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!

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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.