Bear Lake

Bear Lake was so fun!

Elsie's Blessing

Nate blessed Elsie on June 28, 2009 at our house. It was really neat. We had grandmas and grandpas and greats on both sides. Not to mention her aunts, uncles and cousins. My mom was teasing us for along time saying Elsie didn't have a name. Well, finally at almost 4 months old, we gave her a name. Elsie Ann Payne. She is one of the best things to happen to our family! Just as a side note. Elsie was blessed in the blessing dress that was made from my Grandma Wood's wedding dress. I was blessed in that same dress, and so was Findlay. It is a special gift we still have from Grandma.

Tara Day

Tara Day is a fundraiser at Swan Lake that my family goes to every year. It is in memory of Tara Carr who died March 1, 1999. She was 18. Her family throws Tara Day every year. It is a fundraiser with 9 hole golf tournament, 18 hole mini golf, and silent auction with all the proceeds going to VHS's Special ED deptartment. Tara Day is so much fun! This year we had both of our girls with us. On the way there, we stopped at Walmart and bought Findlay some clubs. Nate, Findlay and I played 18 holes on the putting course. Findlay putted all 18 holes and walked the entire course!! That baby girl is amazing! Towards the end of the holes she would just pick up her ball and put it in the hole. She knew that the ball in the hole was a good thing. Afterward, she would clap for herself. It was really fun. Elsie slept the whole time. There were drinks at certain holes so we could take a quick break. Findlay loved that too. We can't wait for next year!

Memorial Day

Memorial day was fun. We went to the park with Nate's family after we visited his Grandpa's grave. His mom brought a bunch of outdoor games. I was terrible at them. Nate was decent, but his sister Laurel pretty much kicked trash. It was fun. Findlay loved the playground, and Elsie just slept.

Father's Day

For father's day we went to my parents house. My mom has these icecream cone/popsicle holders she was dying to have a grandkid use one. She ended up making Findlay an icecream cone and Findlay went crazy. It was pretty fun.

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day this year, we headed to the zoo with the Payne clan. It was really fun. The highlight of the trip for Nate was the cheetah. Findlay just loves the turkeys, monkeys, cheetah and elephant and pretty much anything else she can see. It was really fun day, hot, but very fun.

PRIVATE

Hey All!

We are going to a private blog soon. So if you would like to keep in touch, please leave your email and I'll add you.

Thanks!

Nate and Kelly

Discovery at the Gateway

Today was so much fun!! I met up with my friend Cheri and her two kids Bode and Ellie, at the Discovery at the Gateway Mall. That place is so much fun! I had Findlay (13 mos), Elsie (8 weeks) and Libby (21 months)with me. My friend Rachel just moved into a new house, so I took Libby so she could get her house set up without having to worry about her. I ended up with Finny and Libby in the double stroller and Elsie in the Bjorn. It was so funny to see the looks people were giving me. I have to say, it was so much fun having all 3 of them there. I got them to and from the car to Discovery without any help too! We met up with Cheri inside and just let the kids run. Last night I purchased a leash for Findlay from Wal-Mart. It was the best $10 I ever spent! It's this cute little monkey that I strap on her back. I let Libby roam as long as I could see her, and was able to keep Findlay close cause of the leash. Most of the time they played right next to each other. We climbed to the balls and threw them around. Then the girls headed for the water area where they can play with balls and splash around. Findlay kept a stuffed dog with her most of the time. She found them when we played house there. The girls went grocery shopping and climbed in a tree house. We stayed and played for about 2 hours. Findlay was crying when it was time to leave. She just wanted to play there all day. Bode and Ellie were into the water and loved to climb on the toy animals. I love that place!! Elsie just slept the whole time. The funniest part of the whole thing was when Bode grabbed Findlay's leash from Me and started pulling her around. Cheri and I were laughing so hard. Lucky for us, I caught that one on video. Hope you enjoy the pics!! It was fun having 3 kids there, and really funny watching the reaction from everyone seeing how far apart they thought my 3 kids were :)

Tracy Aviary

Last week was too nice to stay home, so I took the girls to the Tracy Aviary. We love to go with Cheri and her two kids Bode (1) and Ellie (3). It was so fun! There were all kinds of birds. Finny loved to feed the Ducks especially the Ducklings. She was just fascinated watching them. There were some Pelicans mixed in with the Ducks that came super close to us, but Finny could have cared less. She loved the ducklings. We also saw Flamingos and a Condor. Findlay also learned that a Condor says "Caw". Ask her that next time you see her. It's pretty funny. What kid knows a Condor says that right?!? She's a genius :)

The Big Sister

Findlay is the best little big sister! She LOVES Elsie! Anytime Elsie cries, Finny heads straight for her to make her happy. She's even tried to feed her with a bottle turned upside down. :) One of her favorite things is to hold Elsie. She comes up to me and sticks her arms straight out which means "I want to hold Elsie". So I stick Fin on the couch where Elsie will can be steadied and I let her hold her little sister. It's so cute!! She'll sit there and give her kisses and loves. What can I say!?! I have the cutest girls!!

Picnic with Daddy

Nate works right across the street from Temple Square so every now and then I take the girls to have a picnic with him on his lunch break. It was so fun!! Last week was so dang nice outside so we headed out. As soon as Finny saw her Dad walking toward us by the reflection pond, she started getting so excited. Her little legs where just a going in the stroller and arms were reaching. It made his day! She loves her daddy! The tulips were in bloom and the sun was shining. Finny had a hey day with the reflection pool and smelling the flowers. Nate just loves his girls!! It was a fun break for all of us!

Elsie Smiles!!

Elsie started smiling at about the 6 week mark. It's adorable!! She smiles all the time now. It's the best when I go to get her from a nap or out of the baby carrier and she just gives me a big grin! Ahhh! Nothing beats a smile from your baby girl!

Little Miss Independant

Little miss independant is learning to use silverware all by herself! I was so proud of her! Fin picked up "stab the eggs, then put it in your mouth" really quick. About 15 minutes later I realized I was going to pay! She was taking forever to feed herself (which is normal for a 13 month old) so I decided to finish feeding her myself. I tried to take the fork. She freaked out. She wanted to finish it herself, and she did. Findlay didn't even use her hands. Little Miss Independant was determined to eat her scrambled eggs all gone with her fork. She did it. It just took an hour. My mom told me "She is her mother's daughter." I think I am in for it!

Tractor Time

One of Findlay's most favorite things to do is to work on the tractor with Grandpa Cook. My dad is the type who loves to work on tractors, so he likes to redo his yard every few years. In between those years he tears out his concrete and redo's that. It's pretty funny. Fin loves to watch and ride with him. Grandpa with a Tractor even beats out chocolate--Which says a lot!

My Little Irish Twins

Nate always told me he wanted twins, well he got them...just the Irish way :) Our girls are officially 362 days apart. And they are too much fun! I can't imagine life without either one of them! We went and got Findlay's one year pics and Elsie's one month pics done at the same time. I couldn't choose which pics I liked the best, so I posted them all. Enjoy!

Kisses

Findlay LOVES Elsie!! She loves to give her kisses and hugs all the time. This little video was taken on a spur of the moment thing when Elsie was about a week old. Finny just kept kissing Elsie for like 10 minutes. It was adorable!! We love our girls!!

Welcome To The World Elsie

Elsie Ann Payne was born at 10:23 am on March 3, 2009. Nate got his wish at 3:30am that morning when I woke him up saying "It's time!" He was so excited! It was pretty cute! I have to say the second baby is a way easier labor than the first. After she was born I told my doctor had I known it would be that easy I would have gotten ready for the day. I serioulsy felt like I could go home that day. It was awesome! Elsie is so cute! She looked like Findlay cloan with a tinge of red hair (she is a total blonde now). Findlay couldn't take her eyes away from her. It was pretty cute! We love you Elsie!!

Happy First Birthday Findlay!!

Findlay turned 1 on March 6, 2009. We had her party on March 1 because I was hugely prego and due any sec. I figured why not have the party when I feel good and don't have a new baby. Findlay will never know the difference. And she didn't. Thanks to everyone for the killer toys and outfits that have her set for the summer! She loved them all! The fun part was seeing her dive into her birthday cake. I set it on her high chair for her to just dig in. The funny thing was that she didn't know what to do with it. She was waiting for me to give her bites with a fork cause I never let her get messy. It was pretty funny!

Nate's Favorite Thing (Feb 2009)

Nate's favorite thing is to rock Findlay when she is sad or going to sleep. Findlay obviously loves it too. Lots of times it ends with them both asleep.

Welcome Home Phil

The Day after Christmas Phil was out playing with Nate in the snow and took off. That isn't unusual for him, but then he never came back. We searched every where for him, and couldn't find him. About three weeks later a lady at the Brittany Spaniel rescue saw my lost dog add on Ksl.com and called me saying she was pretty sure she had my dog. Turns out, it was phil!! Some people found him in a shop in an industrial area about a mile from my house. They took him in for two weeks, named him Kahlua and loved him. Their landlord found out they had a dog and kicked Phil out. So the couple gave him to the rescue while they looked for new place to live cause they loved him so much. The shelter lady kept thinking this dog is too old and in too good of shape to not have an owner that loved it. Then she checked Ksl and saw my ad. I called Nate and work just after I heard from her. He left work, picked Fin and I up and we headed to get our dog. Findlay was so excited! She kept panting like when she saw him (a trick learned from Phil). It was pretty exciting.

Phil officially moved out of our house the first of march and back home with my parents. He needed to be in an area that he wouldn't get lost in if he took off again. Since he lived with them for the last 12 of the 13 years of his life...he moved back home. And I have to say, it's nice not cleaning up after his muddy feet!

Findlay and Maganzines (Jan 2009)

Fin has a thing for magazines. She loves. She loves to hold them, read them, then tear them apart, especially the Ensign.

Cook Christmas Party

Christmas morning we headed to my parents' house to open presents. It was so much fun! We opened more presents and ate breakfast. It was quite the party. As you can tell by the one pic...we Cooks are big picture takers :)

Christmas Morning 2008

Findlay's first Christmas! It was so fun! Santa brought her a tent full of balls. It was a hit. She loved to climb in and out of the tent, and the balls are now all over my house.

Payne Christmas Party

About a week or two before Christmas, the Payne fam got together for a Christmas party. We went from house to house seeing each others decorations and having a progressive dinner. It was fun! Uncle Dallin posed as Santa. You can see by the pics Findlay, Sienna (screaming in fear) and Savanna weren't so sure about the Jolley Fellow.