Sisters

"Sisters are different flowers from the same garden."

~Author Unknown

"More than Santa Clause, your sister knows

when you've been bad and good."

~Linda Sunshine

"When mom and dad don't understand,

a sister always will."
~Author Unknown

random happenings

I got a professtional photographer to take family pictures (finally). Yup. And I had her come all the way from Weatherford, Texas to do it (of course, I used the "triathlon" to lure her here). :) Jessica has a talent for taking pictures, as well as a very handy camera to do it with. She may not be considered professional, but I think that's only because her price isn't "professional," which I have no complaints about. :) So, you may notice some "new" shots on my blog. They are the production of Jess, although B and I can take a little credit for making such cute kids.

Here's the girlies at the first photo shoot, and they are ready to be done. Don't worry, we have another photo shoot scheduled for the next day.

How did they behave so well, you wonder? Bribery. Jess took us out to Krispy Kreme after the girlys were done...

I love cuddling with my kids while they go to sleep, although I don't get to as often as I like. Faye is especially sweet to me, and will often play with my hair until she falls asleep. One night, she borrowed Jess' brush and brushed my hair until she fell asleep...with the brush still in her hand. It was heavenly...

"Lucky Lubbockians" That's what the media called us, because we were in just the right location to see the rare eclipse. Of course my camera is not doing it justice, and we actually didn't get to see the full eclipse, because a big cloud came and covered it, but we got to see the beginning of it. Way cool...

Daisy brought this to me and asked, "Mom, which one do you think is Jesus?"

Me: "The happy one?"

Daisy: "Yup, and Satan is the mad one, because he is dark."

A couple of weeks ago, I went to get something from the deep freezer in the garage. This is what I found. I questioned Brian about it (he had been cutting down a tree out back). He said it started to get really hot. He was simply solving a problem. Hmmm...

Triathlon

Last summer, I made a goal: Either 1. Have a baby OR 2. Do a triathlon. Baby didn't come, although I was hopeful right up until May (sigh), but I did try to prepare for the triathlon. I even registered back at the beginning of the year for the Dog House Sprint. However, May 12th came fast and furious, and I would like to say that's how I completed the triathlon, but alas, it was my first (but not my last) triathlon. Training takes time, and that's just not something I have a whole lot of at this stage in my life. Jess (sister-in-law) drove up to Lubbock with her two cute girlies to do the triathlon with me. It was a ton of fun, and like I said, I want more...



I know, I know, you are already so impressed with the triathlon, just because of the redneck sign. :) Jess and I were feeling the excitement of the race for sure (with a little anxiety, since we were told the night before that the water was 61 degrees, and we didn't have wetsuits).

When we arrived, we set up our bikes in the transition area, got our numbers painted, and inspected the coarse a little.

Here we are lining up to start--we just crossed the sensors and are waiting for the "GO."

500 meter swim...

17.6 mile bike...

5 kilometer run...

It felt so good to cross that finish line. It was such a beautiful day, and I learned a lot. For example, swimming in a pool is very different than a lake (ha, ha); lake water also tastes worse when accidentally inhaled; $3 goggles fog very easily and make it hard to see (so does brown water); road bikes are not the same as mountain bikes (this was my 2nd time ever riding a road bike-I rented it from Texas Tech); transition time does matter; it takes at least one mile to feel your legs again after transitioning from biking to running; and I think I better stop there. But I finished, felt great, and--most importantly--was able to go home and still be a mommy all day. :)

Daisy came to the race with Brian (B's the one taking all the pics), and our very nice neighbors watched the rest of the little Paynes. Brian loved hangin' with Dais, and I was very glad to have another fan cheering me...

And it was a lot more fun to have someone race with me. Thanks, Jessica!

Some of you have asked what my time/place was:

Swim:11:33

Bike: 1:05:35

Run: 26:54

Total (w/transitions): 1:47:40

Placed 3rd in Womens (out of 20)

Placed 32nd Overall (out of abt 65-70)

Placed 1st in my Age (out of 3) --ha, ha :)

(here's the website: https://www.nolimitstiming.com/results/default.aspx?event=12212)

Our 6-year Old

For Brian's week off from work (and the week of Daisy's birthday), we decided we were just going to stay home and get cought up on things. Daisy, however, had other plans. Whenever she saw anybody (even strangers), she told them that she was going to her grandma's house for her birthday. Each time she told someone this, I explained to her that we were not going anywhere--just staying home. It just went in one ear and out the other...every time. So, about the 8th time, Brian thought that maybe we should go to grandma's house...

Daisy wanted an "under-the-sea-shark cake what was blue and green." Those were her exact words (but, sadly, the dollar store didn't have very many sharks)...

...but Daisy didn't mind...

Daisy wanted an Indian Princess outfit. I surprised her (and myself) with one. She wears it quite a bit, too. Brian named her "Squaw," and she reported to me a couple days ago that she likes it when Daddy calls her that. I was hoping for Little Fawn, or something, but it is not to be (sigh)...

That night, Papa made Daisy a campfire, and we cooked smores. This was my favorite part of the trip. I love fires, especially when it's a little cold outside. It was perfect...

Dinosaur Park

For Daisy's birthday, Grandma Payne took some of us to Dinosoar Park, about an hour from Weatherford. There was Grandma, myself, Daisy, Itzel, and little Elijah. Daisy had a blast, and even cried when it was time to go. She was in her element in every way...

On the way to the park, we stopped at a few garage sales. Grandma bought Daisy a little stuffed animal dog, which Daisy named, "Dino."

You can see a real dinosaur footprint down in the water, to the left of Daisy...

This trip to Weatherford was actually the first time we got to meet little Elijah. He's such a cute, happy baby...

There were these fun, big, flat stepping boulders just under the water, making a bridge accross the river. Daisy crossed them well over 20 times. It was a fun, very beautiful area...

Dais was so proud of this rock she found, because it had green in it (then came a lesson on copper :)...

I even got grandma to show off her legs for us (very nice, Grandma) :)...

It was a good day, and Daisy would agree with me, except when we had to leave!

My amazing bookshelf! My amazing hubby!

Several months ago, I told B that I needed (ok, wanted) a bookshelf. He thought about it, and then talked to me about a design he had thought of. It sounded ok, and I wasn't picky, but really I had no idea how good it was going to be. First he made the base when he had a couple hours to spare (the bottom shelf), but then it just sat in the garage for a few weeks. Then, in April, he had a week off. On Monday, he finished the shelves:

He made the shelves so they all stack into eachother, and everything fits into the base. On Tuesday, we painted them:

On Wednesday, we lackered them:

Thursday morning, we put a 2nd coat on, then left to go to Weatherford (for Daisy's birthday). They had a few days to dry, but when we got home, I was anxious to see them up. I can arrange them any way I want. So fun:

...in more ways than I thought...

And here is the end product, after a month's use. I love my bookshelf, but I love my hubby even more! :)