So Glamorous

Motherhood can be a lot of things. Glamorous is usually not one of them. Example:
Mallory broke my glasses over a month ago. I am still wearing them broken because it is just not easy getting to an eyeglass store with 2 little ones in tow. It has been on my to do list for weeks now but always gets trumped by something else. Maybe I'll end up starting a new trend. Or wearing my contact lenses more.

Pretty Ridiculous!

You know what else isn't glamorous? Snotty Noses. I thought about editing the dried up snot out of Peyton's pictures but this is our real life and I want to remember it as is. Plus he is probably one of the only people we know that thinks my broken glasses are still cool so I can deal with a little dried snot.


Actually, it looks like most of the Yates family is digging this new trend. Maybe I AM glamorous! Roll call!







Uh Oh. I think we know where this is headed......Although I doubt she can do much more damage.

Economical Fun

Who needs new and expensive toys when you have.......

a BOX!?!

Good Old Fashioned Fun with one of Peyton's Favorite Friends.


Does childhood get any sweeter?

(Thank you to Emily for taking these great pictures of our boy's imaginations at work!)

Is this really happening?

We experienced quite the laugh on Sunday during the Cowboys game. Marshall was snoozing on the couch with Peyton while Mallory safely played on the floor around them. I was in the other room. All of a sudden I heard Peyton's small 4 wheeler rev up and Marshall yelling "Meredith!" I ran out to find Mallory on the four wheeler, sitting like a pro, driving towards me. She had climbed on his 4 wheeler, found the button to accelerate and was riding around the room. Marshall said he thought he must have been seeing things because it couldn't have been real, he had opened his eyes and there was his baby girl headed towards him. I just couldn't stop laughing. This 11-month-old baby can't even walk yet but is driving around the room on a 4 wheeler? The whole scene looked like it was fake and definitely couldn't really be happening.I tried to get some "in action" shots but we were worried she was going to fall off so tried not to encourage the behavior. Thank you Mallory for the uncontrollable fit of laughter, I needed that!




Look Ma, No Hands!



Thanks for the ride! I think I'll walk the rest of the way.

Never Wake a Sleeping......

Dinosaur

Peyton's Halloween costume came in the mail today and he couldn't wait to try it on. He didn't want to take it off. I decided to get a head start on dinner while Mallory was napping so I put Peyton on the couch with a Diego show for thirty minutes of "quiet time". It soon became way too quiet so I stepped out of the kitchen to check on him and found this.



A Sleeping Triceratops.

These are the moments that I just want to bottle up and remember forever. My sweet three-year-old boy (who is ALL boy) who insisted on having three-horns on his costume, making sure to be an authentic Triceratops, and making sure to tell me that he was a "friendly, nice" dinosaur-Not a mean one". I know soon enough Halloween will be about horror and gore and gross masks, so this little sleeping dinosaur just pulls at my heart.


These really are the simple,little moments that make being a Stay-at-home Mom all worth it. And this day is even better now that they are both sleeping!

Drum Roll Please

Peyton's most favorite thing to do is to Drum. Leave it to my child to choose drumming as a hobby at the age of three. He drums along to music, to tv shows, to movies, and to himself. He drums on his play kitchen (using fake carrots, spatulas, etc.) drums on pillows, trash cans, toys, and most recently, on Mallory's head. Drumsticks can be Q tips, kitchen spoons, pens, and even wet toothbrushes. Peyton pretty much drums his way through his day. There are a lot of loud noises in our house these days.

Well this weekend Bebe surprised Peyton with the most perfect gift.

A Miniature Drum Set.

With a miniature bass drum, three snares, and a cymbal. (I played the drums in middle school so I am totally hip to percussion lingo :) ) His face was just precious when he saw it. He gave us his trademark "i'm so happy, proud, excited, I know you're watching me so I'm kind of embarrased face" Few things elicit this face- his walk down the aisle as ringbearer being the most recent, so we know he was pretty thrilled.


Now you might be thinking that I have an evil Mother-in-law for purchasing my three year-old a noisy drum set, but she is great and is actually keeping the set at HER house. Which makes it an even better toy because we have to go THERE to play it!


So Bebe- we thank you, Peyton thanks you, and Mallory and her head thank you too!

11 Months, almost the Big 1!

Happy 11 Months Baby Mallory! It is the last month of your first year, the last monthly update, the last month of bottles, and what looks to be your last month of crawling. You are becoming such a little person, full of spunk and sass and smiles.

This month you started cruising and will take up to three steps by yourself. You now love to clap and do patty cake and say "pappy pappa papapapay" whenever you do patty cake. You love to do Mallory is "So Big" and to hide your face with blankets and clothes to play "Where's Malley?" You learned to say "Dandy" when we were in Austin and love to say "Hi" and wave to our friends.

You have a few more teeth busting through on the bottom but still only have vampire fangs :) on the top. You are starting to get into more things and protest when I tell you "No." You love Mom's car keys and get really mad when I take them from you (like when I need them to start the car) and the other day you went missing in the house. I finally found you in my room, with the door shut, eating your brother's fruit snacks out of a bag. You weren't making a peep (trying not to be found) and the door was closed behind you (sneaky girl!) so it took me awhile to find you!

You are still the sweetest, easiest baby and I love every minute with you.

Here you are FINALLY holding your own bottle. It took you 7 months to take one and almost as long to want to hold it by yourself :)



Here you are playing in dirt.



Here you are happily eating the dirt.



And here is a close up of your "fangs", so funny!



Happy 11 Months to our Little Cupcake!