2013 HIGHLIGHTS (for you, Mama Payne :)

 

 

Liz & Papa Woodbury Birthday (Valentine's Day)

 

Halloween (with our Friend, Katherine)

 

St. Louis Zoo (exciting things happen there!)

Addy got spayed.



Faye buddied up with a couple of other horse-lovers from church (Tracie & Katherine).

2013 Primary Program

The girls performed amazingly--my favorite Sacrament Meeting of the year!

We moved to St. Louis, Missouri in the summer 2013.

One of our favorites in St. Louis is going to the amazing church history sites. 

For my birthday (April), we went to the Alamo, and met up with the Cox Family.

It was a short, but very sweet trip.

 Daisy, a Mutton-Bustin Champion! (April)

 

Daisy turned 7 on April 21st

(and also made a goal to read the Book of Mormon before she got baptized in a year).

 

Girls did their talent show for Grace Homeschool group. So fun to watch!

Faye ran the Color Run with our good friend, Sally Ferguson. The rest of us weren't able to run (or even watch!) because it was on the same day as the... 

 

2013 Lubbock Preparedness Fair! Brian was the chairman (for the 3rd year in a row).

We had a great turn-out this year.

 

Winter fun in St. Louis (we sure enjoyed the snow)...

 

The famous St. Louis Arch: "Gateway to the West"

 

Christmas 2013 was a fun season. We were able to fill our manger with cotton-balls

(representing service--our gift to Baby Jesus)

 

 

...and to end the 2013 year, Faye's 9 year birthday!

(Daddy let her eat out of his Yoda goblet--she was one super special girl :)

October 2012

All 4 girls (including Addy--she's the black by Faye) asleep in the top bunk.

 I went and picked my watermelons from my garden.  A vine wound it's way through a rose bush and I found this watermelon all deformed growing under there:

Halloween is a fun time in Lubbock.  An event that we always look forward to is (of course) our favorite place to go: The Heritage Halloween (at the Ranching Heritage Center).  Volunteers dress up in the correct time-era as a ranch house, where they pass out candy that was created in the same time period as the ranch (ie, the Barton House built in 1905 had volunteers passing out chocolate kisses, which were also created in 1905).  We also went there with our good friends, Keating (7), Emaline(1), and Tina (mom).

 The Pumpkin Trail is another much-anticipated Halloween event.  They had over 2,000 pumpkins carved.  B was working, but we took a friend with us (Keating).  The girls really wanted a photo of the UMC display of pumpkins:

 On one of our trips to Weatherford (dropping Daddy off so he could fly to interviews out of the Ft.Worth/Dallas Airport), Krystal saddled up Glory for my girlies.  They always amaze me with their abilities on a horse.  They got skills their momma don't have :)...

 Josh & Jill and clan came for part of one trip.  It's so fun to have cousins...

And we were lucky (or blessed) to be there when Aunt Krystal got her mission call: Everett, Washington!

 Another event taking place was the Texas State Fair.  We went on the "cheap" day, and rode the 210 foot ferris wheel.  Faye's scared of heights, too.  :)  It was a lot of fun, but we were tired at the end of the day!!:

Titan Soccer: I signed up my girlies for soccer this year through the homeschool league.  Faye and Daisy got to be on the same team, The Green Team.  Here they are warming up (or trying to get warm on this morning) for a game...

 And Lizzy lu-who was on the Blue Team (younger league):

 The end of season award ceremony and lunch.  This is Coach Lap bragging about his team.  He was a very good coach, and I think we just might be doing Spring Soccer...

 And here's Coach Michael bragging about this really cute team.  I love watching 4-year olds play soccer! :)

Faye, and her really good buddy, Makaela, just two houses down.  She is a fun girls with great parents.  Moving next summer will be really hard for this reason right here.  We have been very blessed to have such wonderful neighbors.

Halloween 2012

Astronaut Daisy

 Dr. Liz & Dr. Payne

 The Masked Rider (aka: Faye)

"Guns Up"

 Happy Halloween 2012

randomness in lubbock

Here's a close-up of Addy (just woken up from her nap).  I am now a believer in pet-therapy.  If y'all have kids with anxiety, a cute little Addy dog could be just the cure...  :)

 I have a funny quirk with grapes.  I want a bag of grapes where I can eat every single grape.  I don't like throwing grapes away (I even ate a grape once that wasn't so good so I could say--to myself--every grape is edible).  Not too long ago, I got two bags of grapes in a row, where I did not throw one single grape away (or eat a bad one).  All good.  They popped perfectly, too.  Quirky.  I know.  It was a simple thing.  Didn't tell anyone (until now).  But it impressed me enough to take a picture...

 A momentous day: Daisy caught wearing pink!  Liz talked her older sister to be "matching" (these are Lizzy's two tutu's).  Once observed, I got the camera out quick.  Daisy does not like pink.  She's a green girl.  Who knows if it will happen again...

 Daisy likes chia seed.  She calls them "sprinkles" and loves to pile them on her jam and bread (also loves to make a mess)...

work, homeschooling, etc...

I can't believe I'm actually blogging.  It seems like my last post wasn't that long ago, but I guess time is once again playing tricks on me.  :)  I'm just going to start with now, and if I can do older posts, so be it.  If I can't, oh well...

Life has been very good to us Paynes right along with being busy.  B has been extremely busy with work and interviews!!  Interview season is now over, and I am grateful to have my husband back in my life.  He is planning to do a fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicin (PEM).  It is a 3-year fellowship and we will find out if and where we match on November 28th.  So excited!! (but dreading the move--I don't enjoy that so much).  We would be moving in June 2013. 

I have really been enjoying the privilage of homeschooling the girls--they are so silly, creative, diligent, and fun as we do school each day.  There are so many moments of gratitude as I observe and instruct them, but there are those moments of feeling overwhelmed and inadequate.  I got this shot of Faye last Wednesday--she woke up, made her bed, said her prayers, got dressed, fixed her own breakfast, fed her doll, took her doll for a stroll, then began school all by herself, before I had made my bed. :)  I found her doing math with Jayne Payne (doll) and Addy (dog).  Now that's one diligent girly!  These are the moments I love homeschooling:

Liz needed help with her math on the computer a couple weeks ago.  I kneeled down to help her, and Addy walked over and curled up on my legs for a quick nap.  She's such a cuddly dog, we've really enjoyed her.  And B just installed a doggy-door (in our window :), so now she is completely potty-trained...ok, ok, I mean house-trained (with no thought on my part!).  Also, notice a portion of bright orange on Daisy (in front of me)?  Thanks to Grandma Payne, she is now Astronaut Daisy, and is determined to go to Mars when she grows up.  She is quickly becoming a space expert/astonomer and has already put a hole in her suit in her pursuit of her journey to space.  Funny kid...

Happy Birthday, B

We miss you, Daddy, and hope you have a very fun birthday!!

Daddy Time

Brian has spent hours and hours studying in his medical career.  Here are a few shots I've caught over the years of him studying/reading/etc. while spending quality time with his girlies...

Thank you, B, for all your efforts to spend time with your family.  I appreciate that you turn to your children when you want to take a break, because then it gives me a break, and we can have one together.  :)  You are an amazing Daddy, excellent hubby, and great example!  Your girls love you!!