he is a diamond in the rough...but seriously? It's hard to even watch the kid [insert deep inhale and exhale]. Getting off of my soap box I will say that the majority of the top 24 are going to be a blast to watch. I especially like Andrew Garcia, Crystal Bowersox, and Lilly Scott. But Didi Benami is the one that I'm hoping goes all the way! So for all of those "closet" or blantantly open Idol Fans, I pose the question: who's your pick for 2010? and do you really even notice that Paula's gone?

The Joys of Life

2010-02-14T19:04:00.002-05:00

I don't have too long to write (because my very active child is tearing apart her room at this very moment) but I wanted to take a minute and tell everyone how we're doing. We love love love love the York Pennsylvania area. It is beautiful here, and aside from getting over two feet of snow (which no one in this area is ever prepared for) it has been an amazing couple of months. We love our apartment and I almost have it exactly as I want it. As soon as it's clean I will post pictures for all of you. But since I know you mostly check this blog to see Peyton I've attached pictures from this morning. She's running around everywhere and is discovering (or perfecting, I haven't quite decided yet) her mischievous side. We love you all!

Winter Weather-1 UHAUL-0

2009-12-19T16:50:00.004-05:00

The title says it all. As Patrick and I stood at the window this morning and stared at the blizzard raging outside all we could do was laugh. Really...this is the story of our lives. And in the words of Marie Osmond, "If you're going to laugh about it tomorrow, you might as well laugh about it today." Ha ha...ha ha ha.

Winter Weather Watch vs UHAUL

2009-12-18T10:42:00.002-05:00

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to yet another reason why I think Murphy's Law rules my life. Patrick and I finally agreed on a weekend to move (which believe you me, there was a very heated discussion preceding the decision) and of course all of the weather forecasters are calling for 6-12 inches of snowfall. Really, I just have to sit back and laugh. It's like Heavenly Father is saying, "Do you remember the lesson we talked about...you know...the one on patience. Here's a pop quiz." So right now we're just playing it all by ear, and I am praying constantly that we'll have just long enough to drive the truck from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. That's all I want is a 2 1/2 hour window. Then it can snow us in for all I care...wait...that seems to have backfire written all over it.

The Stress and Joy of Moving

2009-12-14T22:04:00.002-05:00

This time I fully admit that I purposely brought more stress into my life. Many would probably question my sanity, because I mean, honestly, who in their right mind would intentionally stress themselves out. But hear me out dear friends. For the first time in the two years that Patrick and I have been married we will be moving into our own place. It is an apartment that is not owned by any relative or friend, and it is not a fifth wheel on a boy scout reserve. It is a genuine, newly painted and carpeted, ground floor, two bedroom, two bathroom apartment. But...the only weekends that we could move was either this weekend (the 18th and 19th) or the second weekend of January (8th and 9th). Now I know that it's been two years and surely a few more weeks shouldn't make much difference, but people, I am DONE waiting. I don't care if it means a few less hours of sleep because I need to pack when Peyton's asleep. I don't care if it involves back breaking box reconfiguration and furniture placement. I'm not even sweating the fact that we might not be able to find others to help. All I care about is being in York with Patrick, and finally being in our own place. Hence why I opted for the most immediate move date, and am now frantically running around trying to schedule everything. It may be crazy, but I know that in the end it will be worth it. So judge me if you dare, but I ask you honestly, given the same situation wouldn't you too choose the stressful path?

Finally...

2009-12-05T20:22:00.003-05:00

Well America...it finally happened...Patrick Stevenson Colvin secured himself a "Big Boy" job! Though, I don't know if playing in the woods, shooting things, and hanging out with a bunch of Scouts should be considered a grown up job. Rather, I think it's Peter Pan's dream occupation. Regardless of what I think, this undoubtedly means bigger and better things for the Patrick Colvin Clan. Patrick will be heading up to his post in York, PA the beginning of next week. He turned in all of his GARDA shirts, bullet proof vest, etc. and bid them an enthusiastic farewell. I don't think he could have been happier pulling out of that parking lot one last time. Peyton and I will hang out in Jersey until after the holidays and then we'll start the process of finding a place to live and packing up all that we own and driving the 2 1/2 hours to our new home. Until we locate one, though, the Boy Scout Council has been kind enough to offer us a cabin at their camp until we locate that "Home Sweet Home". I feel flashbacks of the summer of 2008 coming on.

Instilling Fear of the Bearded Man...

2009-12-02T13:55:00.002-05:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and eventful Black Friday! Right now I am enjoying the opportunity I have to be a stay at home mom. I LOVE IT! It has been a blessing to see Peyton change each hour of each day. My love for her has grown more than I thought possible. I am keeping busy with Discovery Toys and Patrick is preparing for some interviews with Boy Scout Councils around the East. Wish him luck!

Busy Business Lady

2009-10-23T22:05:00.002-04:00

I have officially joined the realm of starting my own at home business- yea for a little sister having a stupedous idea. I am now an Educational Consultant for Discovery Toys and I am BEYOND THRILLED! I have my first boutique at my pre-school on the 7th of November, and then I have an event every weekend after that until the middle of December. I'm going to be super busy and I LOVE IT! The best part is that Peyton can come with me because she's my little demonstrator =) That's the latest and greatest with the Patrick Colvin's. I'll be sure to let you know any new job news, house news, and toy news as it comes.

Stress Case Meets Chaos...who will win?

2009-10-21T21:22:00.002-04:00

So has anyone ever seen the Simpson's episode where there's a new gym teacher who's obsessed with the game "bombardment"? Everyday Bart's class goes to gym only to get pommeled by dozens (possibly hundreds) of dodge balls. I had never thought about how that might feel...until i started working with thirteen 18 month old children =). Everyday seems to dole out a new challenge- this one's a biter, there are the bullies, these need to be cuddled, these ones are teething and cranky, etc. I have to say though, no matter how frustrated I get my heart melts with every adorable smile, every hug, and every peel of laughter. I have found a renewed sense of strength, so much so that even those "TERRIBLE" moments turn into laughing opportunities by the end of the day. Like for example: I am EXTREMELY conservative with the finger paint. There are still a good portion of our kids that will eat the paint, and though i know it isn't toxic I still cannot stomach the sight of it. So I was getting some things done and left my assistant in charge of things. Well...she's what you call liberal with paint. So the next thing I know I turn around and there is paint EVERYWHERE, and I mean everywhere. The kids are covered and trying to get out of their seats, the table has puddles of paint everywhere, and even the floor has little dobs and hand prints. I nearly freaked! How were we supposed to get all of the kids clean without any one of them escaping. Needless to say it was a long and tedious process to get them all taken care of and get the room back into some semblance of order. But at the end of the day do you know what I remembered most: Three of our little boys looked like members of the Blue Man Group and they loved it, one of our little girls who hates to get messy actually painted, and two children who normally don't get along were painting each other and laughing. In short Chaos won.

High Speed Internet...

2009-10-01T19:55:00.002-04:00

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am that my parents finally got rid of their dial up and signed up for high speed Internet! I am giddy as I sit here typing this entry knowing that I can FINALLY update everyone one on our family, and most especially, Peyton. Now that this day has finally arrived I find that I don't even know where to begin! Patrick, Peyton, and I are living in South Jersey with my parents and are hoping (especially me) that we will be buying a house within the next few months. I really really really really really want to get a place of our own SOON! I am working at a pre-school currently, which is neat because i get to take Peyton to work with me. I teach the 18-24 month olds and I LOVE IT! They are such a fun and adorable group of kids. Patrick is still working for GARDA but is submitting applications for other jobs around the county. He has also enrolled at the local community college in their nuclear technician program and will hopefully start taking classes in the spring. Peyton is not only crawling now, she's cruising and pulling herself up on EVERYTHING! She loves to sing, clap, and dance and is super vocal. River is her favorite obstacle to crawl over and he follows her everywhere. My dad takes about 100+ pictures of her everyday and I'm excited to share them with all of you. I think that she's totally lost her "baby look" and I seriously can't believe that we'll be celebrating her first birthday soon! It's amazing how time flies. But at least these past few months have been sprinkled with blessings, insights, and new adventures.

Total Tear Fest!

2009-07-01T22:35:00.002-04:00

I just got back from seeing My Sister's Keeper with my two sisters-in-law and it was incredible! I thought that the story line was perfect- in fact, for those who have read the book, I think that the ending in the movie is better and more satisfying. Cameron Diaz was surprisingly wonderful as the mom (sorry to all of those fans out there, but I really didn't give her a lot of credit before this movie. She always seems to be the perfectly cute, but ditsy, blonde. In this movie she was very convincing as a mother and as a wife- good on her.) I have to admit that I tried being strong throughout the movie...even though the theater was so obviously packed with girls it was ridiculous...well and five guys who SO OBVIOUSLY lost the "which movie should we go see" game...but I cried like a baby throughout the movie. I don't think I've cried like that since the spring when Patrick and i went to see Marley & Me. So for all of you ladies who want a good cry I highly recommend this movie. For all of the gentlemen who are fathers/future fathers (or those guys who also lose the "which movie should we see" game) I think you'll enjoy that brief glimpse into the future where some little girl might turn you all mushy inside too.
The saddest thing about the movie to me is that they made death seem so final...and impossible to understand. It made me quietly reflect and sincerely express gratitude that I know that there is more to death than just being some unforeseeable end. I know that there truly is a reason for everything, and that each day should be lived so that if I left the next, I would be ok with that. I left the theater with a renewed sense of strength knowing that Heavenly Father gave me a purpose in life so that I wouldn't have to fearfully worry about my eminent demise. Theology aside, it was a great movie- so plan a girl's night out and be sure to take tissues!

Our Future?

2009-06-26T14:20:00.004-04:00

The latest on Patrick's quest to find a "big boy job"- he has turned in four applications to work with Boy Scout Councils in North Carolina and Virginia. Three of the four have gotten back to him already and he is in the works of becoming a District Executive for the scouts. Ladies and gentlemen, we may be one step closer to that elusive career that has for so long evaded us. As of right now we're still set to move down to New Jersey on the 7th of July, but who knows...maybe we'll be heading further south before the end of the summer. Wish us luck! Also I am looking for some good books to read this summer so send me some suggestions!

My New Hero...

2009-06-23T20:35:00.003-04:00

Now normally I do not (AND I MEAN DO NOT!) watch anything that has to do with celebrities or the gossip/drama that surrounds their lives. But, I happened to be breezing through channels the other night and something on TMZ made me pause- Al Roker told off the most disgusting, publicity hounding couple (my opinion) in the world- Speidi. I have never been more proud of the news media than I was at that moment. Finally, someone dared to ask the questions that I would ask if I had the chance. For those of you who didn't see it, copy and paste the link below and check it out- I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. It earned Al Roker the title of my new hero.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzsDXMVd1js

An article that contains the qoutes Al Roker referred to with regards to NBC can be found at this link.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/NBC-Exec-Speidi-1006673.aspx?rss=breakingnews

Poo in the Tub Club...

2009-06-11T22:16:00.002-04:00

So I was talking to my dear cousin Jessica a little while ago and I was telling her that my favorite (and I mean FAVORITE) thing to do in the morning is to give Peyton Rose a bath. She has so much fun splashing around, eating the wash cloth, and generally getting me wet. "Wait until she poops in the tub, and then you'll rethink how fun it really is" came the reply. Well...it's official. My daughter has officially joined the club. Normally I would have freaked out at such an occurrence, but I couldn't help but hysterically laugh. It started out small enough, and so I thought "hey, that's not bad. I'll just put her in her bouncy seat for a second, clean it out, and then we'll finish bath time." I had all but finished my cleaning of the tub when I heard very distinct baby poo grunts coming from the bouncy seat. As I prepared myself for what I was about to see I hear Peyton giggling (HA...HAHA...HA etc.) I look down to see her dancing in her now poopy seat and smiling as though she had just mastered her first step. Clean up took a little longer, but surprisingly, it was worth every moment.

Long time no blog...

2009-06-09T08:39:00.002-04:00

I really have no excuse why I haven't been blogging lately, just general busy-ness I guess. It could be the lack of adventures as of late. I think the most exciting thing that is happening is that we are FINALLY moving! On July 7th we'll be heading down south, where (crossing fingers!) Patrick will finally be able to find a job. We figured since he's applying to several police departments in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania that we should probably live closer to those areas to have a better opportunity to interview. He's also hoping to get a job at the nuclear plant that my dad works at. I'm just counting down the days until we finally have a place of our own. Peyton is getting bigger and bigger every day. She's up to 17 lbs 8 oz. and is about 25 1/2 inches long. She has totally mastered the roll over technique and has even begun pulling herself toward objects that she wants...scary I know. Soon we'll begin the tedious process of baby-proofing our house. We're also really excited to be coming out to Utah in a few weeks for my cousin's wedding. Hopefully we'll get to see all of you!

Chaotic with nothing to show for it

2009-04-10T07:56:00.003-04:00

I have decided that motherhood/being a wife is very chaotic at times. There is so much that you need to do and so much more that you want to do. I watched this really awesome episode of Oprah the other day about being a mother and it really struck me. This juggling act is hard and a lot of times I go to bed either feeling like I didn't accomplish anything or I didn't get enough (or any) recognition for the things that I was able to accomplish. However, the Lord in His infinite wisdom has blessed me with little breathing moments where I step back and realize how wonderful life is. I just have to keep reminding myself that every step forward is still a step in the right direction even if it's only a little one. My new favorite quote by Marie Osmond is if you're going to laugh about it later you might as well laugh about it now. Also if any of you are in the market for a life changing book read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Eye-opening and tremendously straight forward. Talk about humbling.

The weigh in...

2009-03-20T09:53:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry that I have kind of slacked off. We've had so much fun with spring coming and trying to get our lives organized. Peyton is now weighing in at 13 lbs. and we haven't had a chance to measure her height yet, but she seems to be growing in that area too. Life is fabulous right now, but we're still waiting to hear back from the Montgomery County police department. Fingers crossed...

Our busy life!

2009-03-13T13:17:00.002-04:00

Really, what hasn't happened this past month? Nothing comes to mind right now because our lives have been super busy! We traveled out to Utah last month for my sister Lacey's wedding. Peyton did splendidly on the plane ride over and has proven herself quite the little traveler. It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful, to see all of the family and friends we were able to see. We went through the Draper temple, Peyton had her baby blessing, we did a lot of shopping with Grandma Jody, had a small mission reunion, etc. etc. We were excited to get home only because we needed a boring schedule to recover from all of the traveling and "go-go-go". Right now things have normalized somewhat. Peyton is continuing to grow and thrive. She's a whopping 13 pounds and 23 1/4 inches long. That puts her in the 80 percentile for height and 88 percentile for weight. She's getting better about holding her head up, she loves blowing bubbles, and she's on the verge of giggling. The best thing that she learned to do last week (and has continue on since then) is sleeping through the night... 7-8 hours every night is BLISSFUL!

2009-02-09T19:58:00.000-05:00

For Time and For all Eternity!

2009-02-09T07:06:00.002-05:00

It's official now- Patrick and I are together forever! It was a tremendous experience with a lot of road blocks to overcome, but we made it. The short version of our story would include Patrick getting seriously ill on the drive to the temple, and continuing to throw up in the temple and during our sealing (sad, huh?). Peyton looked like an angel and was the perfect baby while we were there. I think she saw a lot of her friends from Heaven and was catching up with them. I can't remember a time when I felt more at peace and so happy to be alive. There are so many thoughts and emotions running through me right now that there isn't a way to write them all down. In short, it was incredible! I'll be sure to post some pictures later today of the day and some new ones of Miss Peyton Rose, because I know that she's who you really want to see =)

Doctor's Appointment

2009-02-03T07:52:00.002-05:00

Well we went to visit the doctor the other day and it was a fabulous visit. Peyton was the perfect lady and didn't cry or fuss- in fact she seemed entertained for the most part (DEFINITELY NOT HER FATHER'S CHILD IN THAT RESPECT). When she left the hospital she weighed in at 6 lbs 11 oz. and 19.5 inches. Yesterday she topped out at 10 lbs 1 oz. and 21.5 inches. The nurse even commented on how cute her little double chin is =) She's also socializing really well and has awesome neck/head control for her age. In short she made her mama and daddy proud.

2009-01-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

2009-01-30T16:08:00.003-05:00

Peyton is almost a month old! Crazy huh? She really is getting so big though. Her eyes are open a lot more often lately and she loves to observe her family members as they go about their day to day lives. River loves being the protective "big brother" and frequently gives her kisses on the top of the head- which usually gives her the coolest hairdo. In short I love being a mom! Every day bring something new and challenging to the equation, but I love every second.
Patrick started a new job as a armored car driver. He loves it because he has a cool uniform, wears a bullet proof vest, and gets to carry a gun. Hopefully he won't be there for too long though- we're both anxious for him to get a position with a police department.

Introducing...

2009-01-05T12:45:00.002-05:00

Peyton Rose Colvin was born on January 1, 2009 at 6:20 AM. She weighed in at 7 lbs 4 oz. and was approximately 19.5 inches long. She has already claimed the nickname Diva from her Grandma Lawrence because of the pomp and circumstance in which she entered the world. Peyton received the honor of "New Year's Baby" from Sturdy Memorial Hospital and the Sun Chronicle- a local paper- and several hundred dollars in prizes. She even had the opportunity of riding home from the hospital in a stretch limo. Needless to say her first week of life is going to be the largest section in her scrapbook! We'll be sure to continue to update the blog with the latest Peyton happenings and pictures.

Another Day and Another Deer

2008-12-29T22:22:00.003-05:00

Well Kelly and Patrick did it again...they got another deer. She was A LOT bigger than the last one. They estimate that she was anywhere from 180-200 pounds, not your ordinary doe. I went

to the Doctors today and Peyton is doing perfectly fine...and she is going to have to come on the 31st, because I'm going to be induced then. We're both really excited that we only have a couple more days, but it's also a HUGE reality check for us- I mean seriously, are we really mature enough to be parents? I guess we'll find out and we'll keep you updated.

The Update

2008-12-27T17:57:00.005-05:00

Well, Peyton is hanging in there. We have another Doctors appointment on Monday morning and then they are going to decide which day to induce me. Right now though it looks like we're aiming for the 31st of December or the 1st of January. While we've been waiting for Peyton to come we've kept busy by playing fun games like Guitar Hero 3 and Patrick even got himself a deer (I'll let those of you who are curious ask him how he managed to do that yourselves). Other than that we had a wonderful Christmas and I was grateful that I didn't have to spend the holiday in the hospital. Only a few more days and we'll be calling/texting all of you with the good news. We love you all and hope that you also had a wonderful and safe holiday.

Come and Gone

2008-12-22T17:22:00.002-05:00

So today is Peyton's due date...and she's still not here. She only has one more week though before I'm induced, so the count down is really on. We'll keep y'all updated!

Quick Update

2008-12-06T16:10:00.003-05:00

So many have begun to ask the question that I ask Peyton every morning and evening- when are you going to get here? She's still moving a ton which could mean that she's either not very anxious to come out, or she really is ADHD and I have a lot to look forward to. We have another doctors appointment on Tuesday so we'll see what she says then. Right now I just feel big, big, and big. I finally packed my suitcase for the hospital and finished organizing all of Peyton's things- the only thing missing is her. We're both getting a little anxious and very excited, but if there's one thing I've learned about her already it's that she's stubborn and a little on the dramatic side...so there's no predicting when her big entrance is going to occur. But I guess that's part of the magic right?

Deep Fried Turkey

2008-12-02T09:56:00.004-05:00

YEAH FOR THANKSGIVING!!! Now for a brief moment to toot our horns- with the help of Kelly, Ryan, and Lynn (Mike helped with the cutting/dicing) we pulled off an AMAZING Thanksgiving dinner. We had an entire spread of deep fried turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, candied yams, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin bread, rolls, green bean casserole, deviled eggs and carrots. That was only the beginning though because the dessert bar was even more than amazing- grasshopper pie, 2 pumpkin pies, apple cobbler and vanilla ice cream, homemade eggnog and chocolate pie. The even more incredible part was that we were able to do it all that morning and were only 25 minutes past the time that we had originally scheduled to eat! I was pretty proud to say the least- bring on Christmas dinner!
PS For those of you who haven't tried deep fried turkey- it's HEAVENLY!!! and only takes 45 minutes to cook, gotta love that.

2008-11-26T19:09:00.003-05:00

I really don't think that there is any more room in my tummy, but Peyton continues to move around like she's in the Taj Mahal. We're going on 37 weeks and it still hasn't totally sunk in yet. Heck, I still haven't even packed my hospital bag (don't worry it's on the to-do list). I guess I'll have a lot more time to do that now that I'm not working anymore- I finally get to participate in that traditional phase of pregnancy known as "nesting". Patrick and my cousin Megan insisted that I include more belly shots in the blog, so here they are. Peyton has grown a lot...as have I...and I'm really anxious for her to be in my arms as opposed to my belly. Time will tell, and we'll let y'all know.

2008-11-01T20:39:00.002-04:00

Yeah for Halloween! We had so much fun at the Colvin household! River dressed up as Super Dog and his two friends Lydia and Marek came over in their costumes to take pictures. River loved when the doorbell rang because he knew that it would be a new group of kids that would shower him with affection...even though he was hoping that they would shower him with treats. While we handed out candy we also made some yummy Halloween shaped sugar cookies with orange frosting. We took a break and headed over to see Kelly at the Police Department to take him and the other officer/fire fighters/dispatchers some cookies and to show off River's costume. I think that overall it was a very fun and a successful holiday for us.

Going to Vegas...

2008-10-29T20:12:00.002-04:00

We have discovered that River has a talent with the dice. We were playing Yahtzee for Family Home Evening and Patrick wasn't having a lot of fun because he wasn't doing so well. Toward the end of the game he was down a Yahtzee and a large straight. So, to be goofy and show that he didn't really care, he put the cup in River's mouth and let him dump out the dice. Low and behold he rolled three 6's ... and in the next roll he rolled two more and got Patrick the Yahtzee. He tried it again on his next turn and River rolled his large straight. It was insane! Too bad casinos don't accept dogs =)

Alone for the weekend

2008-10-24T16:37:00.002-04:00

Patrick headed down to Maryland this morning for a test with the Prince George's County PD, and I already miss him like crazy! Now I know what he felt like when I went down to NJ to visit my family. I don't even know what to do with myself, and even River is acting lost. But we're both hoping that he does well on his test and preforms well during the physical portion. Other then that the weekend is a very welcome break to from the long week we've had. I just can't seem to keep a lot of energy throughout the day. Tonight is our ward activity- trunk-or-treat. It'll be a lot of fun to see all of the kids in their costumes. If Patrick were here we would put River in his costume and take him with us, but that's too much for me to handle by myself. I guess y'all will have to wait until next Friday to see him in his super hero costume.

2008-10-21T19:42:00.001-04:00

Family Home Evening

2008-10-21T19:24:00.003-04:00

So we decided to get into the spirit of the season and carve pumpkins for Halloween. It was a fun little party with Mom Colvin, Kelly, and Lynn joining us. Pat even discovered a new way to carve pumpkins- USE A POWER DRILL! Only a man would think of something like that. The pumpkins turned out great...too bad I can't say the same for the pumpkin seeds. Our oven in the apartment is a little ghetto. So I put the seeds in at 400 degrees for a half an hour, and Patrick decided that they weren't cooking quickly enough. So he deduced that higher heat would equal quicker results. So he cranked it up to 550 degrees. As we were sitting on the couch watching TV I smelled something burning- yep, you guessed it. It was the seeds. At first I thought that I had done something wrong...until Patrick came clean and admitted that he had changed the temp. Thankfully most of the seeds were spared. But I definitely think that Patrick needs to stick to his original career ambitions and not seek a job in the culinary field.

My pillow stealer

2008-10-20T15:20:00.003-04:00

So River has found a new fascination with my prego-body-pillow. I can't blame him though, it is really comfortable.

The Latest Belly Pictures

2008-10-19T19:31:00.002-04:00

Well here is the latest big Buddha picture! I have a check up tomorrow and we're going to see how big Peyton is. There are times when I swear that she is hiding her twin brother or sister somewhere in there because she: a. MOVES A TON! Definitely enough for two people and b. she's putting on enough weight to equal two people. Her latest fascination has been with my ribs...I wish that she would find a new hobby =) Patrick started applying to several police agencies in Delaware and Maryland and we're just crossing our fingers (and praying really really hard) that he'll start hearing back from them. My job in Boston is still going really well and I love commuting to the city! On a final tangent, tonight's the final game between the Red Sox and the Rays...hopefully they'll pull it off and I can get an awesome world series shirt with my two favorite teams- the Sox and the Phillies.

Walden Pond

2008-10-11T18:57:00.002-04:00

Patrick had the brilliant idea today to venture out to Concord and Walden Pond. This was the place that Henry David Thoreau "ran away" to and wrote "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience". The leaves were brilliant! and the weather was perfect! It was a really great to get away for a little while with each other- especially since my work schedule doesn't give us a whole lot of hang out time anymore.

2008-10-11T18:44:00.001-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Tummy

2008-10-09T17:29:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to share some fun pictures with everyone! Patrick thinks that my tummy is pretty cute...the baby inside it is cute, but I don't think that the tummy is =)

Not slackers anymore!

2008-10-08T17:40:00.002-04:00

Heavenly Father has been really gracious to us these past few weeks. I applied to several jobs and have (as of yesterday) secured three of them. I will be working in Boston as a temporary office assistant, babysitting/nannying on the side, and picking up some evening and weekend hours at Yankee Candle. Today was my first day of work in Boston and I LOVED IT! I didn't think that I would enjoy working in the city, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The office is a lot of fun and really casual, which helps because the work they have me doing is pretty mundane. Patrick filled out 5 more applications for police/ranger positions in Delaware, and was offered an interview with Merrill Shoes. He's still hoping that the candy store or PetCo calls back. Other than that we haven't been up to a whole lot. Peyton still continues to kick, squirm, punch, and generally make her presence known. I'm getting more and more excited to become a mommy and can't believe that I'm already at 29 weeks!

Our crazy lives

2008-09-27T13:17:00.002-04:00

We hadn't been in Mass. for more than a few days when I jumped on a plane and headed down to New Jersey to visit the folks. Thankfully, we were able to get almost everything put away and I felt confident that Patrick could handle the rest while I was gone. It turned out to be an awesome two week vacation for me full of shopping, sewing, and other sorts of craftiness for Peyton's sake. It felt really fabulous to be with my mom for that long...I don't think that Patrick and River would agree with that though. Now we are all back together and Patrick and I are trying to find part time/seasonal jobs to tide us over financially until Patrick can obtain a career. It has proved quite frustrating for us because we don't really know how long we'll be here in Foxboro, nor do we have a firm idea of where we'll end up. I guess these are all factors of a "grown-up life". I'm just glad that we have wonderful friends and family everywhere to help us through the transitional period.
Peyton is doing really well and is moving more and more (to a point of making me nauseous) every day. She continues to grow and her kicks/punches are becoming more prominent. Right now we measure about 39 inches around when I am standing, and I'm told that we'll only get bigger.

We have arrived!

2008-09-07T22:07:00.004-04:00

Well we're finally here in beautiful Foxboro, MA! We arrived Saturday at around 4:00 in the afternoon...and not a moment too soon. Amazing how a few days in the car and spending nights in random hotels can make you especially grateful for home. Especially after our final stay over in Rochester, NY. We decided that after visiting Kirtland and Cleveland, OH that we would try to drive a few more hours toward Mass. and stop wherever seemed most convenient. That place just happened to be the Motel 6 right by the Rochester airport. I should have known that this was a bad decision just because the only room that was available was a smoking room...but they were the only hotel that would accept River, so our options were limited. As we pulled in we noticed A LOT of shady characters. Little did we know that the majority of them would be throwing a party right down the hall from us. ALL night there were people going in and out of the room, talking loudly, making other noises, etc. etc. This probably wouldn't have been so bad if River weren't such a protective guard dog. Every time he saw a shadow pass our door, a voice or other noise in the hallway, he would leap to his feet and growl/bark. This continued almost every 30 minutes or so until close to 4:30 AM. Needless to say we were all lacking in the sleep department the next day, but pushed on so that we could make it to Foxboro before it got too dark. The rain that hit us all through upstate New York was terrible! But we survived, and now we are surrounded by boxes (too many) and fantastic family and friends. We are so grateful to have arrived in safety, and River is grateful that he has a pool and a yard to play in. Hopefully we'll get everything situated in the next few days and then it really will start feeling like we're home.

2008-09-03T19:25:00.000-04:00

Well, I would have written yesterday...but Nebraska is so incredibly dull that describing the trip would result in all of you falling asleep. It was an extremely long day- end of story. Right now we are sitting in our hotel room in the beautiful Tinley Park, IL. We are about 20 miles outside of Chicago, but because of inclement weather and lack of time I doubt we'll be able to see the city sights. One highlight is that we're going to have dinner with a mission buddy of mine. River and Patrick have continued to be quite the traveling troopers as we slowly make our way to the East coast. Tomorrow we'll head to Cleveland, Ohio and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

First Day on the Road

2008-09-01T22:30:00.000-04:00

Well we survived out first day on the road. Nothing really eventful happened (those who have driven through Wyoming before are probably not surprised by this) and thankfully we arrived in Cheyenne, Wyoming incident free. Mom and I had a lot of fun driving together and talking; Patrick was a natural truck driver and arrived in good spirits; and River slept almost the entire trip. One highlight was the beautiful display of rainbows we saw just off the road. It was spectacular! Tomorrow we get to drive through Nebraska...