What the Next Few Days Have in Store...

This weekend I am doing the unthinkable.  No, no, no, I'm not deleting our blog.  That would induce depression for hundreds, if not thousands of our devoted readers.  If you guessed that I'm announcing that baby #2 is on the way, hold your horses, you're wrong again.  Phew!  That post isn't coming until next weekend.  Kidding!  What I'm really doing this weekend is letting this child:

who is 5 months old now by the way (and still makes mom nervous sitting up... hence the pillow behind her)

fly across the country.  Without me.  Yes, you read that right.  Afton is flying to Idaho with her dad.  I have some crazy mixed feelings about it.  Luckily she has an incredible dad who is amazing with her.  I don't doubt for one second that he is completely capable of doing this.  It's just that... well... it's a little hard to let go for a few days.  I've never been away from her for more than a few hours.  

Ty has been planning on going to Idaho for a few months now, but when he suggested the idea of taking Afton a few weeks ago, I sat on it for over a week, trying to decide if I could do it.  And since then, I've had moments every single day when I wanted to announce that I'd changed my mind.  So we'll see how I hold up this weekend.  Like I said, we'll see how I hold up this weekend.  I'm more worried about myself than I am about her.

The good news for you, our faithful readers, is that mom gets to play a little catch up.  There is so much to write about!  I mean, this weekend will be Afton's second time across the country, unbeknownst to most of you because I never wrote about the first time.  She's had a few month birthdays, she's been to the beach, she's fallen in love with applesauce... and the world has never known those facts.

And of course there things going on with Ty and I too--much less exciting things, but things nonetheless.  Over the next few days, I'm going to try to write a few posts.  So buckle up!  Hang on tight!  It's going to be the most exciting thing you experience all weekend!  (Unless of course you're doing something actually exciting.  Like getting married.  Like Ty's cousin Rachel is getting married.  Which is why Ty and Afton are going to Idaho.  Congrats to Rachel and Kory!!!)


Oh... and if you happen to be a person who believes in prayer as I do, could you ask a few blessings in my behalf as well?  I may need them! :)

Speedy Gonzales

Someone:

Ran a sub-five minute mile today.

Just thought you'd like to know.

That Noise

Exersaucer

This is how Afton likes to play in her exersaucer:

One hand playing with the toys, her mouth sucking/chewing on the seat, and... can you spot her left hand?

She's a funny girl.  Some of her favorite things to do lately are to hug her toys, fall asleep looking at her toy monster-face thing in her carseat, and she's finally learning to roll from left to right after almost a month of just rolling right to left (both back to tummy... we're hoping she figures out the tummy to back soon... so we don't always have to flip her over when she screams, haha).  She loves to stand up and sit down and stand up and sit down over and over while holding your hands, and she is constantly gnawing on her fingers, our fingers, or anything she can get in her mouth.  She also has this really raspy has-to-hurt-her-throat noise that she does very loudly all. the. time.  Happy, sad, laughing, crying, you name it.  It's pretty funny but I hope it doesn't last much longer. :)

She's a fun and funny girl!

She Did It!

Here's the most exciting thing at the Payne home this evening...

Just this afternoon I was asked if Afton was chuckling yet.  And I was just a little sad that I had to report that although she'll let out an occasional "ha," she hadn't really laughed yet.  Ask and ye shall receive?

We've Graduated...

Before

After

Blessing Week

So, honestly, the thing that kept me from posting about this week for so long was all the pictures.  There were too many and my computer kept freezing when I would try to arrange them in order and cut out the extras.  So I just gave up.  A few times.  So if you just give up part way through looking through all these pictures, I won't fault you for it.  But I can't say I'll understand, because pictures of Afton seem to be my favorite things to look at as of late.

The fun all started when Grandma and Grandpa Payne arrived.

Photography courtesy of Grandma Payne.
I use the word "photography" instead of just "picture" to emphasize the quality of her work.

Photography courtesy of Grandma Payne

The first day, we went on a trip to Arlington Cemetery.  Afton experienced her first ride in a stroller.  She's still a little small in comparison. :)

She also experienced her first rainstorm, which was fairly traumatizing for the both of us.  She stayed dry, but she was hungry.  It was pouring and the nearest shelter was about a mile away.  We moved as fast as we could, Afton screaming the whole way.  She didn't even blink.  She just stared at me and let me know that she had trusted me and I was betraying her trust by not fixing the problem.  Talk about a heart-string puller.  However, she quickly forgave me when she got her full belly.

With Grandma and Grandpa Payne at the cemetery.

We also made a quick stop at the Lincoln Memorial to visit one of Grandma Payne's heroes.  It's on her bucket list to take all of her kids here before she dies.  One more kid checked off that list.  Maybe she'll change her goal to include grandkids too.  She's got a head start with one.

The next day we went out to Annapolis to see the town and the U.S. Naval Academy.  Right after we got out of the car, these ladies swarmed us haha.

Afton also got her first bottle from Grandma Payne.  To mom, b-o-t-t-l-e spells a little bit of freedom.  It's nice to be able to give her some saved milk in a bottle when we go in public instead of trying to win the battle against the unconquerable cover and public decency.

Later that week, the Pages showed up.  This is my dad and my brother Dallin meeting Afton for the first time.

 Some bonding moments with Grandpa Page.  She may have spent more time with him than anyone that whole week, haha.

Afton loves it outside.

Afton really enjoyed Uncle Dallin too.

He even got her to make the closest sound to a laugh we'd heard yet

You can't come visit us in DC without paying a visit to Rita's.  We paid several.

We also visited the beautiful LDS temple and Visitor's Center.

Some other pictures...

Aunt Jayna sent this for Afton

Playing cards

 In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shortly after a baby is born, they are given a name and a blessing in church one Sunday.  It could be comparable to a "Christening" in other faiths.  Usually the father gives the blessing if he holds the priesthood power necessary to do so.  Other priesthood holders are usually invited to stand in as well.  So Ty gave Afton her blessing, while his dad, my dad, Ty's cousin Levi, Ty's friend Max, and our bishop stood in.  It was a wonderful blessing.  I'm excited to see it fulfilled throughout Afton's life as she was blessed with many wonderful things in her future.

Here's some pictures of Afton on her blessing day (May 27th, 2012.... which also happened to be mine and Ty's first wedding anniversary.  What a way to celebrate!) :

After Church... she was passed out.  And kind of hard to pose for pictures.

Everyone that came! (Except Ty's mom who was taking the picture)
My mom, Dallin, my dad, Ty, Afton, me, Ty's dad, Emily, Addie, Levi, and Andy

The Grandmas!

 I think Afton speaks for all of us about how we felt at the end of such a fun week...