Christmas Tree Farm 2009

Paisley's waiting to get on the hay ride and get out to the trees
Paisley and Daddy

and Mommy

she's seeing how much touching she can get away with

we all finally decided on this one for Paisley's tree to go upstairs

Enjoying the free reign to run around like a crazy girl

the pretty, quaint red barn at the Wall Family Tree Farm - Terrell, Texas


The three of us had a great time - for sure an experience worthy of making time for every year. Merry Christmas!

November Wrap Up

The month of November has really gotten away from us. We had a great Thanksgiving with all of our family at various times during the last week. Paisley had a rough weekend of being sick last weekend, but is now feeling much better. Here's what Paisley is up to day-to-day (mostly things that mommy and daddy want to remember at this stage):
-Pais just turned 28 months this week and still only weighs 26 pounds. She's just as tall as ever.
-She has started using phrases like "you know what" and then proceeds to tell you a story. Or "actually, ...".
-She frequently will suggest an alternative when you offer her something she doesn't really want or you ask her to do something she doesn't want to do. She'll say "how 'bout..." and then give you her most superior suggestion.
-She loves school and is very excited to go every time.
-She is still not interested in potty training. Mentally, she is very aware of all the details, but has not one single desire to actually do it. I've even prepared "treat" jars with play-doh, markers, stickers, new crayons, and other "crafty" things and she won't even consider it. Ah, it'll come in good time.
-She loves crafts. And, for some reason, she thinks "crafts" is "craps". So, that's worth a good laugh from us every time she says it. I have been trying to correct her, but the f-t sound is very tough for her right now.
-Her favorite song to have us sing before she goes to bed at night is Jesus Loves Me.
-She is sleeping like a champ in her big girl bed now & we have absolutely no problems. Her "set up" includes a turtle that projects stars onto the ceiling, and the light has to be orange. She also has to have the radio on and the fan on. She needs her 'froggy' and her purple blankie.

We spent Thanksgiving morning at the Ft. Worth turkey trot & she had a blast. We had the Harbords and Papa Mike over for the rest of the day. It was a blast - a lot of cooking, but a lot of fun. Today, we took Paisley to the Christmas Tree Farm in Terrell and it was just perfect. Paisey had a great time picking out her own little tree and we ran around and had fun for an hour or 2 before we headed back home. Pictures to follow in seperate post...

Great night!!

Pumpkin Patch!

Papa Doug, Ree Ree, Aunt Heather and Mom and Paisley took a trip to the pumpkim patch yesterday. Paisley has been talking about the PP for several days now, and I asked her, so do you want to get a big pumpkin or a baby pumpkin, and she said "a baby one"... so we played for a while out in the area with the big ones and then picked out a baby one for her before we left.

Holding onto Papa's head for dear life :)

Showing off in one of the props out in the field.

Climbing up on a big pile of pumpkins. She wasn't too thrilled about having her picture taken. What a difference a year makes! Last year we took her to the Dallas Arboretum and she had a blast, looking back on that time, she seems so little compared to today.

It was a little bright, since this weekend has been the first bit of sunlight we've had in so long, I won't complain. It was a beautiful afternoon & a great way to spend time with family. We missed daddy while we were there!!

October Fun!

Paisley and I made some cupcakes last weekend and had a blast!

Yum!

Its been a challenging few weeks at our house. We were thinking Paisley was ready to transition to a toddler bed after many restless nights in her crib & an attempt to climb out (a first for her). But, the new bed doesn't seem to be working out very well with only 1 night that she's made it all the way through in about a week and a half. She's having a hard time going to sleep, sometimes taking us 2 hours to get her to sleep, and then is completely freaked when she wakes in the middle of the night. So, we may go back to the crib for a while.

Right before this big change, she had completely given up her paci! It was awesome and she was doing really well - until this new bed stuff came into play & out of our own weakness & desperate need for some sleep, Mike and I gave it back to her at night. Shame on us! So, as I am sure all parents can relate to, we've been playing a little 2 steps forward/3 steps back this month.

More than anything, I just want to figure out a way to help her sleep better. There's no good feeling, as a mom, that comes from knowing that your kiddo is sleep-deprived! So, anyways, hopefully we'll get this figured out soon so she can feel at ease and so can Mike and I.

Paisley Goes to the Fair!

We took Paisley to The Fair last weekend. It was rainy, but she had a great time riding some rides and eating all kinds or fried stuff. It was super crowded though and we were adventurous this time and rode the Dart Rail - and that was packed as well. I don't think we will ride it again with Paisley anytime in the near future as we got a little cranky (and loud and handsy) .

She really enjoyed the swings...they were one of the very few rides she was tall enough to ride. Most rides in the kid area required you be 36" tall to ride and she is right at 35". Next time it will be on!

So we went into this little area for kids that allowed the kids to fake plant stuff and pretend they were farmers. Paisley got to be a farmer and wear this awesome apron and dig in the garden and even milked a plastic cow...fun times.

This ride was one where she wasn't tall enough to ride it by herself, but she could ride it with an adult if she was 32" tall. Cassie wanted to ride these fish, but I wouldn't let her - it looked like too much fun to pass up. This was actually a pretty jerky ride and wouldn't recommend it!

Random Pictures & Events

Clearing off pictures from my phone... sometimes the most handy way to catch Paisley's actions.

Preparing for swine flu... or just helping mommy while she paints the laundry room in the new house because it still smells like the cats that the previous owners had. Yuck!
Becoming quite the card playing expert thanks to ReeRee


Enjoying her uncle Devon

Wearing mommy's heels... quite well I might add.

Enjoying some cartoons in mid August with her winter hat on. This is what happens when you pack up your entire house. Things are not as they should be!

Twinkle Twinkle...

Paisley has been singing lots of great songs with Grandma and Grandma Fay lately. Here's Paisley with her Grandma Fay... :)

New House

We're all moved in to our new house & getting used to our new routines and spaces. With both Paisley and Mike back in school, it's a busy season for the Gibsons. Paisley seems to be adjusting well to the new house. She's expanding her vocabulary all the time, but lately it's been her conversational skills that have really caught our attention. She is very easy to have a conversation with these days, at a very basic level of course!
We're soon going to begin to tackle potty training and giving up the paci. You can tell, especially in these pictures, how the paci has wreaked havoc on her face. She's given it up at the Grandmas' house, but we've got our work cut out for us at home. She's still pretty attached to the paci at naptime and bedtime. We don't let her have it at any other time. Of course, it's pretty hard to resist this face and precious smile. Man, we love this girl!!

Potty training is on the agenda as well... Sure do wish there was a handbook on that one!! We're heading to the Texas State Fair in the next several weeks, so we'll have some fun pictures and maybe a little video to share then... Happy Fall!

First Day of School

On Sept. 11, Paisley started school at First Baptist in Lewisville. She had a great first day! We went to the open house on Thursday night to meet her teachers & let her get familiar with her room. When Friday morning rolled around, she was ready to get started. We dropped her off without a tear; in fact, she walked right in & didn't look back at Mike and I. Of course, trying to capture pictures of the 'first day of school' did not go so well with missy... :) Here she is doing her best to NOT let mommy get a picture of her with her backpack on.
Standing outside of her room, waiting for the teachers to be ready to greet the kids. She's fond of her lunchbox...

Of course, the obligatory mom and dad pictures...

She's been having a great time so far~ they have class on Mondays and Fridays from 930 to 230. So far, we've gotten lots of talk from her about needing to 'share' with the other kids and being quiet at naptime. They've been learning about God in different ways each day. Today I asked her what she learned about God & she said "Bible".. :) Funny & cute.

Summertime coming to an end!

Paisley loves the outdoors... Summer has come to a close here, although it's still hot & humid most days. Paisley has started school & so has Mike. But, we did try and enjoy the outdoors as much as possible this summer. Before we packed up and moved to our new house, we enjoyed some time at the park in our old neighborhood. These pictures were taken there in August...

She's certainly got the long legs from someone on the Harbord/Greer side of the family! Enjoying the balance beam with Dad.

So serious. She has this look on her face frequently. Must be a habit passed along from me, shame on me!

Enjoying her tricycle at Ree Ree & Papa's during our stay there over the last month or so

Papa Mike gave Paisley this water and sand table for her birthday, and she is in love with it. I don't know of too many things that can keep the attention of a 2-year-old for more than 30 minutes at a time, but this certainly does. She loves to put the water into the sand and the sand into the water. As an organizational 'freak', this doesn't exactly fit into the way I would have her play with it, but it's not about me...

Big Changes!

Man, what a busy few months we've had! Mike, Paisley and I are now living with Ree Ree and Papa for a few weeks due to the events that have occured recently. Today, we will say our last goodbyes to our first house. We were so thrilled to sell the house after it had been on the market for about 3 weeks, YAY!

Our Old House

So, Mike worked his tail off this past week to get everything packed up & moved out before school started today. Two PODS, 8 million trips back and forth to mom & dad's and lots of cleaning later, the house is finally empty. I must say, I had a very sad feeling being in the house without "us" in it... And with all of the memories of our first 5 years of marriage & first baby there, it is hard to leave.


However, in 2 weeks, we will gear up to move all of our stuff once again into a new house. The new house is less than 10 minutes away, but is closer to Ree Ree & Papa's house and still about the same distance away from the Grandmas' house. We are SO excited to make new memories in this house & make it our own.

Our New House

Paisley isn't really sure what in the world is going on. She's been with us at the old house with it empty & has said "bye bye" to her room. When you ask her about the new house, she says "moving in a few weeks"... :) and the last few days in the old house, as everything was slowly being packed up, she would go into her room and say "what happened to room??"


She's growing like a weed, and her vocabulary never ceases to amaze us. Mike told her it was time to get out of the bathtub the other night and she said, "no, I'm still playing". She's becoming quite the night owl lately too. When she goes down for the night around 8:30, sometimes she'll play and fidget in her crib until 9:30 or 10 at night before falling asleep. She must get that from Mike.



Other than moving, which can totally wreck all sense of 'normalcy', Paisley will start school on Sept. 11 at First Baptist Lewisville. She's excited & talks about school quite a bit. Mike's classes started today - he's taking 5 classes & is down to what will probably be his last year of classes before student teaching begins. It's Awesome.

First Movie

We took Paisley for her first movie theater experience today & chose the movie Up, since it was really the only one we thought she'd be somewhat interested in. Not knowing what to expect, we just decided to test it out and see how things would go.

To our surprise, we made it through the entire movie! She didn't say much at all, just sat in her seat between Mike and I and watched the big screen. What we learned today is she's not a big fan of popcorn, but does enjoy a good slurpee/icee and reese's pieces.

We had a good time & it was a really great low key family morning...

"I'm 2!!"

Paisley is very proud that she is 2, and if you ask, you'll know very quickly how old she is! So I can remember in a few years what you were up to at 2 years old Paisley, here's what life is like these days:

1. You know how to sing through your ABC's, with just a few improvisations during the "hard" parts like L M N O P.
2. You know your full name, although when you say it, you leave out a few syllables here and there and it usually comes out as "Pai Ree Gibswing". I think we'll call ourselves the "Gibswings" for a while b/c it's cute.
3. When you do throw a little fit when life doesn't go your way, you don't stay frustrated for long, and when you realize your behavior is not OK, you immediately say 'Sorry momma' or 'Sorry daddy'.
4. Like any 2 year old, you like to say no. But, you always say "no, okay", "no, okay"... I am not sure where this comes from.
5. You still sleep in your crib and love it. No attempts at climbing out yet. You're still not a deep sleeper.
6. You love to take showers. We could leave you in our shower for a LONG time and you'd be happy playing with your toys, just filling up legos with water and pouring it out... We do, of course, supervise.
7. You like to eat "snacks". You'll get up from the table after dinner and say to mommy "time snack?". We've got to work on this one - you know, eating your meals so you aren't hungry right after dinner.
8. You've got a sweet tooth - especially for ice cream. When you see a picture of ice cream on a puzzle or coloring book or something, you say in a really loud voice, "mmmmmm, ICE CREAM".
9. You LOVE your Grandmas and your Ree Ree. Since you spend one day a week with each of them right now, you pretty much know the way to their houses by heart, know exactly where we are when we pull up, and you probably know exactly what you can get away with at each of their homes. Your Papas (Mike and Doug) are pretty special too.
10. You REALLY dislike getting your teeth brushed right now. You want to brush your teeth all the time, but only if YOU are doing it... :) It is a big struggle, but hopefully we'll get through this soon.
11. Life is immeasurably better with Paisley in our family. These 2 years have been so incredible, I can't wait to see what God has in store for this year of your life sweet girl!

Can you believe how tall she is? I did one of those silly height predictors & it said she was going to be 5'7'' based on her height and weight now - who knows. I have a feeling she's going to surpass me for sure.
Paisley loves all things Dora and Diego right now, so we decided to do a Dora birthday party for her. A local bakery in Plano did this cake for her - it turned out so cute! She loved it. We also had a bounce house courtesy of one of our family friends, but it ended up being just too hot for any of the kids to play on it.

Mike is wrapping up his summer school classes right now & will have a short break before getting back into it for the fall semester. He's taking 5 classes, 2 of which have labs, so he'll be in Denton on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 10-12 hours. So proud of him!!

Paisley is going to be starting school as well at First Baptist Lewisville after Labor Day. She'll go 2 days a week from 9:30 to 2:30. Mike and I are really excited for her. She seems to be the type that will excel in school, so it will be good for her to have this extra exposure to other kids & lots of learning.

Other than that, with a house on the market, much of our time is spent keeping the house clean, rearranging our schedule for the occasional showings, and praying for a buyer - if the time is really right for us to make a move. If we do end up selling the house, we won't be moving far. When we bought this house, we intended to be here for about 5 years, and we want Paisley to be in a different set of schools when she gets to that age.

Praising God for such a healthy, happy 2 year old & looking forward to all of the ways Paisley will continue to enrich our lives.

Love you all!!

Happy 2nd Birthday & all the other stuff we've been doing in the last 2 months!

We've been totally lax in updating the Paisley blog... total bummer, or in the words of Paisley, "BUNNER DUDE"... Funny :). Here's what we've been up to:
...Returned home from vacation at the end of May...
...Mike started summer school with several classes- a very heavy load considering it's the summer session...
...Bumped along in June with few pictures to document what we were up to... I am not sure I remember...
...Decided to put our house on the market & in the process (and with the help of lots of family) put down about 800 square feet of new flooring...
...Celebrated Paisley's 2nd birthday! (the most important part of the whole span of time)...
So here are a few photos of our time this summer... (in the opposite order in which they actually occurred since Blogger is irritating like that...)

The weekend before Paisley's birthday we took her to lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and then to the DORA Live!! show at Nokia Theater. That was part of her birthday present from mom & dad. She LOVED the Rainforest Cafe, and here she and I are playing with the cool butterfly balloon creature someone made her.

During the fourth of July weekend, we put down new flooring in almost the entire downstairs area of the house to prepare to get it on the market. Fun times. My mom and dad, Mike's dad and both of my brothers (and sister too) helped us out more than we could have imagined. It was a huge job, but it got done, looks great, and we are oh so glad we are now finished with it. Here's a picture of the new floor going down.

And here's a quick look at what we were ripping up.

Paisley decided she wanted to wear ALL her bows. She's not a huge fan of bows & it's a real battle for me to get her to keep a bow in for any extended period of time. She says a lot in the mornings when we are getting ready, "wear a bow today?", but she's just kidding... she doesn't REALLY want to wear that perfectly cute bow I would have picked out just for the outfit she was wearing that day...

Here's Pais with her Uncle Devon. She adores her Uncle Devon, as you can see here. She loves that he is so tall and throws her up in the air and tickles her and gives her big bear hugs and kisses. She loves her Uncle Ian this much as well, just don't have any picture proof. I think they might like her a little bit too... This is one of my favorite things about my siblings as a mom - it is just amazing how much they love her & care for her. It's awesome.

Birthday pictures to come... :)