Cupcake Smash Birthday Bash

To be fair, I shall utter a warning: there are quite a few pics to follow and hopefully more after I get the ones my sis-in-law snapped too

Paytin and Gideon (taken by Spring), 2.5 months apart.

(taken by Spring), my cupcake girl

Brayden and Daddy testing the decorations out the night before)

And truth be told, Daddy thought we still didnt have enough balloons!

We love to decorate!

Paytin and Mommy the morning of the big bash!

Can't believe my baby is ONE!

What can I say? I have the sweetest baby daddy (pun intended)

who can apparently also frost cupcakes better then me!

Cupcake Tree!

Melt.My.Heart!

Me and the Grumpy Gal; no, she really wasn't grumpy but she was very needy and clingy to Mommy, little did we know because a tooth was cutting through her gums that day!

Pretty pretty princess

The wonderful Khaos! (spelling intended)

The wonderful Grammy, who hasn't missed ONE single birthday/birthday party yet though she lives over 7 hours away! AND she did all the dishes after the party, I know, she rocks, right?!

Great Uncle Jimmy! Also hasn't missed a party yet! (with Great Auntie Judy)

Paytin's rockin' new wheels from MeeMa and Papa

Testing her baby doll stroller out from Grammy

These two cousins were as cute as can be together, but all 5 boy cousins were pretty hilarious!

Love that Grammy always brings a small token gift for the "non birthday" grandkids, such special memories in the making!

Me and my SWEET nephew Gideon, meeting him for the first time at 9 months old! Saw my brother and sis in law and nephews just two weeks before he was born! He is FULL of smiles and laughs!

Cousin fun!

If you're gonna swing, might as well swing naked!

She was over it by this time, but I have the same pic of us with Brayden like this!

Yes, rough life for Princess Paytin, new shades, cute suit, new pool toy, and in the hot tub of all places, you go girl!

The baby who NEVER EVER does this, did it, and all thanks to Grammy, it helped that she was pooped out from all that partyin'!

I got to steal her away and enjoy the moment too before putting her to bed!

LOVE this more than I can say, they are the BEST!

Another "Kincaid memory" shot, the night before my baby turns one, I sneak in their room after they are sleeping and take one last picture of them as a "baby" yes they are still my babies no matter what their age, but I love the pic I got of Bray, so I repeated it, and love this one the same :)

Only the most awesome big brother put up with having tea with their baby sisters!

Great Uncle Jimmy again!

The Breakfast Bunch, well, some of them!

Take Outs

This is what life really looks like for us....

a baby girl covered in food because she likes to make messes almost as much as eating

a boy who is trying his hardest to become "big" overnight and finding the balance between independence and sweet innocence

a little girl who tests all our previous experience as parents, and has the personality to go with it

chalk drawings that have gone away from cars and trucks and moved to superheroes and shields

a boy whose chalk drawing is growing as fast as he is

a little girl who lives life quite loudly

and who loves the water

a kid who still needs naps because he plays hard

a sweet lady down the street who paints these rocks and hides them for the kids to find

a little girl much more enamored with her brothers toys then her own

one cute chick

a relationship that is sweet most of the time but has lots of attitude from both sides

pirate treasure hunts with real dollar bills and change, and fishies, and birds, and dragons too

kids who do everything together

friends

very rare moments when our go go girl wants to stop and cuddle

backyard tea sessions

frog and water fun (see the frog?)

Father's Day BBQ (first time ever grilling burgers)

PUPPIES!

3 beautiful pups and their mama

they don't come cuter than this!

and independence at its best

10 seconds later, cheerios and milk were everywhere!

The Lily-meister at 12 months

This is not the post for pictures, like usual, because I told myself I couldnt upload and go through Paytin's birthday pictures until I had finished organizing the albums on the computer, and well, you can tell that didn't happen. However, I did get through another 4 folders today (large folders, not subfolders) so I am making headway, I digress.

At 12 months old, our chunky monkey has slimmed and slowed to a petite beauty. Weighing in at 17lbs 15.5 oz, just shy of 18 lbs, 28.5 inches long, and I think her head was 18 inches or so. She is in the 7th percentile for weight which the doctor brought up, but we aren't concerned about because Paytin is a CONSTANT go getter and non stop mover, and because she just cut her first tooth within the last couple of days, making it hard to eat much besides baby food and milk!

Some stats:

• still wears size 3 diapers
• wears 12, 12-18 month, and 18 month clothing, just depends on the brand.
• sits, crawls normally now (for the past almost 4 weeks exclusively), stands while holding onto stuff, and is starting to venture to cruising on furniture. Really she has "taken off" movement wise in the last 4 weeks, she is always into something, always scampering off, and trying to get into trouble, going up the stairs (not allowed), trying to sneak into the bathroom, knowing which drawers dont have locks, etc. She is MUCH different then Brayden and I am ALWAYS on my toes these days. She pulls up on everything, but her favorites are the things that can cause her the worst injuries like Brayden's train table (fingers pinched), chairs (falling on her, its happened), etc. LOVE my wild child.
• says "Mama" both when she wants me and when she wants something. It's endearing when I am coming into her room to get her, less endearing when she's screaming it at the top of her lungs because she wants more food....sign language is not picking up as fast as I would like it too. Also says "Buh" for Brayden and thats pretty new.
• loves toys, but loves Brayden's toys more, loves to stand holding onto her table or her Mickey Mouse train, loves anything with a million pieces so she doesnt lose interest too quickly. Really loves music and is ALWAYS dancing, both bopping her head and either shaking or clapping her hands and the new things is to rock her body back and forth too.
• Went through another sick spell this month with pink eye, and a chest infection but I think she was bound to get something with her teeth finally starting to come in.
• drinks whole milk now and nurses once to twice a day at night, which she will be weaned off of in about a week or so I'd think. Eats cheerios, cheese, fruits, veggies, all diced up. Still chokes or gags on a lot of stuff so we really have to watch her close. She isn't doing well at all on the bottle to sippy cup transition, and I need to work with her more on that.
• pretty much sleeping through the night, occassionally she will wake up early in the morning to eat, unless you count the three nights during her birthday madness that she was up every single hour of the night, oi, I'm still recovering.
• she's gotten more combative and sassy in the last month too, not as easy going, and easier provoked when she doesnt get her way or get her way fast enough, I see terrible twos in our future perhaps? Still the sweetest and fun loving little girl ever as long as you can keep her going and predict her!
• she;s been switching from one to two naps a nap since she got sick, hoping to get her back on the two nap schedule but time will tell!

Ok, that's it for the informational post, more birthday stuff to come in the next few days!

Happy Brithday Paytin Lily!

Happy Happy Happy First Birthday to our beautiful baby girl!

(photo by Spring Kraft)

This past Saturday, we had the chance to celebrate Paytin's first birthday with a cupcake themed birthday party that many of our family members were able to make it too. It was an all day/all weekend type thing and it was SUCH a blast. I wasn't stressed out, and yet, it still seemed to go by all too fast. Paytin wasn't in a bad mood persay, and she for sure had her very very happy moments, but she was much more serious and clingy to Mommy then we are used too. I'm sure that had a lot to do with all the new faces around, and oh yeah, cutting her very first tooth! I noticed it yesterday afternoon, and just throwing it out there that its almost to the day the exact same time Brayden got his. I know teething is genetic, but within hours of each other is pretty rare I'd think!
Anyways, back to the party, we did a fun, girly, cupcake themed party with lots of balloons and pink and purple decorations. She was enthralled with the dangling #1's in our living room, loved chasing after the balloons, and LOVED her new toys.
We were joined by her MeeMa, Papa, Aunt Katie, Great Uncle Jim, Great Aunt Judy, Grammy, Uncle Brian K. Aunt Spring, and cousins Gregory, Adam, Luke, and Gideon. A lot of people traveled a LONG way to be at the party and we really really appreciate it as well as everyone who sent their love, cards, and gifts as well!
Paytin enjoyed her cupcake, but only a few bites, and then wanted to be cleaned off right away! She loved all her gifts too, and took a special liking to the little Eggies that Auntie Sarah and Uncle Brian got her; I had never seen them before! She also has always been a huge water bug and loved the backyard inflatable pool and pool chair that Daddy got her, between that and the hot tub, she was one happy chick! Brayden loved being able to help open her gifts, and she loved having Brayden there to help.
It was a really really fun day to celebrate such a huge milestone in her tiny little life! Can't believe my baby is ONE! Stay tuned for more pictures, and 12 month stats! (Not neccessarily in that order!)