Ready or NOT, here she Comes...Payton's First Day of Kindergarten

READY OR NOT, HERE SHE COMES...PAYTON'S FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

Date: Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Wake Up:  6:45am (wow)

Breakfast:  Yummy Mommy Made Oatmeal (Payton's Choice)

Bus stop: 7:45am

Bus Pickup: 8:03am

Arrive at school: 8:42am (Mommy and Daddy showed up to take pictures)

First Day Peace Outfit
Picked out by her in its entirety
(peace sign earrings, watch, and clothes)

Heading down to the bus stop for the first time

Daddy and Payton on the First Day

Mommy and Payton on First Day

Family Photo on First Day

Getting of the bus at school for the first time--First one off

Walking into school as a Kindergarten student on her own for the First time

Wow I know I am a mom as I have looked at the clock probably 4 times now, missing my baby and knowing she will always be my baby but she is also my growing up way too fast daughter.

(Side note: Aftershock at 1am this morning..and it continues)

Even Bear and Bananas were eager for Payton to come home to play:) This is one of the places they can' t go so we figured we would have some fun with them for her.

Bear and Bananas waiting for Payton to come home from school

Bear and Bananas still waiting

And waiting...at the bus stop

Here comes the bus

Here she comes, Home from her first day of Kindergarten

Getting off the Big bus on her first day of school

Payton said she had a good day and they didn't even have homework the first day.  We had planned a special night out at Olive Garden and of course as things had been working this week, there was a very strong storm that moved through as we drove there and it knocked out the power as we walked in the door and the Olive Garden Closed for the rest of the night.  So we had to switch to plan B, which we did not have since all of the restaurants on Plank Road were without power as were some on Courthouse Road.  We ended up at the First Night of School Meal at Famous Dave's Barbecue to celebrate this big day.

Dinner at Famous Dave's to Celebrate the First Day of Kindergarten and Time Together.

Earthquake 2011

Wow what a day...

We were at the pool, Tony, Payton and I, and had just gotten out of the pool for Adult Swim and were sitting on the side of the pool when we heard a loud rumble and then our chairs and the ground began shaking really bad and it was very scary and almost freaky.  You could see the look of fear in Payton's eyes and confusion in everyone else at the pool.  As soon as the ground finished shaking the first statement was Tony asking everyone at the pool..."a raise of hands of who all thought that was weird."  Everyone raised their hands.  We all began trying to use our cell phones and no one could make calls.  There were folks jumping balconies in fear and screaming and fleeing from their homes.  We walked to our apartment to find pictures and thimble racks jarred from the wall; thankfully none broken.  Picked up the things that had fallen on the floor and tried to gain composure as we were all still very shaky ourselves.

The remainder of the day we braced for After Shocks; one at 20:00, one at 00:54ish.

We also found out due to damage in the community and for the safety of the kids, School was postponed until Thursday due to an Earthquake.  We told Payton it was her first Earthquake on the week of her First day of School.

Here is the Front Page from the Richmond Times Dispatch

Clever Title...Wonder how long that title took. LOL

Meet and Greet..Time to meet the Kindergarten Teacher for the First Time

Today we went to meet Payton's Kindergarten teacher for the first time.  Payton got to find out where her cubby and desk is and to meet some new friends.  She picked out her outfit for the day, got all of hr school supplies ready to take in and was ready to run...Ready, ready, ready, ready...ready to run!


Date: August 22nd, 2011
Time: 09:00am
Location: CRES
What: Meet and Greet your new Teacher

Ready to meet and greet

Standing in front of her school on Meet and Greet Day
August 22nd, 2011
09:00am

Her Kindergarten Classroom

Her class of fellow Monkeys

Book Bag packed and ready to go

Eight Months in a Nut shell

Well its been a while since i sat down and wrote.  It has been a quick few months or so it has seemed.  Here is a quick in review to catch you up:

January:

In January we had been continuously praying for months for answers to a job that Tony had applied too back in June.  We had family, friends, church family all praying with and for us as well.  The day we were leaving Pennsylvania after Christmas, (We celebrate Russian Orthodox Christmas~http://www.russianlife.com/article.cfm?Number=201) we got home to a job offer with a start date of  Valentines Day.  Since we had been living in boxes since August, the packing was easy.  We had a wonderful Realtor, Robin Lawson, of Century 21 Adventure http://century21adventure.com/robert_lawson who spent numerous days driving us around showing us houses to rent but none in the end were the perfect fit for us.  We arranged for living in a hotel when we moved and a storage building for our stuff.  

February:

February came, and so did flu season.  The day we were to load the U~haul, Tony, Payton, and I all 3 had the flu, multiple doctor bills, a U~haul and no energy to load it and were wasting money and time dragging around.  Thankfully we had a my wonderful parents who just so happened to be on their way home from Statesville who came to take Payton and I to two different doctors and to the pharmacy for medication and a wonderful Sunday School Class at First Baptist Church (The Journey Class) and a few from other classes too who came out and helped us until late at night load our truck, do some quick cleaning of baseboards and fans, so that we could get up the next morning to start our new adventure to Virginia. A Special thank you to those of you reading this and you know who you are who helped us. We could not have done it without you.. You are very special to us and we thank God for you.  We arrived in Virginia to live for a month or so at ( The Sleep Inn, Dumfries Quantico Main Gate http://www.sleepinn.com/hotel-dumfries-virginia-VA327?promo=gglocal&cha=google&camf=local ).  They treated us like family.  If you are looking for a great place to stay check them out.   We unloaded our stuff into a storage building, thanks to Marta at Falls Run Storage, and my mother-in-law Connie and Brother-in-law Jeff for helping us unload.  Tony then began his new job working as a dispatcher for the Government, driving to and from Arlington everyday.

March:


Hotel living was great but we decided I missed cooking as well as it was very expensive to eat out and that was not a luxury we had available to us.  We tried eating can soups, and boil in bag rice, and snack bars but it wasn't home cooking.  Those of you who know me, know I love to cook and I needed a little more than a Microwave to cook with.  So we ventured out in search of an apartment.  Then in mid March, we moved to Spotsylvania County to apartment until we are able to find a house in the school district we like.  Why did we choose to live so far away from Tony's work?  When we as a family would venture out to go to the mall or to eat or to the store, we drove to Fredericksburg, yet when we house hunted we looked northward.  When apartment hunting we finally found a place.  We have been very active in our new community activities, taking advantage of the free events both Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania offer; spending as much family time together we can.  We went to Poquoson, to visit for Nana's birthday.  She was very surprised; so surprised she screamed.  My parents and brother came up to visit and dad and mom had a few friends from Poquoson come to visit as well.

Our First Meal in our New Apartment on the Back porch on a box

April:


This month I celebrated my 35th birthday, and we celebrated our 8th Wedding Anniversary.  Tony's parents came down to visit and to spend Easter.  We are on a new adventure, Thanking God for each other and loving our time together Every day.

May:

May was a rough month for me.  On Mother Day, Tony, Payton, and I went to Richmond to Amanda and Chucks for Mothers Day lunch.  They had mom and dad and Mitchell and all of us for lunch.  We had a great time.  Then on Monday we received some bad news.  My grandmother, we called her Nana had passed away.  She was not only my grandmother she was my friend.  Her passing hit kind of hard especially after thinking we had moved a lot closer an could start making more trips down to her house to do all the going she liked to do.

June:

We did some traveling back to North Carolina for family reunions, and a First Baptist Church Raleigh event where the kids sang. Spent a lot of time in the pool enjoying the sun and meeting new friends.

July:

Then on July 1st, Tony's brother Jeff got married to Heidi Holler (FINALLY, I MIGHT ADD). We missed the wedding and reception but made it up for the 4th of July to say Congrats.

August:


WOW, August is here already and I sit and realize how time has really flown by.  It seemed just like yesterday I was rocking Payton in the chair, and now in a week she will be going in to kindergarten.

Fish Tales..

Under the sea
The Little Mermaid,
Composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman


Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea...

Meet my fish named Payton.  In the beginning of the summer she was everyday asking is it May1st yet?  May 1st was a lucky number to her because our pool is open from May 1- October 31st and she was ready and had been since last summer.  TO begin the summer, Payton was using her purple arm swimmers and very soon into the month she decided she was brave enough without them.  She was sliding down slides into the pool, diving off diving boards (much to Mommy and Daddys nervousness..I made her wear her arm swimmers at first but then she did without them numerous times)

Backfloating

I call this back floating and Payton says this was when she was taking her nap in the pool and getting her suntan.

First Sliding Board into the pool moment.  Now she can't get enough of them.

And off she goes...Her FIRST Big Diving board moment!

Our FIRST Diving board moment..with the arm floaties..waiting patiently for her turn.

Jumping off the diving board...look mommy no arm floats and ito the 8ft.

Back floating

(I hope Grandmother won't kill me for this one.) Grandmother and her grandbabies enjoying pool time.
July 2010.

My Sun Baby!

Swim dancing and singing

Underwater swimming

Underwater swimming

Bombs away!



Heading out to the pool and posing on the way...Can you tell she loves to have her picture taken?!



Dr Pepper..good to the last drop...especially if its Daddy's Dr Pepper

Swimming by the moonlight and the pool lights.  Love the late night swims.

Needless to say it is October and time is running down to be in the pool so we will be taking full advantage of every bit of time we get to be in there whether or not it is 40 degrees or 90 degrees in the water.  She has even been named the "little mermaid" and the "little fish" by several of our sunbathing goldies (Older population who spends the entire summer on the same chairs sunbathing) at the pool.
 

Architectural Artist.... Part I (Payton's dream job in life at age 3 until now)

Architectural Artist....

When Payton was 3, we were in the pool swimming early Summer, May 2009 and Payton was being cute and sweet swimming and an older lady in our community asked Payton how old she was.  Payton told her 3 and going on 40 (which now she is 4 going on 40 or so she says). The lady then asked her what do you want to be when you grow up.  What was said next was where we had pick up our jaws.  Payton said an "Architectural Artisit."  Well this was not something we(mommy and daddy) had sicussed with her at all and we were not sure where she got this or who she heard it from.  The lady then asked her well where will you live.  She said "When I am biggier I want to be an architectural artist and live in New York with mommy and daddy." The lady asked her why New York.  Paytons response was "Thats where all the big buildings and museums are."  I think the lady was so floored because she floated off on her noodle and kept looking at Payton as if he she was in shock and then everytime she came to the pool and we saw her there she would ask her the same thing and get the same response.  I think she thought she was so young she would change her mind from day to day or that we had planted this into her brain.  I promise you, this was the first time either Tony or I had heard this information.  Now in saying this it does make sense why she loves to build draw and design pictures, mega block houses and structures and now her newest favorite is Lego creations.  I have taken pictures of some of her designs to share with you below:




This is Paytons Puzzle Box house.
If you look closely you can see the table and chairs in the living room on the second floor.



This is Paytons house of Jenga.  She decided after playing Jenga,
that the pieces were better suited for building the foundation and layout for the house.
She said she needed more pieces to make bigger walls and ceilings but the bigger room is the tv room and playroom.



This is Payton's Lego house.
She asked meto be sure if I was posting this to point out in the room on the top right the potty, sink and bathtub.
The room on the bottom left is the kitchen, notice the table and orange chairs, the counter and stove and refrigerator.
The room to the bottom right is the bedroom and the room and the top right is the sitting room.  On the left
Side is the deck outside where Dora and Boots are chillin'out.



This is the Tot Lot she said where the kids can go play in the sand or climb the wall and slide
down into the pool or even dive off into the pool.

This is her treehouse fun. She said Swiper is hiding in the back of the tree. 
She has two sets of ladders that climb to the room of the tree to see everything there is outside.



While babysitting one afternoon the girls came to get me very excited of their sculptures and Payton put it.
M had made a small building of 5 of 6 blocks consisting of yellow, green and purple to represent her mom and dads car, and
Payton had built a sculpture taller than she was with various floors...6 I think...Notice a Barbie Dog on each floor.  She stood on her bed to get the final roof pieces done she said and it is on wheels so it can be moved easier.
Would this be "High-rise Trailer living?"



An aeriel view of Paytons house and Tot Lot .

I am sure there will be more pictures to post.  These are just her buildings and I have paintings and drawings to show as well.