After spending Friday and Saturday in East Bend, we headed to Sherrills Ford. My Grandfather, Papaw Joe, celebrated his 80th birthday on April 1st. My mom had arranged to have a belated birthday celebration on Saturday night. We made it to my parents house around 7:00. Luckily, Payton did not seem affected by the nap he missed. Great-Aunt Moe and Big Cuz Cole stopped by to visit as well. Unfortunately, Uncle "Hub" had to work so Payton did not get to see him during this trip. Payton was in a great mood and showed them all his new tricks - walking, talking, laughing, playing with his ball, and eating lots of cake, icing, and ice cream - I know he really brightened my Papaw's day and made his 80th birthday (which he wasn't very happy about!) even better!
Happy 80th Papaw Joe!
Payton thinks it is so funny to peep at Papaw by looking under the cabinet.
Even though he does not say Grandpa just yet he sure does loves spending time with his Grandpa. His Grandpa loves to show him off as well!
Payton assisted as Papaw Joe opened his presents and then had a good conversation with him! He was such a sweet sweet boy!
As Easter morning rolled around, we got up early to go to the Easter Sunrise service. Christmas Eve service at my home church is definitely my favorite church service of the year but Easter Sunrise Service is a close second. I'm not sure what I like best - waking up so early, rushing to church and always arriving 1 minute late, the wonderful, traditional, Easter hymns, standing outside and freezing in the Easter dress and sandals I chose without checking the weather, the birds chirping while we rejoice at the cross or breakfast that the Methodist Men prepare. Honestly, I believe it is the hymns and the birds and not the breakfast...but the breakfast does help to warm me back up!!
This year, I managed to get myself up and dressed (in an almost-weather-appropriate Easter dress) and get Payton up and dressed and walk into church just as we were starting the first hymn...impressive! Payton arrived just 2 days after Easter last year so this was his first Easter. We had to get him started off correctly! Payton was the youngest member of the congregation at the Sunrise service! Yeah! Of course, we stayed for breakfast. Payton had his first taste of eggs, rice and gravy, and biscuits. Grandpa, one of the great cooks, carried Payton all over the room. I have been told that Grandpa tells certain church members that he thinks there is something wrong with how we are raising Payton - he says Dada, Mama, he knows the dogs name - Bailey, and he says ball, he says about 15 words - but he doesn't say Grandpa - so Grandpa thinks he needs to come to Charleston and teach him correctly for a few days - he would be successful once Payton said Grandpa. I'm sure Meme, Pawpaw, Grandma and Aunt Chandra may agree!!
After Sunrise service, breakfast, 11:00 service, and lunch Payton was finally able to open his Easter baskets. Of course, he went right for the ball! The Easter Bunny found a Final Four ball in Detroit for Payton's Easter Basket. He also had eggs that looked like balls - a football, basketball, soccer ball and baseball - of course, this only contributed to him thinking the eggs were balls!
A few family photos. Our first Easter. We looked very springy in front of Grandma's beautiful azalea bushes.
Mom, Payton and Daddy
Thank for the cute Easter outfit Grandma...it was just perfect! Payton looked so grown up standing up and walking around in his adorable outfit!
Grandpa and Grandma are happy to celebrate Easter with Payton. We are happy the Easter bunny was able to find Payton at their house! He left two baskets for Payton!
Priceless! Grandma and Grandpa walk back inside with Payton. We are finally going to play with the Easter treats!
Payton is overjoyed to find a big egg in his basket. This egg is filled with goldfish. Payton thinks it is so funny to shake it and hear the noise it makes. Eventually, he managed to get it open, dump the fish, and eat them out of the floor. Yummy!
Happy Easter!
Mommy catches her little bunny for a quick picture. He doesn't sit still for long these days!
We hope you all had a wonderful Easter! We had a great time with our family and friends. Unfortunately, it is difficult to live 4 hours away and still manage to see everyone when we travel home for the holidays. As usual, we did not get to see everyone we wanted to see and we had short visits with others. We missed Chad's family's Flemming dinner on Easter in order to celebrate with my family. We hate Payton did not get to see all of these relatives! We hate we did not get to meet our new cousin Madi, or our new friends Matthew or Luke...hopefully we can do that soon! Chad and I do the best we can to squeeze in as many people as we can on these trips - as Payton grows it is somewhat easier and somewhat more difficult. It is not as easy to put him in a car seat and drive for 4 hours - he gets more fussy than he did before and did not like to fall asleep facing forward. His daily naps are shorter but more important - if he doesn't get his nap, your visit with him won't be very fun. He can be very fussy at nap time! Meals are more important and also more difficult. They involve much more than just a bottle these days! At the same time, it is a lot more fun to let him meet people and show him lots of new things. He is learning more and more each day and traveling teaches him lots of new things. As we travel this summer, our trips will not be combined with holidays and hopefully we can see all of our family members and maybe a few long, lost friends and spend more quality time with each of you! Payton looks forward to 4-wheeler rides, tractor rides, seeing the river, and visiting cows and goats...and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins too!
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