My Curly Headed Boy

Adam has great curls. I know I'm biased but he is pretty cute.

And in Buffalo his curls are even better. It cracks me up.

When I was a kid, my best friend had really curly hair like Adam's. When we were in high school he usually wore it short around the sides but really long on top. He would gel it and you couldn't tell it was that long. But every once in a while he would comb it out and come over to my house to show me how high he got it. I thought I'd try it on Adam. He looks kind of a like a clown.

After the first time my mom met John, her only comment was, "He has great hair." I hadn't really thought that much about it, but after that I realized she was right. I've thought so ever since. It is only fitting that our son get his great hair. Thanks John!

Adam is One Year-Old Already!

We had an early birthday party for Adam since we were going to be on the way to Buffalo on his actual birthday. Adam seemed a little perplexed the whole time. Maybe he couldn't figure out why we were celebrating when he hadn't reached his birthday yet.

Or maybe he couldn't understand why we wrapped perfectly good toys with paper or why we wanted him to tear up that paper.

Or maybe he couldn't figure out why we made him sit on the table.

Or maybe he doesn't like us playing with fire.

I don't know but his expression says it all.

But when we brought out the cake and ice cream he seemed to perk up considerably.

He even did a few tricks with his spoon.

Happy Birthday, Adam!! We've loved the first year and we are looking forward to all the years to come.

Bunny Cage = Happy Bunny

A couple of months ago we bought Kate's bunny Xango a little enclosure for the yard. It is intended for little kids so it is fairly sturdy, and it is pretty high so the bunny can't jump over it. She has tried to dig under it, but overall I think the bunny is very pleased with it. It protects her from the little kids and they can still see the bunny. And the bunny gets the exercise she needs. It has turned out to be a great purchase for everyone concerned. I would highly recommend it.

Payne Family Father's Day

Because we were going to be in Buffalo without John for Father's Day, we decided to have an early father's day. The girls made cards and I got him some Mario pajama pants. He seems to have liked his day. It felt pretty successful (except Ruth refused to be in the picture because she didn't make a card for John because we didn't have time and she felt bad about that). So whatever Sunday it is, Happy Father's Day John. The kids love their dad and I love him too. He's the best.

True Roses

A rose should be just a rose, not a monstrosity. I had a botany class in college and the professor considered all genetically altered roses monstrosities. Originally roses only had 5 petals in one row. So my roommate and I adopted his opinion and would call any big roses monstrosities. So when I looked at my house to buy it, I was immensely impressed with the wild rose bush in the back yard. Real roses!! It is even yellow, my favorite color. I think I write this post every year but I still feel the same way. That bush just makes me happy. I hope to add similar bushes to our landscaping in the future.

Emma, One of the Witches of Payne Place

She looked so natural as a witch that I just had to take a picture. She's got the hair and the pointy features. Emma would definitely be a good witch though because she's a sweetheart.

Things I Love About Buffalo #2: Great Food

I love the food in Buffalo. There is food here that just isn't the same anywhere else. First of all pizza and wings are big in Buffalo. There is a pizza and wing joint on every corner. There are three places that serve pizza and wings within just a 5 minute walk from John's parents' house. The pizza is good, but don't ask for pineapple, and the wings are hot, as hot as you want. And they always ask how hot you want: mild, medium, or hot and they always come with celery and bleu cheese. They are very good. (Even Wendy's serves wings in Buffalo.)

They also serve something called Roast Beef on Wec. (I think that is what it is called.) It is basically a roast beef sandwich served on a Kimmowec bun (a bun with kimmowec seeds and kosher salt on top) with lots of horseradish. It too is very good.

Then there is John's mom, who is a great cook. We never go hungry in Buffalo. And I love that!!!

Crazy hair or Why My Girls Love Aunt Missy

Before (Saturday night)

Missy came down a couple weeks ago to watch the kids for a few days for us. She came down on Saturday afternoon and then did the girls' hair that night after their baths. They loved every moment of it. And then on Sunday she took their hair out and gave them beautiful flower clips and fixed their hair. She did a great job and she made me look really good. One lady at church asked me how early I got up in the morning to fix all the girls' hair. I pointed her at Missy. But the girls LOVED it and so did I. Thanks Missy!

After (Sunday morning)

Boxes for the Trip

For the trip, the girls and I made boxes, crayon boxes, and pencil boxes. We used old diaper boxes for the big things like coloring books and stuff. We used margarine containers for crayon boxes, and Lays containers for pencil boxes. We covered them with colored paper, then stickers and their names and finally contact paper secured with packing tape. The girls loved making them and they really helped the car not be so crazy while still allowing them to bring a lot of stuff. Plus it was fun to do together. When we made them, I did each separately and on a different day and it was fun to watch their different approaches to basicly the same project. It definitely was worth it. Here's a few pics for examples:

My Favorite Things About Buffalo #1: Niagara Falls

I love lots of things about Buffalo-- that's why I love to come visit. One of these things is going to Niagara Falls.

When John and I were dating, we rode our bikes up to Bridal Veil Falls and John laughed and said, "That is not a waterfall. Come to Buffalo and I'll show you a real waterfall." I was a little offended because in my life to that point, Bridal Veil Falls was a pretty big water fall. Then when I came to Buffalo, John took me to Niagara Falls. And I had to agree, that was a real waterfall. I've never seen anything like it before or since. It is always a top request from the kids when we plan what we want to do in Buffalo. It is truly beautiful and fun to walk around.

Some day I am going to do the deluxe visit but for right now we just like to walk around with all the kids. Throwing rocks in the water and picking dandelions in the grass surrounding the falls seemed to be the favorite activities this time around.

I also love the statue of Tesla, the man who invented a way to harness the power of the falls and make electricity. It just looks cool.

New Old Dress

A friend gave us some clothes for the girls that her daughter had grown out of. The girls loved them!! Mary loved this dress but it had a small tear. I finally got around to mending it. It is actually the first thing I have mended in quite a while. It was really easy and Mary was super happy that I did it so. So I guess it was all worth it.

Another Tag Quilt

This is the second tag quilt I finished. I have two more in the works. This one was for my next door neighbor who just had a baby girl. I still like it.

Quilt Club Blankets

I go to a quilt club once a month with some of the ladies on my street. We tie quilts and they donat them to a NICU that one of their daughter-in-laws work at. It has been really fun. To be honest, I don't get to help much but it is fun to talk to the ladies. A while back I volunteered to help bind a few of them. It took me a while but I finally finished them. They really don't take that long once I get started, it just takes a little oomph to get started. They turned out great though. The ladies really do great work.

Graduations

May is the month for graduations in Utah. I went to two which was more than enough for me. Congratulations to the two graduates: Ruth from preschool and Devin from Lehi high school. Here are the proud graduates and their families:

The Last Two Tag Quilts

I finally finished the last of the tag quilts. I really liked the way they turned out. They were for my boy and my new niece (who is also named Brooklyn just like my next door neighbor's little girl--it was all very handy). Anyway, I think I will probably make more in the future. They seemed like a great gift and it was fun to do.

The BIG Project

I finally finished my big project. I made an I-spy blanket for a lady in the ward that bought it at a Relief Society Auction. It was really fun to make and I made a little different than the ones I have done before. I put two of each print in the blanket to make it a little bigger. I also did embroideries of each person in their family. The girls helped me pick out the pictures and they thought it was funny. I'm not sure how life-like some of them turned out but they were fun. The family seemed to really like it so that was great. (I only spelled one of the kids' names wrong, oh well, bad information) Here are a few pictures: