simple home happenins

Who needs a pool, anyway!?! Ha, ha...
My orchid is soooo beautiful. Ok, so I can't take any credit for it, but I still love it when it blooms...

Faye is getting re-organized (every week :), and Liz is helping her. I had fun just listening to them talk together (I am always "listening in" on my kids' conversations). I never knew socks could be such a big deal...

Make-up makeover. Hmmm... not so sure about that red lipstick. Actually, the only reason I have red lipstick is so I can put bear scratch marks on the faces of my Cub Scouts when the earn their "Bear" award...

And when there is a quiet moment, I will see if the girls will let me practice cute hair styles (thanks for showing me, Camille)...

4th of July

Daddy had to work, so it was just us Payne girls (B has had to work almost every 4th of July for the past 6 years). When we got to the parade, we found some friends to sit with. Here's Faye and Callan watching the police escort the start of the parade (I love Callan's binoculars)!
Faye has a dream to one day be the "masked rider" at Texas Tech. Guns up...

And we can't forget UMC, where Daddy works...

After the parade, we went to the park for a picnic, home for a break, then to Wolfforth to watch the fireworks. Here we are waiting for it to get dark (silly girlies)...

I had to post this: We had to leave our spot to do a potty run. While leaving, Daisy stepped on a goat-head. This picture captured the moment pretty well: Daisy, with her sob story, and Liz, with her nurturing sympathy towards the sad tale...

Ok, and here's my confession. I haven't taken my girls to see fireworks since I last saw the Malaluka show in Idaho Falls (which were amazing, like always). That was in 2006!! And this year, we were front row. Faye had a terror scream for the first 5 or 6 fireworks. Liz just wanted to curl up and not look. But Daisy enjoyed them--she wanted to watch them from the swing set.

All in all, it was a great 4th of July. The only thing that could of made it better was having Daddy with us!!

Mothers

I missed Mother's day, and I know this is weeks late, but I wanted to post something about my mothers, especially since I posted about fathers. :)

I am so grateful for the mothers in my life. My childhood was one of complete happiness, our home was a place the spirit dwelled, and I remember mom was always right there waiting for me to come share my adventures with her (if she could ever get me to talk). :) I am grateful for the sacrifices she made on a daily basis, for the love she so willingly gave, and for the example she was and is of living the Gospel. Now I have two wonderful mothers who I can talk with as my friends, who I can go to for advice, and who can empathize with me when life gets rough. To the mothers in my life, I love you and wish you a Happy Mothers Day every day, because being a mother never ends!


"A mother-daughter relationship is where a daughter learns how to nurture by being nurtured. She is loved. She is taught and experiences firsthand what it feels like to have someone care about her enough to correct her while continuing to encourage and believe in her at the same time."

~M. Russell Ballard

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."

~Abraham Lincoln
"God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers."
~Jewish Proverb

"Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had, and dealing with fears you didn't know existed.

~Linda Wooten

"A mom's hug lasts long after she lets go."
~Author Unknown

Fathers

I am truly blessed to have the fathers I do. I cherish the lessons they've taught me through work ethic, through the sacrifices they make on a daily basis, and through the service they render to all around them. Truly I can say my fathers and husband are worthy Priesthood holders!!

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived,

and let me watch him do it."

~Clarence Budington Kelland

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his

arms when his hands are empty."

~Author Unknown

"A father is always making his baby into a woman. And when she is a women he turns her back again."
~Enid Bagnold

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...