Outside

Spring Break Dalbey Style continues to be a blast.  We had more fun yesterday doing what we do best - playing outside.  In the morning Preston and I played outside in the backyard while Peyton took her morning nap.  We built a serious sandcastle, pulled some weeds, and then helped buddy practice his bike riding skills.  He is doing really well but I have no pictures to document.   Random comment: does anyone else find pulling weeds therapeutic?  I like to think about pulling out things in my life that are of no value or that cause pain and frustration.  Maybe I am the only one...whatever.  

Oh yes, highlight of the morning was finding Mr. Froggy. He had been missing for a couple weeks and we just couldn't figure out where he went.  We finally found him in a drawer to the outside kids table.  Preston is SO happy.  

 Here is froggy being tucked into bed this morning.  We decided to leave him at home so that we don't loose him again - good idea.  

Our afternoon was spent outside again at the park with my dear friend, Carolyn.  Here she is with Miss Peyton.  So cute. 

Unfortunately, I have to work today and tomorrow.  I am, however, hoping for some fun family time on Saturday and I am sure Steven will have some fun with the kids on Friday.  

Buddies

 Spring Break Dalbey style must include a play date for Preston with his buddy, Micah.  Here they are playing trains at Micah's house.  So much fun.  Thank you, Emily, for hosting us today! 

Oh yes, a plus for having a cool brother in law who travels a lot means more Starbucks mugs for my collection. Thank you, Eric.  This mug is beautiful.  

Spring Break - Dalbey Style

While last week and this week is Spring Break for many in STL the Dalbey family is kicking it at home this year.  What do you do in St. Louis on Spring Break?  Well, I have a few ideas.  We started things off yesterday at home by setting up our new pool and sandbox.  Well, we already had the sandbox.  We just needed more sand.  These items were given to us in the form of a monetary gift from Grossi Dalbey.  Grossi is the German word for Great Grandma.  Oh yes, Peyton is sporting her new swim suit for the season.  This came from Grammie Dalbey for her Birthday.  While Peyton had NO interest in the swimming pool, she LOVED the sandbox. I am sure we will spend more time out there this week.  Here is a picture of the kids enjoying their time making sandcastles and exploring.  

I have more plans to go to the park, the Missouri Botanical Gardens and even the City Garden if the weather permits :)  I will keep our readers updated.  

Yard Work

What do I like to do on a Saturday afternoon?  I like to do yard work.  Yes, that is right. I like to do yard work.  While Peyton took her afternoon nap, Preston and I headed outside to do some work.  Well, Preston enjoyed playing with the hose and some of his toys. I hit the ground (literally) and started digging up weeds and finishing a path and flower bed that I started 4 years ago.  

Here is a picture of the beginning of my work.  

Here we go. Its starting to look good.  Oh yes, Preston helped me carry the bricks that were stacked on the side of driveway.  They had been there so long that they almost stuck to the driveway.  

Here is the finished path.  I took this picture from the upstairs window.  I think it looks good.  

Now all I need are some bushes and flowers....that might have to wait a while.  Maybe I'll ask for some for my birthday.  Oh yes, after starting and finishing this project in an hour and a half I don't think anyone can label me a wimp :) 

Oh yes, before my afternoon yard work I took the kids for a walk to the park.  Sadly, our favorite park was closed.  The sign at the Heights said that the Park is closed during freezing weather.  I don't think they have taken the time to notice the warm temperatures and flowers blooming on the trees in the picture.  We did have the the first day of spring the other day - right?! Oh well.  We will try again another day.  

Sunday

This past Sunday we had our little girl baptized.  It was so special to see Mark, Steven's dad, baptize our little girl and continue a very special tradition in his family.  While I didn't get any picture of the actual event, I can share that it was so special.  Steven and I also joined the church that morning.  We now feel connected to a new family and look forward to getting involved and getting to know new people.  Here are a few pictures I did take that day.  

First, our little girl on Sunday in her new dress from Grammie :) 

 Here is a picture of the kids in the car as we left church and headed to Grandad's house for lunch.  

 A cute headband that Peyton kept on her head for about 10 minutes...we are working on this :) 

 Peyton and cousin Alice playing.  

 Preston and Cousin Alice playing the piano.  

 Here are the cousins.  We are excited for Aunt Tracey to have another little girl to arrive in early August. 

 After lunch we had some fun playing outside. 

 Here we have four generations of the ladies :)  Great Grandma Koslow, Grandma Denton, mommy and Peyton Dalbey.  

 The Dalbey family.  Steven, Preston, Grossi, Katrina, Peyton, Mark or Poppa, Beth or Grammie and Uncle Eric.  

Thank you, Grandad Denton, for hosting the event and serving a wonderful lunch.  

Peyton's Birthday Party

Peyton's First Birthday Party was beautiful and everything I had envisioned for our little girl.  Our house was full of wonderful women who mean a lot to me and to our little girl.  The handmade decorations were up, the cake was made and the weather was beautiful outside.  Again, it was a wonderful day.  Before I continue, I want to send a special thanks to the great grandma's who came in from out of town for the special occasion.  Thank you for making the time and effort to celebrate Peyton.  Now, on to the party.  Here are a few photos I took with my Phone.  I had 2 special friends take pictures and will post some of their pictures later.  For now, enjoy these wonderful images of the birthday girl.  

First, her cake.  

Here is a look at Peyton starting to eat her cake. She didn't have any desire to smash the cake with her hands or in her face. She simply took her fingers, picked up the icing and tasted the yummy butter cream frosting.  

Here we have a picture of Peyton and her buddy, Cora.  Cora is 15 days older. I pray that they will become very good friends.  

Here is a picture of Peyton with some more cake...a cupcake seemed to work better than a huge cake.  She enjoyed her yummy treat.

She is looking a bit tired in this picture.  

These were the party favors at the party.  Since Peyton's birthday is on St. Patrick's day I made sure to have plenty of green on hand as well as a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow :) 

Here is a picture of the birthday girl with Mommy, Grammie, Grossi (German for Great Grandma), and Grandma (Great Grandma).  Thank you for celebrating with us.  

Finally, here is the Birthday banner I made. 

To make the banner, here are some simple directions. 

First, I went to Hobby Lobby. I picked out 4 different scrapbook paper colors.  3 background colors and 1 for the letters. I bought 3 pieces of each color for a total of 12 pages.  I cut the banner pieces to be 7 inches at the top and then 7 inches down from the center.  I cut them out.  I then had the privileged of using a special machine at Church to cut the letters.  This took about 15 minutes.  If I had to, I would have traced the letters and cut them out by hand.  I then taped the letters on the flags.  

Here comes the fun part. I simply took a needle and thread and did some simple sewing.  I would sew into the banner on the left, run the strong along the top and sew out of the banner at the right.  I did this till each flag was hung and viola - banner complete.  I hope this project helps inspire other moms and dads to be creative for their child's birthday party.  Oh yes, total cost of the banner was about $6.00.  

Family Photo Shoot

Before I share about our wonderful weekend celebrating Peyton's Birthday, I would like to share some pictures of our family.  About a week ago a dear friend, Emma, came over and took some family photos. Emma is a high school students and we have been buddies since she was in Middle School.  She is is a budding photographer and takes pictures for school and for fun.  Her website is linked to my page below.   Here are a few of my favorite pictures to share with our readers :) 

First, Mommy and Peyton.  

 Second, a rare photograph of the family.  

 This picture makes me smile because Peyton's eyes are so blue :)  

 Finally, I think this pictures sums up our family.  Preston doesn't really want to take pictures.  Peyton is watching her brother.  I am smiling at the camera and Steven is being silly with Preston.  This is the Dalbey family.  

Yesterday was a very good day

Yesterday was a very good day.  Not only is the Dalbey family healthy (thank goodness) but the weather was beautiful and we spent most of the day outside.  First, Preston helped me clean up the front porch and put away some Christmas decorations.  Second, I went for a short walk up and down the street with the kids.  Here is a sweet picture of Preston and Peyton holding hands.  

Third, my mother in law came over to help watch the kids while I went to the grocery store.  She also helped me fold laundry.  Fourth, I planted flowers.  Finally, Steven was home by 5:30pm and we had some nice family time before bedtime.  Overall, yesterday was a very good day.  

  

Preparations

Our little Peyton is turning 1 on Saturday.  We are so excited to celebrate our little girl and all the life she brings to our family.  To honor our girl, I am giving a party and the Great Grandma's are coming in town.  Well, Steven's grandma goes by Grossi, which is German for Great Grandma, and my Grandma is just Grandma :)  Anyway.  I have been taking these party preparations very seriously.  I have been cleaning, organizing, making decorations, and painting.  Yes, I have been patching and painting some walls in our home that were long overdue for some love and care.  Here is a before and after picture of a place in our home that needed some fixing.  Yes, I still need to print and hang some photos - minor detail.  

The paint is still drying but you get the picture :)  

I can't wait to show you all the picture of our party.  I am so excited to celebrate with family and loving friends.  Only 5 days to go.  

Yard Work & Craft Project

The Dalbey family spent most of the today outside playing and doing a bit of yard work.  I am sure everyone in STL would agree that this weather is beautiful.  I would like every Saturday to feel like this.  Here are a few pictures from our time outside this afternoon. 

Here we have the little ones playing in the yard.  So sweet.   

 Preston loved helping Steven clean up.  

 Oh yes, I worked on a project this evening. I am busy making decorations for Peyton's party next weekend and this lovely banner will be making an appearance.  I still have to cut out the letters for 'Happy Birthday Peyton but that shouldn't take too long...right.  Thank you, Pinterest, for your inspiration.  

Preston Preschool Fund

A few weeks ago I posted about registering Preston for Preschool at our local school.  While we are so excited for Preston to have this opportunity to grow and learn we know that there is a price tag attached.  So, we have started the 'Preston Preschool Fund' at the Dalbey house.  We have an envelope hidden away where we place our extra cash.  We have also set some realistic goals.  We are trying to save half of his tuition by the end of the summer or first day of school.  Right now we have saved 28% of that total.  Not bad.  I am thankful we have some time and thankful for the ways the Lord seems to be providing for our needs each day.  I will keep our readers updated on our progress and perhaps even share some ways in which we increase our %.  I can share that this week we added $40 to the fund.  This money came from the tips Steven collected at work.  Not bad.  Here is a picture of our sweet and curious boy who I pray will be thankful for all that we do to provide for his educational needs :) 

Oh yes, I know there are many in St. Louis who save and save and pay for private school tuition for 12 + years.  While we are looking at 2 years of preschool tuition before our public school education begins I am learning what it means to sacrifice and invest your money in things you believe will be valuable for our kids.  

Its almost the weekend

Its Wednesday night and I am so excited for the weekend.  The weekend means that I will have a little extra time to do all those things I don't have time to do during the week.  Laundry is a high priority.  Making Peyton's party decorations are also high on the list.  Catching up with blog land is also on the list.  The weekend almost always means just a little extra time to rest and not worry about running around or being on time to appointments.  I think we all love weekends.  

This week has proven to be interesting as we made our first ER visit with Peyton. Notice the cute picture above.  She was having trouble breathing on Tuesday night and after a call to the exchange it was necessary to take her in.  Steven did the honors.  He is a wonderful husband.  Peyton is fine, but she does have Brochiolitis (I hope I spelled that correctly) and must use a nebulizer to help clear out her air passages.  The cause is most likely that flu/cold bug that has attacked our family the past few weeks.  Peyton is young and it takes her body longer to fight the bug then the rest of us.  Prayers and encouragement are appreciated to get us through this challenge and Peyton to a full recovery.  Here are a couple pics of the kids while we were playing outside on Tuesday.  

Catching Up

I am taking a moment to catch our readers up on life in the Dalbey family.  We have been sick this week.  While the kids were healing up from their part of the flu, Steven and I started round 2 of this weird bug.  This meant another round of antibiotics for Steven and a lot of rest for Katrina.  I am happy to report that by Friday we were feeling much better and started to come out of the fog we felt like we were under.  This weekend has been full of much needed family time and cleaning around the house.  The laundry pile was great but is slowly disappearing.  My home office desk was a mess, but is much better now.  Its amazing what a little time and a little energy can do.  Even Peyton found a new place to play under my newly cleaned desk :)  We have also read a lot of books this weekend - which is very good.  

 A sad note to report is that we had some damage to our home this week.  The winds were great on Wednesday and I came home to find part of our siding/roof/gutter damaged.  The wind pulled the board right out of the house - crazy.  

 Here is the board that was torn out of our house.  Sad.  Oh the joys of home ownership.  

I promise, I will post more updates and pictures tomorrow :)