So Cool!

I love 80's rock and current country. Seriously, how different could those two styles of music possibly be? Mixing up some Journey, Taylor Swift, Def Leppard, Keith Urban, Boston and Carrie Underwood makes me a very happy girl.

So you can only imagine how excited I was to hear on the radio this morning that the next episode of CMT's Crossroads will feature Taylor Swift and Def Leppard!!! I was full of tingles when they played a clip from Photograph with Taylor Swift singing the famous lyrics. I've never actually watched Crossroads before but I certainly plan on programming my DVR for tomorrow night at 9pm.

If you're a fan of either one, check out this video from tomorrow night's show! I've been watching it all day...can't wait for the rest!!!

Maybe I'm Just Selfish

Obviously, everyone is talking about our next president. The Chamber consists of mostly republican employees so there isn't a whole lot of celebrating going on in the halls today.

But I'm celebrating and it's not because Obama will be our 44th president. I'm celebrating because Jameson had his speech evaluation today and I couldn't happier with the outcome. Maybe I'm being selfish, but my family is always my first concern and Jameson trumps our new president.

So, here's the outcome of today's evaluation:

1. Yes, Jameson does seem to have a speech delay but it's not significant enough to qualify for the Babies Can't Wait program. The therapist said that Jameson's delay could be a result of so many ear infections and that our pediatrician is notorious for delaying tubes and ENT referrals.

2. While Jameson doesn't qualify for speech therapy, Wanda did see some behavioral problems while at the house. Not a behavioral disorder, but definite problems. When my focus was taken away from Jameson, he would lay on the floor and kick my legs or he would hit me with his stuffed frog. When I would try to reprimand him, he'd simply laugh at me like we were playing a game. She said she sees nothing that can not be corrected with a little coaching from one of their behavioral therapists. This coaching will involve both me and Jason since we need to be on the same page. Obviously what worked for Ayden is not working for Jameson and we just need to be pointed in the right direction.

3. While we investigate the usefulness of tubes at this point, we will also have the full behavioral evaluation on Monday. After that evaluation the therapist and coordinator will set some goals for Jameson and then actual therapy will start probably the following week. Despite Jameson not qualifying for the program because of a speech delay, most of their behavioral therapists also have a speech background so he'll end up getting help in both areas.

So even though the outcome of today's evaluation wasn't just that we have a typical crazy 2 year old, I feel very positive. Jason and I are going to be provided with the right tools to help our child and that is cause for celebration in my book. I'm so happy that a professional was able to witness Jameson's aggressive behavior and told me exactly what I needed to hear..."we're going to fix this".

WITL Day#1

Alarm clock went off at 5am - I hit snooze twice...bad, bad, bad

Took shower and got dressed

Woke the boys up to get dressed

Got the boys stuff ready for the day - sippy cups, vitamins, cough medicine for Jameson and backpacks

Found out that in a matter of 10 minutes, they were able to trash their room before leaving for school

Out the door by 6:45am

Dropped boys off at school and left for work

It wasn't a very good traffic day so I was excited to finally see my exit

Settled into my office with a bottle of Diet Coke to get me motivated

Chick-fil-A Ice Dream with strawberries for lunch

Spent the afternoon working on SOP's in preparation for maternity leave - boring!

Left work at 4pm and headed to Royal Learners to pick up the boys

Got home and made dinner - Divine Casserole

Mimi joined us so the boys got some extra snuggles and attention.

Daddy decided we needed chocolate ice cream with sprinkles for dessert...ice cream twice in one day. Works for me!

After their bath, it was almost time for bed so the boys snuggled in for some down time.

Lights out at 7:30pm - mommy fell asleep too!

Click here for more Day#1 photos!!

33 Weeks

Ava and I went to see the OB today. I took along my list of concerns:

contractions
pressure
numbness in my left hand
swollen feet but not swollen ankles
sharp shooting pain

All is normal. Yes, they're concerned that I may deliver early so they agree with Dr. Korotkin that I need to limit my walking, bending and crouching. I need to cut back on picking up/carrying Jameson. I definitely can not pick up or carry Ayden which is really not a problem because I think only daddy has the strength to pick that child up! Dr. Dozier and Dr. McSwain both think that baby Ava will be here in 3-4 weeks. I have my next OB appointment on the 17th and we'll start non-stress tests then. I see Dr. Korotkin for another photo shoot of Ava on the 10th.

Basically, we're ready. Ava's room is painted, the new flooring has been installed and the new wood blinds are up. There are fresh sheets on the crib and blankets have been washed. All of her new clothes are washed and either hanging up in the closet or put away in the dresser. We have lotions, bath wash and towels ready to go. The swing has been put together and the bassinet is ready to be put in our room if needed. The breast pump has new batteries and bottles have been washed and are in the cabinet. Diapers, baby wipes and Balmex are waiting by the changing table. Other than some putting some finishing touches on her room (I still need to find a quilt I like), we're well prepared.

BTW - Jameson has his speech evaluation tomorrow at 9am. I spoke with the therapist for some time yesterday and I'm looking forward to hearing her thoughts after the hour long evaluation. If Wanda feels it's necessary, Jameson will also be evaluated by a behavioral therapist next week Monday.

Ayden is doing extremely well with his new glasses. I spoke with his teacher yesterday when I picked the boys up and she said she can already tell a difference in Ayden's work. I'm so relieved we took care of his vision problem early!

Check back tomorrow for days 1 & 2 of A Week In The Life. I'm almost done editing yesterday's pictures and I've already taken a bunch this morning. I'm very determined to see this project through to the end!!

Thinking Ahead...

Christmas is going to be a little different for us this year. I will be on unpaid maternity leave and there will be a new baby in the house. Despite these slight changes, I still love the traditions that Christmas brings and there are definitely a few of them that I'm looking forward to.

decorating the tree/mantle
making Christmas cookies
wrapping presents
writing Santa a letter with Ayden
all of the yummy food

I know it may seem crazy to be thinking about all of this since it's only November 3rd, but as I look out my window the park is full of workers setting up Christmas decorations. Christmas decorations already?!?! It does seem a bit early, but it's definitely got me thinking ahead.

So, I thought I'd share my absolute favorite sugar cookie recipe. I made these for our Central Services Holiday Outing three years in a row and everyone just LOVED them!

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 (3oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, butter, cream cheese, salt, almond and vanilla extracts and egg yolk. Beat until smooth. Stir in four until well blended. Chill the dough for 8 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/3 at a time to 1/8 inch thickness, refrigerating remaining dough until ready to use. Cut into desired shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Leave cookies plain for frosting, or brush with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with candy sprinkles or colored sugar.
4. Bake for 7-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light and golden brown. Cool cookies completely before frosting.

And to top everything off, I always make my favorite cream cheese frosting for decorating. I'm a frosting snob and use this recipe for everything...carrot cake, cupcakes, cookies...or to simply eat straight from the bowl.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine confectioners sugar, cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread onto anything...cookies, cupcakes, cake or your tongue:)

Now that I'm dying for a handful of decorated sugar cookies, I may have to see if I have a turkey or some leaves in my cookie cutter stash and make a few batches in celebration of Thanksgiving!

Enjoy!

A week in the life

of the Payne family has begun. I know I should've started yesterday but I woke up in a slightly irritable mood and it stayed with me for most of the day so I really didn't want to bring my camera everywhere we went. I started this project today instead. Let me tell how NOT easy it is to document my day with a camera. So many things are rushed and I have to remind myself to slow down and take a picture. I'm psyched about this project though and am excited to some day look back and remember what our life was like at this time. I sort of think this is something I may do annually...around the same time of the year.

So how was your weekend? Our's was pretty laid back. Saturday we stayed home all day. I never changed out of my pajamas. I cleaned, did laundry and took a 2 hour nap. We did family movie night after chowing down Chinese take out. Anyone see the movie Monster House? It was great! Jameson was totally freaked out but insisted on staying with us. We kept the boys up until 10pm in hopes that they would sleep in. I should've known better. Sunday we had to run a few errands. After a $200 trip to BJ's (darn wholesale clubs!) and a quick stop at Target, I think we're stocked up on a lot of necessities for the next couple of months. After lunch at Steak n Shake, we took the scenic route home to snoop at homes for sale. Jason and love to do this. Even though we don't plan on selling our house for another 2-3 years, it's still fun to look:) The boys took much needed nap and I would have done the same if our bedding hadn't been in the washing machine.

All in all, it was a low key weekend. Barely anything got crossed off the to-do list but I wasn't really bothered.

Pirate + Chicken = Fun

What a great Halloween! After a quick pit-stop at Mimi's for some photos of the boys, we headed off for trick-or-treating. Hopefully Mimi got more pictures of the actual trick-or-treating. I was kept busy making sure the boys didn't run out in the road!