Tis The Season

Yes, I know....I earn the title of "Bad Blogger."  I guess blogging just isn't really my thing.  I love to read all the blogs I follow, but keeping up one mine...not so much.  I thought creating a family blog would be a good way to document our life's happenings...(Turns out--we're not that interesting!)  LOL :) 

I have posted our Christmas letter for your reading pleasure.   There probably won't be another post on here til February or March, so enjoy!  :)

Happy Holidays to everyone! Mommy said that she was going to try something a little different this year, and she has decided to let ME write our family’s Christmas letter. So, here it goes…

I celebrated my first birthday on August 7th with a fun-filled party. Many family and friends were able to celebrate with me, and we had a blast. Some of my favorite things right now include (in no particular order): Cheerios, baths, Karla (my daycare provider), puzzles, my stuffed animals, watching YouTube videos with Grandpa, dancing, being tickled, AT&T and Amazon Kindle commercials (it may sound strange, but I just love the songs on those commercials), all my friends at daycare, playing with my dog Relay, lasagna, looking at my books, and of course – my mommy and daddy.

My mommy and daddy both continue to work for Marshalltown Schools. Mommy says she has a great class of 2nd graders, and Daddy really enjoys his freshman earth science classes. In the fall and spring, Mommy likes to take me to Daddy’s cross country and track meets. I enjoy watching my daddy coach and I love cheering on all the boys and girls.

I am looking forward to making my debut as a flower girl in my Uncle Aaron’s wedding this summer. I am so excited to be a part of his special day as he marries my soon-to-be Aunt Jess.

Well, I guess I better wrap this letter up. How did I do for my first one? Mommy and Daddy say they want to wish you all a blessed holiday season and a happy and healthy new year!

Love,
Payton (and Chad & Angie)

Fall Fun

Summer is my favorite season, mainly because I have my summer off of teaching to spend with my family.  However, fall comes in at a VERY close second.  I just love this time of year - the changing of the leaves; the browns, yellows, oranges; the crisp air; heading out to a football game on a Friday night; hot chocolate; the smell of my Bath and Body Works Creamy Pumpkin candle burning; carving pumpkins; getting Payton all dressed up for Halloween; a yummy pot of chili simmering on the stove...  I could go on and on.

Here are a few pictures for some of our Fun Fall Festivities - enjoy!

at William Penn Homecoming

Carroll's Pumpkin Farm in Grinnell

Having fun at Appleberry Farm here in Marshalltown

Payton and Mommy at Appleberry Farm

One Lovely Blog Award

My friend Kaylan over at What More Can I Say gave me this blog award.  The rules say you are supposed to accept it and then give it to 15 of your fellow blogger friends.  Unfortunately, I don't think I have 15 fellow blogger friends, so I will just graciously accept the award.  Thanks, Kaylan! 

Wordless Wednesday

Karnival 4 Khloe

On Saturday night we went to Newton to Karnival 4 Khloe.  What a wonderful event!  The turnout was amazing!  I can't even tell you how much this little girl has impacted my life (as well as hundreds of others...)  She is a miracle and such a fighter.  Here is her caringbridge site:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/khloesassman

Wordless Wednesday: I did not fall off the face of the blogosphere - just been busy doing this...

Payton's 1st Birthday Party

We had Payton's 1st birthday party on Saturday, August 7th (the day of her actual birthday). It was a wonderful celebration with lots of great family and friends. Can't believe our baby is 1!!!! This year went by so fast! 

Payton Ann - you have brought so much joy into our lives this past year!  We are so blessed and lucky to be your mommy and daddy!  We love you to the moon and back!

Birthday cake (a huge thank-you to Jill for helping me with it!)

She did not like all the frosting on her hands :)

Opening My Pal Violet

The First Year

 We took a picture of Payton each month with her teddy bear.  This bear is special because Chad bought it for her as soon as we found out we were having a girl.  He said he wanted her first teddy bear to be from him :)

The story of Payton's birth

As we were getting ready for Payton's 1st birthday last week, I found myself getting very nostalgic and emotional.  Throughout my pregnancy I wrote letters to her, so last week I went through all of them.  Here are a couple letters that I wrote.  The first one was written on the day she was born, and the second one was written a couple days after.

August 7, 2009

Dear Baby,
Happy Birthday!! You made your grand entrance to this world at 2:53 this afternoon. We are so in love with you!!! I can’t stop staring at you – you are so perfect. We have named you Payton Ann. I think it’s so pretty. Ann is after your Grandma Allspach’s middle name. She and Grandpa hurried to hospital as soon as they found out I was in labor. They and Grandma Creighton and Aunt Carrie were able to meet you right after you were born. You’ve had a big day – it’s tough work being born! I should get some rest now, but I just want to cuddle with you. I think we’ll have lots of time for that though. I love you so much!!! Welcome to the world, Payton Ann!!


August 9, 2009

Dear Payton Ann,
It is 9:00 on Sunday morning. I am lying in my hospital bed adoring you lying in the bassinet at the front of my bed. Your daddy ran home to shower, so I thought I’d write you a letter. Two days ago you entered this world and made your daddy and I the luckiest, proudest, most blessed parents. Neither one of us knew how much one person could fill our lives with so much joy. You are absolutely perfect. I wanted to tell you all about the day you were born, so here is your birth story:
On Thursday afternoon (August 6), I had a routine doctor visit. I saw Dr. Gessner and she measured my belly. It measured a bit small (36 cm), so she ordered an ultrasound to make sure the amniotic fluid level was ok. We did the ultrasound, and everything looked fine. I was only dilated at 1 cm, so I thought it might be at least a week before your arrival.
After the appointment, I went out to the Regency (where your daddy and I had our wedding reception) to a breastfeeding clinic. When I got home, your daddy was fixing chicken on the grill. During supper, your Grandma Allspach called to see how the appointment went. While your daddy was talking to her, I remember starting to feel some contractions. These lasted throughout the evening, but I just thought they were Braxton Hicks contractions. I’d had these contractions for about the last two months of my pregnancy, so I didn’t think anything of them. I went to bed around 10 PM and woke up around 2 AM with some pretty strong contractions. This time I thought they were the real thing. Your daddy timed them, and they were coming about every 10 minutes. Just when I would fall back asleep, another contraction would come. Finally around 6 AM we decided to go to the hospital. I waited as long as possible because I wasn’t sure if this was false labor.
When we got to the hospital, they hooked me up to the monitors and checked me. I was still only 1 cm dilated. Dr. McCarville was on call. He said that they would keep me hooked up to the monitors for a couple hours and see if I progressed. If not, then they would send me home and I would have to labor some more at home. Around 10 AM, the nurse checked me and said, “Oh, you’re not going anywhere! You are having a baby today!”  I was dilated to 4 cm!
Then everything started moving fast. Dr. McCarville broke my water, they gave me an IV to take the edge off, and then the anesthesiologist came in to give me my epidural. I was really scared about this part, but it wasn’t bad at all. Once all this was done, Grandma and Grandpa Allspach were able to come into my room to visit for a little while. Grandpa would look at the monitor that was tracking my contractions and say, “Oh, here comes one…it’s a big one!” I couldn’t feel a thing! It was wonderful!
It was time for Grandma and Grandpa to say good-bye for awhile so the nurse could check me. I was fully dilated, so it was go-time. By this time, Dr. McCarville was off and Dr. Gessner was on call. I started pushing around 1:30. This part was exhausting, but not really painful. Your daddy held my hand the entire time and was such a good supporter. Your heartrate started to drop, so after what seemed to be forever, Dr. Gessner decided that she was going to use the vacuum extractor. Your head was out, and then Dr. Gessner told your daddy to come finish. The look on his face was priceless! His eyes were as big as saucers. He was a bit hesitant, but she insisted that he pull you out, so that is just what he did. Now he can tell everyone that he delivered his daughter!
They placed you on my chest, and I immediately burst into tears of joy. You were absolutely perfect! So pretty! And all that dark hair! Your daddy and I were overjoyed! Words can’t explain the feeling I had the day I gave birth to you. I love you so much, Payton Ann Pietig! You are only two days old, and have already filled my life and your daddy’s life with so much joy. We are so excited to bring you home this afternoon and start our life as a family of three!

"When they placed you in our arms, you slipped into our hearts..."

We've Been Busy!

We've been busy in the Pietig household - Payton's 1st birthday party, her 12 month check-up, weaning her off the bottle, and our first family vacation.  I plan to write all about it tomorrow.  Stay tuned! 

Our first family picnic! :)

Since it was such a beautiful day, we thought it would be a good time to go for a picnic.  So, we grabbed a couple sandwiches and went to Hoglan park.  We weren't sure how Payton would do on the equipment, but she LOVED it. 

She loved the swings!

First time going down a slide

Riding the horsey

Baxter Fun Days

My hometown's annual celebration (Baxter Fun Days) was the weekend of July 9.  It was definitely a marathon weekend, but lots of fun! 
We started the festivities with the Bethany Church supper at the school.  Next up was the Baby Contest in the gym.  We entered Payton and her category was "Boardwalk Babe."  My mom, Chad, and I all schemed to come up with a costume and props for her.  She wore a cute little top and leggings, a backpack filled with a water bottle, frisbee, and Ipod, and a visor.  She also had a little poodle that she was taking for a walk on the boardwalk and held an ice cream cone.  :)

On Saturday morning we woke up bright and early for the Fun Walk -- Payton's first 5K :)  After that, we went uptown for the parade.  Chad jokes that it only consists of horses and tractors (he is not too far off on that one).  After the parade, we came home for a bit and relaxed.  I put Payton down for a nap and then went to my friend Kaylan's baby shower.  She is anticipating the arrival of McBaby in September.

Next stop after the shower - my ten year reunion!  Can't believe it's been 10 years!

As you can see, a very busy and fun-filled weekend! 

Anniversary

Monday was our 2nd anniversary.  We didn't do anything too special on our actual anniversary, but we did celebrate last weekend by going to a Bed and Breakfast.  Chad had researched them and found one in Lynnville - the Linden House.  We left Friday afternoon, dropped Payton off at my parents, and then headed to Lynnville.  (This was the first time we had left Payton overnight, but we knew she was in good hands.)  We arrived at the Bed and Breakfast, checked in and dropped our things off, and then headed to The Depot in Grinnell for supper, which was fabulous!!  After dinner, we decided to see if there were any good movies playing since we hadn't been to a movie since before Payton was born.  We went to see Grown-Ups - hilarious!  We had an excellent breakfast in the morning, and then headed to Baxter to pick up Payton.  We ended up having a fabulous little get-away and a wonderful anniversary celebration. 

Father's Day

I know I am about a week late in posting this, but wanted to write about Father's Day.  Chad's first "unofficial" Father's Day was last year.  We were in Boston for my cousin's wedding reception, and I was about 7 months pregnant.

(This was his gift last year)

This year we went to church, came home and opened presents, and then headed to my grandparents' house in Knoxville, where we met up with my parents and Aaron and Jess.  I made a photo album on Shutterfly for Chad.  It was filled with all kinds of pictures of him with Payton.  I think he thought it was pretty special. 

I can't express how grateful I am to have Chad as a partner in raising our daughter.  He is such a great dad.  The bond that he and Payton share is so special.  She is definitely a Daddy's girl! 

I also wanted to give a shout-out to this guy. 

(I'm guessing this was circa 1982)

He is such a wonderful grandpa to Payton.  They have lots of fun times together.  And she just loves his hats!

.

Summer Fun!

One of the perks of being a teacher is having summers off.....Well, after a great school year with 22 wonderful second graders, I am excited to say that our summer vacation officially started yesterday!  It was so nice to be able to sleep in a little and play with Payton while watching Regis and Kelly and The View!  :)  I made a list of all the things I would like to do this summer as a family and as a couple.  Here they are in no particular order....

Family Fun

• Take Payton to the Aquatic Center
• Buy a little swimming pool for Payton
• Play dates
• Sunday picnics after church
• Lots of backyard bbq’s with good friends
• Take a roadtrip/vacation
• Get Daddy to wear flip-flops!
• Eat lots of watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe
• Plan Payton’s 1st Birthday party
• Go fishing
• Ledges State Park
• Blow bubbles
• Blank Park Zoo
• Iowa State Fair
• Bike rides
• Farmer’s Market
• Walks around the 6th street ponds – Angie pushing stroller, Chad walking Relay
  

Angie and Chad’s Fun

• Weekend trip to Chicago - hopefully catch a Cubs game
• Take an afternoon to go canoeing
• Dinner and movie

Memorial Day Weekend

This was a busy weekend for us!  Saturday we traveled to Carlisle to visit my college roommate and her two kids.  Emily was back for her sister's high school graduation, so we stopped by her parents' house to visit.  Then we went to see my brother's town house that he recently purchased in Carlisle.

Here is Aiden, Payton, and Olivia :)

On Sunday we went to my parents' house for a lunch bbq and hung out and visited.  Then we came home, relaxed a bit, and then headed over to some friends' for another bbq.

Today we headed to New Hartford to visit Chad's dad's grave.  It makes me so sad to think that Gary never met Payton, but we know that he watches out for her every day.  We love and miss you, Gary!

3 More Days!

3 more days of school with students, then one teacher work day, and then....SUMMER VACATION!!!  I am so ready!  I can't wait to spend the summer going on walks with Payton, taking her to the pool, and having playdates. 

10 Events...

is what Chad's team qualified for the State meet this weekend!  We are pretty proud of Daddy's team.  Here is what all qualified:

• 4x100
• 4x200
• 4x400
• 4x800
• 1 girl in the 200
• 2 girls in the 800
• 1 girl in the 1500
• High Jump
• Shot Put

The district meet was Friday night in Marshalltown, and it was a great night for a meet.  It was the longest that Payton and I have stayed at one all year.  We would have stayed longer, but little peanut was getting hungry so we had to go home for supper :)

The girls will run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  I am hoping to make it down to watch on Saturday.  Go Bobcats!!

My 1st Mother's Day

My 1st Mother's Day was very special.  It began with Chad and Payton surprising me with breakfast in bed.  After my lovely breakfast, I was getting ready for church and went to let the dog out.  When I opened the sliding glass door to our deck, I saw a nice, big hammock sitting there!  I am excited to spend some lazy summer days lounging with Payton in my new hammock!  Chad also got me a pretty rose corsage to wear to church.  After church we headed to Baxter to have dinner with my parents, grandparents, Uncle Ted, and Aaron, Jess, and Kaylee.  It was a wonderful day!