Has it already been two whole weeks since I blogged?? I've got a lot to cover then, it's been a busy few weeks!

As far as potty training goes, Payton has been doing AWESOME with #1. She wears a pull-up to school, and the other day they told us she kept it dry all day! She's only had one accident in 2 weeks at home, and she's usually not wearing anything below the waist when she's here. She has even been going potty at restaurants, parks, and a friends house! We are really proud of her and impressed at how great she has been doing. Pooping is still another story, but we're just glad she's going and not holding it in anymore. She's afraid to poop on the toilet, but that will come in time I'm sure. We're just thrilled she's made so much progress in such a short amount of time! 

Weekend before last we were busy cleaning the house and working on our yard. Kyle and I don't really know the first thing about yards and plants, but luckily Sue and Grandma Joy do! We couldn't have done it without them and Grandpa Dave too, and the difference was amazing. We redid the little area in front of our front window, it looks awesome now!

Before picture

It was covered in slate slabs, which we removed

Breaking ground! 

Cute little helper

We lined the side with bricks to give it a little height...

Filled it with fresh dirt (and the plants!)

I can't remember exactly what they are... we had a lot of help picking them out :) The one on the far left is a tree, and I think the other two are shrubs. They will grow quite a bit and give that window a little shade!

Add some bark dust and... voila!

The finished product! 

Thank you again so much to Sue, Grandma Joy and Dave. We couldn't have done it without you or your expertise! We're planning on planting some small flowers too, and maybe a decorative bird bath or something. It looks so much better!

Later that night Kyle, Payton and I headed to a park in North Albany to meet with a small group that our good friends belong to. It's through a church in North Albany, and it's 10 married couples, almost all of them with kids. I was worried Payton was going to be super shy, but she really surprised us by running out and playing, no hesitation! It helped that she's really liking the Boases' daughter Summer, they were like little BFF's. Super adorable! We are really excited about joining this group; they meet every other Sunday, and it's a great way for Payton to interact with other kids, not to mention Kyle and I to meet other young couples our age. We get to enjoy friendship and fellowship, and we're really looking forward to it! 

Friday night we celebrated Sue's birthday with a family dinner at Applebee's, then dessert at our house after Payton went to sleep. On Saturday Sue took Lindsey and I shopping in Eugene to spend the birthday money that she gave us last month, and we came home with a very full trunk of shopping bags! It was an extremely successful trip. I hadn't been shopping without Payton since January, so I REALLY enjoyed myself. It was so nice to take my time in stores and really shop around! Payton is just not one of those kids who's content to sit in her stroller while their mom wheels them around the mall. She wants in, she wants out, she wants a snack, she wants to take things off the hanger, she wants to go potty, she wants my cellphone, she wants up... let's just say short trips are typically manageable, but all day shopping excursions are not! I found so much great stuff, I can't remember the last time I found so much in just one shopping trip. We took a break halfway through the day to have lunch at Olive Garden, then went right back at it until we had to leave! Thank you girls for such a fun trip!

While we were shopping away, Kyle had Payton all day. He decided to bust out the finger paints that I bought a while ago but hadn't used yet, and she had a blast!

Fun!

Very detailed work...

For dinner that night we went to Red Robin, I invited my Grandpa Book and Dot to dinner for his birthday. He's going to be 80 next week! We had a great time visiting for a while, and Payton was her usual charming self. She even held Grandpa Book's hand all the way out of the restaurant! 

My Grandpa's birthday is also Kyle and my anniversary... married 4 years this week! When I look at pictures of that day, it seems like a lifetime ago. So much has happened to us, and yet it's just recently that I feel like life has really started to settle down. Payton's finally in a daycare we both love, we both have good jobs, and we've owned our home almost a whole year already. We're excited to see what the next few years have in store!

Happy birthday shout outs to Sue, Grandpa Book, Aunt Tawnya and my sweet Grandma Book too!