The Clayton Family est. 2004

Little Man turns 4!

2012-01-29T16:48:00.013-06:00

Gray turned 4 on January 21st, and chose to celebrate at Jackson Prep on "da biiiigggg football field." Having an outdoor party in January in Mississippi is pretty gutsy, but amazingly, we were worring about the heat and humidity rather than the cold and rain!
It was a gorgeous day and ended up being a lot of fun.

The scoreboard was lit up in all "4s" and the scrolling message.....

We all lined up on Lane 4 for a jog around the track....

Then a surprise introduction of the birthday boy over the PA system....

His entrance on the field via the 50 yard line....

To be further surprised by some REAL football players!!!!

These players were wonderful to the children.....showing them exercises...

Leading them thru drills....

And letting each one score a real TOUCHDOWN!!!!!

Birthday cake....

Presents in the back of Joe's truck~

The whole crew!

In case you can't tell, this day was PERFECT! We love that little boy!!!!

2012 Begins with a Bang!

2012-01-29T16:40:00.002-06:00

I cannot even believe that I am three months behind on this blog...three very BUSY months! I vow to catch up and have made a promise to myself that I will update this year at least once a month. The start of 2012 marks the half way point of kindergarten for Haze and Grayson is turning 4! They are both doing exceptionally well in school. Kyle and I are very blessed to have two healthy, kind hearted, smart, adorable children!(if I say so myself)

Mitchell Farms

2011-11-06T19:28:00.006-06:00

Three of the 4 Claytons traveled to Hattiesburg for Caroline's 4th Birthday party.
Here we are with the birthday girl...Haze 5, Caroline 4, Gray 3 and Anna Cooper passed out from all of the fun 2!!

Sug and Joe met us at Mitchell Farms for a little pumpkin patch fun after the party...

This place is amazing! A definite annual event for us to enjoy for years to come!

The Cutest Flower Girl and Ring Bearer Ever

2011-10-16T18:30:00.007-05:00

The two little Claytons were invited to be the flower girl and ring bearer in the best sitter ever's wedding. What a wonderful weekend for an outdoor wedding it turned out to be!

This is pure relaxation BEFORE the wedding!!

Me and my mini me....

In hog heaven with the big girls!!!

Sweetie pies.....but with the tie a little crooked...

Here, let me take care of that for you :0)

Daddy even took a break from work to enjoy the festivities!!

Kindergarten Katch Up

2011-10-08T11:59:00.003-05:00

So our first full month of Kindergarten is behind us and boy have we all had fun! While Haze has to wear uniforms to school, most Fridays are dress up days as something for the "letter of the week."

"G" week....gorgeous, glamorous, girly, girls!!!!!

"C" week...Camo (with a frill, of course)

"D" week....denim..I made it until she was 5 11/12ths before she wore denim...and then we did skinny jeans with a Boden top!

And here we are everyday....pure innocence and sweet as can be!

A Day in the Country 2011

2011-10-07T15:24:00.009-05:00

Kyle's busy season at work has started, so the kids and I decided to make the most of a gorgeous Saturday fall afternoon and headed out to A Day in the Country at Chapel of the Cross with Sug and Joe.

The day was filled with face painting, horse riding and the ever popular petting zoo.

Much to my surprise (and delight), they still love the train ride too! They are growing up so fast!

Attending this fall festival is one of our favorite Clayton traditions because it is held on the grounds of the church where Kyle and I were married. It is always so much fun to return to see where it all began!

Football 2011

2011-08-29T21:00:00.004-05:00

Cancer Society Characters for a Cure

2011-08-21T16:51:00.006-05:00

The 4 Claytons attended the Characters for a Cure breakfast at Mint and boy did we have fun. There were so many Disney characters and Princesses there I couldn't possible post all of the pictures!

Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White and Belle....

Woody and Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Dasiy and Buzz

Airele escorted us to the parking lot and Haze told her, "we'll see you in Disney World this Christmas!"

And, I looked at Kyle and he said, " I guess she will. This was a blast!"

Jackson Prep Patriots are the BEST!

2011-08-14T19:18:00.002-05:00

Elizabeth Haze is finally old enough to attend Cheer Camp at Jackson Prep! These pictures speak for themselves.....She had an absolute blast!

First Day at First Pres

2011-08-12T08:49:00.010-05:00

Elizabeth Haze is starting Kindgarten at First Pres Day School and all 4 Claytons are so excited....well, 3 are really excited, and the other 1 WANTS to be, but he misses seeing his sister at school everyday.

The night before Kindergarten.....

Mommy and Daddy's first day happy....a First Pres uniform for Lucy!

Pure Joy when Lucy woke her up to get her ready for her first day!

Heading downtown....little man is not too thrilled about going to school in different cars

Here we are!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Haze sweetly told me that today was HER day and she wanted to wear a ponytail instead of a bow.

Love at first sight at First Pres....Mrs. Parker and EH

Mrs. Stack and EH....

I spent so much time trying to prepare Haze, I forgot what an emotional wreck I might be! I managed to hold the tears back until I reached the parking lot...then I lost it!

One final Hoo-Rah to the Beach before School Starts

2011-08-11T04:43:00.012-05:00

Kyle surprised the kids and I with one last trip to the Grand! It was so much fun to have one last hoorah away before Haze begins real school!

Our little fireman....

Sibling time in the fountain pool....

Gorgemous....

Beautimous....

We only left the hotel property once...a quick trip to the Fairhope Toy store and to get a little grub at the Fly Creek Cafe. This place has become like a second home to us. We just love it here! Now back home to prepare for our first year of school!

Chicago and my BIG birthday

2011-08-11T04:43:00.008-05:00

This was the year of the BIG 40 for me and Kyle kicked off the summer celebration with a trip to Chicago for just the two of us. We stayed at the Four Seasons and were absolutely spoiled from the moment we arrived to our suite overlooking Michigan Avenue (shoutout to my old roommate Terri Tabor for the upgrade). We had so much fun touring, eating and shopping. It was a great present and we had a wonderful time.

On my actual birthday, we had a small family gathering at our house (I was on call) with take out Amerigo's and a house FULL of 40 presents!!!!! It was a wonderful surprise.

My parents went all out and the kids were sooooo excited because I needed tons of help opening all the loot.

Fourth of July at the Grand

2011-07-14T18:54:00.009-05:00

We spent the 4th at The Grand in Point Clear. We absolutely love this place. The beach life minus 4 hours in the car plus cabana boys and daily maid service; my kind of vaca!

Watching the sunset while digging for sea shells!

Eyeing the yatchs in the marina!

We found the cutest restaurant...the Fly Creek Cafe....sand, seafood, a live band and bubbles!

Entranced by the bongo player!!!

Chillaxin' in the pool!

The petting zoo on the property is always a hit!

Dance Recital

2011-06-14T23:16:00.014-05:00

Haze had her first dance recital with the Mississippi Metropolitan Dance Academy and was adorable. The older girls did Beauty and the Beast this year, so the little girls had Belle's Tea Party in the afternoon and all did routines to songs about candy.."the good ship lollipop," "sugar, sugar" etc....it was darling!

The dancing queen had quite the entourage! Her number one fan, of course, was little man. He helped her practice at home, helped her get ready and cheered her on.

Sug & Joe even showed up at the rehearsal as a surprise!!!!!

Sug is the 100% reason that we can even do dance lessons. She has taken her every Monday afternoon for a year! We are so thankful for all she has done!

Cece and Ray with the little star!

His heart bursting with pride, my heart melting on the side! We are so blessed to have each other and these precious children!

As the country song says....there goes my life!

,

Mother's Day, Father's Day and New Orleans

2011-06-14T23:15:00.020-05:00

Mother's Day before church

Little Man in his seersucker suit!!!! Love it!

Chilling with Sug and Joe!

We spent Father's Day weekend at Kyle's dad with the whole Clayton clan...swimming and eating in the summer sunshine...so much cousin fun!

We headed to New Orleans after breakfast that Sunday to meet Sug and Joe for three days of HOT fun....

The Quarter.....Haze asked, "Daddy, what is that smell?" Kyle, "that's New Orleans, baby" Haze, "well, I love it her, but shooo wee, it stinks!" The entire trip she reminded us to hold our noses when we were anywhere close to Burbon Street! HILARIOUS!

The aquarium.....

The Zoo

The Carousel

K4 Graduation

2011-06-14T23:15:00.007-05:00

It is almost impossible to believe, but Elizabeth Haze has graduated from Hope and will be starting REAL Kindergarten at First Pres Day School in the fall. It seems like yesterday that Kyle and I walked into this new building and dropped our baby off with strangers for the first time and received the call from Sister Tereze saying that she wouldn't stop crying and probably wasn't cut out for daycare!

My, my how times have changed. This place is our children's second home and they are surrounded by loving caring teachers that we feel are like family.

The end of the year ceremony and graduation were so cute. She could not be more prepared for "real" school. We are so blessed that she (and Gray) have this school and these women caring for them.

The besties!

Proud, proud momma and daddy!

After the graduation ceremony, the parents threw an after party at Pelahatchie Shores and had an absolute ball! Even though we are all headed our separate ways, these friends will always hold a special place in our hearts!!!

Easter 2011

2011-05-10T14:23:00.009-05:00

Easter was so much fun this year....the Bunny was extra nice leaving not only our baskets, but clues all around the house (just like Blues Clues) as to how to find special prizes! We found D.J. equipment and a drum set in the bathroom, a soccer goal and wedding barbies in the backyard and a new kitchen set in the playroom just by following the clues! They had a blast on this treasure hunt! Of course, I have no pictures as the race was on and there was no time for that!

The real deal Easter Bunny showed up at the club house for the annual Egg Hunt...

Too sweet getting ready to find the Golden Egg!!!!!!

KidsFest 2011

2011-05-09T22:59:00.011-05:00

Kyle had had enough "help" working in the yard, so the kids and I headed out to KidsFest in Ridgeland to try to sneak a peek at Dora and Deigo LIVE! Holy smokes this was a fun, fun time!

Here we are heading in all grown up!

Dora and Boots....

Deigo....

The Merry Go Round...

Real Ponies...

The Big, huge tractors, dozers and mowers...

The roller coaster...

Elizabeth Haze the fearless...on the BIG swings, I mean fair style...I wasn't ready for this at all and was very glad that my parents nor Kyle were there to witness this daredevil stunt (in my opinion...it is totally different when it is your baby on these things!)

Let's play catch up!

2011-05-09T22:33:00.008-05:00

Life is so crazy, I am lucky to get pictures taken these days, much less update this blog, but I promise to do better! Elizabeth Haze and Gray are growing up so fast...I swear, we blink and they grow an inch! I am so far behind, I am just going to pick and chose some photos of birthday parties, church events, school parties and what not to show their cute little faces! Sorry if your birthday party doesn't get the blog space it deserves, but if your really my friend...you'll understand! haha

Lil Man would rather have a tool or weed eater in his hand than a toy or piece of candy any day! He is all boy....good or bad!

The kids are getting so big, a few months ago we had a back seat added to the golf cart, plus new paint, new wheels, lights and I could go on....that's what happens when daddy goes to the store by himself! haha

Presley turned seven and had a cheerleading party to celebrate. She was such a trooper considering that she had been in the hospital for almost a week. The party was a huge sucess with all the girls sporting their uniforms of their favorite teams.

Headed out to church....a rare serious look for the wild man!!!!

Silly girls at Chuck E. Cheese for Elenora's birthday...um, not sure where Haze's shoes are or why she doesn't have them on!

The Tooth Fairy!!!!

2011-05-09T22:05:00.006-05:00

March 24th, I looked at Elizabeth Haze's bottom front teeth with some concern that we may have allowed her to use a sippy cup a little too long. I reached in her crooked little mouth only to find that one tooth was hanging on by a thread loose! I have to say, I was in total shock! I did not lose a tooth until the third grade and my baby is only 5! Two days later, EH woke me up at 4 o'clock to say her tooth fell out in her sleep! Talk about a drama free tooth story....none the less...the tooth fairy was on her way!!!

Here are the matching tooth fairy boxes! (Lil man couldn't totally miss out on all of the excitement AND I decided to be well prepared for the next time this happened!)

The tooth.....

The snaggle tooth princess....

I didn't get any pictures of the 'loose change' fairy dust trail that she left from EH's room to the front door because I woke up to the sound of change landing in Haze's trick or treat bucket and missed the whole thing!!!!!!!

Valentines and Summertime in February

2011-02-26T15:30:00.010-06:00

Sweet little Valentines!

With the great weather lately and daylight lasting longer, the 4 Claytons have been spending a lot of quality time outside riding our new rigs from Santa.

Mastered this quickly....notice the 'no hands' 360.....

Hey, can I try that???? Mine is too hard to drive...

Well, let me show you....

Ok, this is what we are going to do....

Follow me around this circle....

The solo ride......I guess I should really put this in black and white, but hey, he doesn't care!!!

And the payoff....jammies by 8pm.....

Passed out shortly after!!!!

Grayson turns 3

2011-01-29T14:28:00.018-06:00

Grayson Kyle Clayton turned three on January 21st and all he asked for was "a belt and a pair of bewdeans." So what did he get?? A belt and a pair of blue jeans.....he could not have been happier!

This is the first time either of my children have donned denim!!!! At least I made it this long!

To celebrate, we converted the Clayton house into The Clayton Candy Shoppe!

Here's the invitation......

Here's the birthday boy's table and banner.....

Candy, candy everywhere, not a nutritious thing in sight!!!!!!!

The BOPS man came and made "special order" ice cream sundaes for everyone....

We served traditional white cupcakes then had an icing table for everyone to decorate their own cupcake!

We finished the sugar high off by busting the pinata!!!!

Who says that all that sugar is going to get these kids all hyped up? This lil fella zonked out before the last guests departed!!!!

The day was a blast with a lot of friends and family. I know next year will be totally different...he'll decide what kind of party he wants (a football party, he already has it planned), his school friends will be included (because he will know the difference) and I am ok with that......I am more laid back than I ever thought I would or could be as a mom.....letting my children lead and live their own lives, while at times a struggle, is so much fun to watch.

Finishing out 2010

2010-12-31T21:48:00.002-06:00

Another year comes to a close and life, as usual, is flying by. If only we could hit pause to thoroughly enjoy the precious moments of our children's lives...and fast forward through the trying moments! 2010 has been an eventful year and we have learned more about ourselves as we parented our children through the terrible twos and the 'fantastic' fours. God has provided and blessed us with enormous joy. I pray that we appreciate all His gifts to the fullest and that we never take these blessings for granted. The journey continues into 2011 and the 4 Claytons look forward to seeing what is in store for us all!

Christmas Day 2010!!!!

2010-12-31T21:47:00.006-06:00

Santa out did himself this year! This picture doesn't really do him justice; there were presents stuck in every nook and crannie of these two vehicles! I don't know how he fit all of this stuff in his sleigh, but that's not for me to understand!!!!

Anyone that remotely spoke to little Gray-man this season knows that all he wanted for Christmas was a huuuggggeeee garbage truck...."da kind dat da mens drive in da morneeeing time" Well, here's the biggest one Santa could find...it's almost as big as his smile!

Miss Priss was thrilled with all her loot, as well. The Disney Princess scooter, Barbie Glamour Jet and Rapunzel baby doll were among the top favorite items this year.

We had a blast riding around our circle driveway on these ride on toys before heading to the final leg of the holiday season.....Mamaw Sarah's!

The four generations of Arnault/Harris women.....

Driving Uncle Billy's big John Deere tractor is always a must!!!!

Sug and Joe's Christmas 2010

2010-12-24T05:00:00.008-06:00

Christmas Eve means breakfast for dinner and tons of presents at Sug and Joe's house. All I can say is the 4 Claytons must have been VERY good this year!!!!

The babies beginning the long journey of present opening :-)
If you didn't get a sing-a-ma-jig.....you ought to invest! They are darling and we got the entire collection!

Awwwww,it's the OLD babies!

Cheeeesssseeee....

They have their own cameras now, so even though ours may be safe....we never are for a minute because they love capturing the moment!!!!!
They were adorable snapping shots of any and everything that they could!

BINGO's Departure

Our Elf, Bingo, packed his 'spaceship' and prepared for Santa's pick up on Christmas Eve by sitting on the gas logs! However, he managed to sneak off and to leave a sneak peek of what was to come by leaving these Melissa and Doug sticker sets!

The kids were so excited and were occupied for several hours playing with these play sets! Thanks Bingo!!!!

Cleveland Christmas 2010

2010-12-24T04:59:00.012-06:00

Christmas at CeCe and Ray's this year was extra special because great-great uncle Sonny was there to celebrate with Nana and us all! The kids make Christmas so much fun and so special! This is Grayson (2), Caroline (3), Elizabeth Haze (5) and Anna Cooper (1) about to open all the Christmas surprises!

Here they are admist all the spoiling from CeCe and Ray....too much fun opening all those boxes from their shopping spree in Chicago!!!

I just love this picture of the big kids all cuddled up in Ray's lap reading a Christmas story..they are oblivious that he is the newest member of our family, because to them he has always been around ...how special is that?

Clayton Christmas 2010

2010-12-24T04:59:00.010-06:00

Big G and Dee had us all over for the Clayton Christmas party this year. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there getting spoiled and eating some of the best cooking we have had in a while!

The kids love to just hang out and play with each other when we are at Big G's house!

She is growing up, but she is still our baby!!!! Check out that hair!

Disney on Ice

2010-12-24T04:58:00.003-06:00

The kids and I went to see Disney on Ice, with Taylor and Caroline, while the guys stayed home with Anna Cooper. I was worried that it might be a little too girly for Gray-man, but he's 2 so I took the chance because who really cares? I was pleasantly surprised that this show appealed to everyone! There were prissy moments, but there were also fight scenes, a fire breathing dragon and every princess had a prince!

We had a lot of fun, but I learned that with an attention span of about 40 minutes, we might not really be ready for a trip to Orlando just yet!

READINESS TESTING FOR REAL KINDERGARTEN

Elizabeth Haze recently went for her readiness testing for Kindergarten at St. Andrew's Episcopal School. This was a huge day in all our lives. How can she already be going to school?????? Kyle also took her for her school physical check up at the pediatrician where she had to get her finger stuck and 4 shots....she did not cry one tear! The bravery made me shed a lot of tears!!! We are so proud of her, in every way!

School Christmas Program

2010-12-12T21:44:00.004-06:00

Elizabeth Haze had her first right of passage....she was a part of the Hope Christmas Program. This program is only for the oldest children at the school. I remember seeing the classes in year's past thinking that our turn would be eons away and THAT seems like yesterday! She had a speaking part and did a wonderful job.

Sug and Joe were able to be there with us and we had so much fun. I snuck Grayson out of his class so he could watch too! I got the evil eye from the head nun, but oh well!!! haha

Holiday Fun

2010-12-05T20:42:00.015-06:00

I seriously wish life could be as fun and as hectic as the month of December year round. It is so much fun and it is really hard to be sad or mad when there is so much to do!
Putting up the tree Thanksgiving night while we watch football, as always.....

Trying to get a cute picture in our Christmas jammies...as always....Daddy trying to talk them into asking for a real puppy...not going to happen!

We had parent's day at EH's dance class and boy were we in for a treat...

She is REALLY, REALLY good!!!!!

Check out that form! (she has on her leggings that she wore to school under her leotard instead of tights because that is what her teacher wears!)

AIR CLAYTON, BABBBBY!!!!!

The line leader (apparently an honor of distinction, who knew)

So graceful and worth every penny! I was in tears literally watching her!

Miss Jennifer, our favorite ballet teacher!

At the post Christmas picnic party on the floor of the studio! Two very proud parents, one overjoyed baby brother and one prima ballerina!

Nutcracker 2010

2010-12-05T20:42:00.009-06:00

Continuing our annual tradition, Shannon, Shannon, Tonya and I gathered the girls in for a trip to see the Nutcracker. This year we went to the tea prior to the performance where we were able to talk and take pictures with the ballerinas.

Outings with this crew are effortless as these little ladies are very independent these days!

Visions of Sugar Plum Fairies......

Sassyfrass and the crew! How grown up are they? They all sat together (unsupervised) for Act 1. After intermission, we sat mother, daughter, mother, daughter.....no explaination needed!!!!

My sweet little girl brings such joy to our family. I love having traditions like this with her and our friends.

Birthday Party

2010-12-05T20:40:00.003-06:00

John Curtis and Swayze had their birthday party at the Ag Museum this year. Gray and Elizabeth Haze had a blast riding ponies,riding the train, petting the animals and enjoying the village houses.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the day we the long lost reunion of EH and Swayze...the only boy she has ever talked about besides her daddy or brother...Swayze has been at another school since June and this was their first encounter since....EH went up to him when she first arrived at the party and said "Am I still your girl friend?" He responded, "Of course you are!" Then they both told me they were in love!!!! They held hands the ENTIRE afternoon. I am so glad that Kyle missed this party, because I believe he would have been playing second fiddle for the first time ever!

Elizabeth Haze is FIVE

2010-11-21T16:49:00.008-06:00

This week has been so much fun as we celebrated Elizabeth Haze's 5th birthday. We started off with a school birthday party. This is John Curtis Wells, he is one hour older than EH. They were born on the same day and were in incubators next to one another in the hospital!

We also went out to eat birthday dinner with Sug and Joe and there were tons of presents to open!!!!

Here is the birthday girl with the only present she asked for...Lotso Huggin Bear... he smells like strawberries and says 45 different things....she loves him!

Big G and Deleica came to spend the night Saturday and we all had so much fun.

Haze took this picture after she told us all where to sit and to say cheese!

We ended the week having a huge party at Pump It Up! There were children running and jumping everywhere...it was crazy, but fun!

Sug made a cute outfit to go with the 'FIVE' theme for the party. Here you can see the big 5 on her back!

Haze was so cute getting ready for this birthday party. She wanted to help do everything. She spent a lot of time make all of the goodies bags and writing 'Thank You, Haze' on each of them.

It is so amazing how time goes by so quickly once you have children. I feel like we just brought her home from the hospital and she is going to be in Kindergarten before we know it. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure and we never take a moment for granted. Happy birthday Elizabeth Haze Clayton. Know you are loved.

A Hilarious Halloween

2010-10-31T12:14:00.002-05:00

This Halloween I had such great expectations for Haze and Gray to be Scarlet and Rhett. Afterall, I assumed that this would be my last year to be able to dress them in a common theme. Last weekend we did a trial run, trying on and altering the costumes to perfection. I was so excited and proud of myself! So..........
the morning of trick or treating in our neighborhood, EH and Gray woke up with their own ideas! EH wanted to be Sleeping Beauty and Gray wanted to be Buzz Lightyear. Because I realized that this is in fact their childhood, I complied.

Here they are.....Hannah Montana Barbie Fashion Princess and Buzz!

EH dressed and accesorized herself! It was perfect...she got to be exactly what she wanted to be and was the happiest little girl on earth!

I did manage to decorate the golf cart.....Buzz's Spaceship on one side.....

And Hannah's tour bus, Barbie Carriage on the other??????

Life was great. The kids REALLY loved handing out candy to the other gremlins and goblins. That was a good thing because the spaceship had a blow out and we were forced to return to the home station earlier than expected! It was a wonderful, fun night.

Beauty and The Beast

2010-10-23T20:24:00.006-05:00

This year's tea party at Jackson Prep was Beauty and the Beast, and we just could not leave our Prince Charming behind!

Here's our little Belle ready for the ball! (Prince Charming is passed smooth out in the seat next to her)!

These pictures do not do these costumes justice. They were incredible. All of the characters were so sweet!

Here we are with the Salt and Pepper Shakers.....

Mrs. Potts and Chip...

Being served real tea......

and last, but not least BELLE........

We had so much fun. The staff thought the girls were so cute with our prince they even gave us a huge tea pot and tea set when we left! What a magical day!

Pumpkin Patch and Fall Fun!!

2010-10-20T19:07:00.011-05:00

Fall is so much fun! There is something fun to do every single weekend and the weather this year has been just perfect! Well, perfect, but not as predicted....at least not for our annual Pumpkin Patch party! It was so hot! We ordered pizza this year instead of red beans and rice!

The heat did not stop the fun though. The hayride, corn box and hay maze were just as fun as always.

Mr. Non-cooperative.....notice there is no cute picture of him with a pumpkin this year!
He is still our lil pumpkin though!

Miss Pumpkin Patch! Once I recover my files from my old laptop that crashed, I will show you all four years of her sitting in this patch. She is growing up so fast!!!

Elizabeth Haze and I went on her school field trip to Nichols Farm and had so much fun with her classmates and their moms! This is her "senior year" at Hope Learning Center and each milestone is bittersweet as we realize she is growing up and will be moving on to KINDERGARTEN next year.

These children have all been through so much together and will be going to different schools in August and I just don't know what we (the parents) are going to do!!!

Once again I questioned my upbringing by wondering why in the world my mother and I didn't carve jack o'lanterns as a holiday tradition instead of painting them......well, there is a GOOD reason....it is a nasty task! Despite the disgusting process, we managed to have fun doing this! Our finished product was pretty cute too!

Football Season 2010

2010-10-20T19:07:00.006-05:00

We have been having a blast this year at football games. Elizabeth Haze loves to dance, cheer and play with her friends during the game.......BUT....

Grayson is TOTALLY into the game these days. It is so cute. His Joe even got him a REAL Prep football helmet. He wears it EVERYDAY! He would sleep in it if we would let him. It is adorable!

Labor Day at the Grand

2010-10-20T19:06:00.006-05:00

The 4 Claytons headed to the Grand at Pointe Clear for Labor Day 2010. We left Thursday at lunch so we could enjoy three full days of fun in the sun! Friday was wonderful....we had the entire pool to ourselves until lunch....I mean LITERALLY to ourselves...not another soul in sight.

After lunch, people starting arriving in droves!!!! The entire resort was sold out for the weekend. Little did we know that this place had events scheduled for the next three days! It was great!!!!

There were space jumps, cotton candy, snow cones....and smiles!!!!!

A petting zoo.....

A Mother/Daughter arts and crafts Tea....Elizabeth Haze is sporting the flip-flops we made together, but she un-decorated as soon as we left because "plain is better than fancy when it comes to flip-flops, Mommy." Seriously, how old are you....I love this girl!!!!

At night they had fireworks, smores and a bonfire on the beach, movies by the pool and so much more. This is definately going to be a new tradition for us. It was a great way to end the summer.

CeCe's Watercolor Trip 2010

2010-10-19T21:16:00.008-05:00

CeCe treated the whole Clayton clan to a week at the beach this summer. We had an awesome time amist the chaos of 4 children under 4 under one roof! I took full advantage of the time off and was so lazy that I only unpacked my camera this one day!!!!!

It was a picture worthy day! Taylor bought the girls these matching halter dresses and my mom made Grayson a coordinating shirt and shorts! They looked so cute!!

I can't believe Taylor and I actually made it in an actual photo! This NEVER happens! We all look cute, if I say so myself!

Uncle Drew and Kyle with the kiddos!

The four Clayton babies.....Caroline (2), Elizabeth Haze (4), Grayson (2) and Anna Cooper (1). This is the first of many family vacas together I am sure!!!!! We all had so much fun soaking up the sun and just hanging out!

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere!

2010-07-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

The sweetest little stinker on earth!

Home on the Range!

2010-06-13T16:56:00.004-05:00

One random night, these two cowpokes came strolling in the den from their rooms yelling "Yee Haw, Momma!" How precious are they? They still get along so well; we are truely blessed that they love each other so much and entertain each other!

Notice BOTH horses....

No horse.....

One horse!!!!!!

Orange Beach Memorial Day 2010

2010-06-13T16:33:00.003-05:00

For Memorial Day, we headed down to Orange Beach on a rather spontaneous vacation with the Jacksons and Lewises. Thirteen people in a 3/2 house made for a cozy weekend, but we managed to make it drama free!

Here's our crew headed to the pool. We joked that we all looked like the opening to "Yes, Dear!"

My little fish.....

My scuba diver.....

My fellas.....

Swimming Lessons

2010-06-13T15:42:00.002-05:00

Elizabeth Haze has been taking BIG GIRL swimming lessons at Maley's. Thank goodness for CC; she has been doing all of the carting back and forth, to and from! EH loves it!

This smile says it all!

Elbow, elbow, tummy, knee.....this is how they learn to get themselves to safety if they fall in!

EH's favorite part of the entire lesson! The big slide!

Our new BFF, Ragen! These two are best buds after this!

Cousins!!!!

2010-06-13T15:32:00.003-05:00

Drew and Taylor brought the girls to Jackson for an overnight trip and boy did we have fun! We had a glimpse of what life would be like with four kids, and, well, more power to y'all that do it! It was wild, but it was fun!

Silly girls!

Lewis' Crawfish Boil

2010-06-13T14:42:00.004-05:00

Crystal and Jeff had us all over for a Crawfish Boil and we had such a good time. Here are a few pics of the kiddos. They wouldn't sit still long enough to take a group photos, so here are some action shots! We started out fully clothed with hairbows and you can see how the day progressed!!!

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-17T22:40:00.003-05:00

Mother's Day was a complete joy. The kids were so excited when I walked in the door from work! This is what I saw as soon as I opened the door.....
Happy mudder's daa

Then I had to shut my eyes so I could see this....

And check out these roses! I wish you could smell them! They were absolutely breath taking and lasted for almost 2 weeks. They have dried even more pretty!

More Birthday Parties......

2010-05-12T23:10:00.006-05:00

I've said it before and I will say it again....the greater Jackson Metro toddler birthday party circuit occupies a great deal of our social calender these days. We had FOUR in one weekend. I complain, but it really is fun and I wouldn't change it for the world!

Pump it Up x 2!!!!

This was a two-fer. Matthew turned two and Nora turned four so we had a combo event! Fabulous for us and more fabulous for their momma, I am sure! Ha...

Daniels's party at Sal & Mookies- this was really different and fun. This was the back up plan for a rained out zoo party and ended up being better than the zoo! Precious place, especially for a big boy party!

Then we immediately went to a school friend's party. Her grandmother painted faces. It was precious! Sug and CC may have to do this in November!

Mamaw Sarah's 80th Birthday Party!

2010-04-30T14:44:00.004-05:00

Mamaw Sarah turned 80 on April 8th and the entire family (well, almost) was able to travel to her house to celebrate. Doesn't she look so pretty?

My aunt Lynne prepared a feast plus made the cakes. Each flower was a cupcake for the great-grands....they loved it!
Look at all the candles!!!!

EH and the boys!....

The youngest four babes.....Grayson (2), Elizabeth Haze (4), Brodie (4) and Gavin(5). They are growing up so fast and are so cute!!!!

What could he look so excited about........

And the touble begins......all they talk about now is getting a new puppy!!!!!!!!

And who wouldn't? This puppy was too cute! But, no, we are not in the market!

A Day in the Country

2010-04-30T14:30:00.003-05:00

While we were in Weir for the party, we took full advantage of soaking up the country life and the kiddos loved it. These pictures are all taken on my Uncles land, but when I was growing up, this was my great-grandparents' working farm.

Grayson LOVED the larger than life version of his John Deere tractor. As you can see, EH didn't hate it either! haha

This is my great grandfather's tractor that he used to take me riding on all the time during my summer trips to the farm. I can still smell his sweet smell on the leather seat and just seeing this tractor makes me want to shuck corn, shell peas and drink homemade lemonade.

Easter in a nut shell!

2010-04-04T21:37:00.006-05:00

I am so far behind on updating this blog; these posts are going to be short and sweet! As you will notice, four year olds like to make silly faces and when said four year old has a mini clone that does everything she does, well, pictures don't turn out as cute as you would hope!

Sug made both kiddos Easter baskets when they were born. Each year we have taken their pics in their baskets and I'm afraid this will be the last year either of them will fit!

Easter pics after church!

Why didn't I get Grayson in this picture? Then I could have said all my favorite men in one spot!

We were all so worn out from all of the Easter Egg hunts Saturday and the cookout Saturday night, Kyle and I had to wake the kids up to find the Easter Bunny happies!
Look how tired they look! It took forever for them to get everything open! Kyle called them molasses because they were moving so slow!

This year we had a ton of egg hunts.
Here we are at the neighborhood hunt at the clubhouse.

Here they are after the hunt at school...

Zoo Fun!

2010-03-21T19:30:00.004-05:00

We took advantage of the great weather Saturday and went to the Jackson Zoo.

Here are the wonderful elephants....

And our little monkeys looking at the monkeys.....

G-man soaking up all the animals!

Grayson's solo flight!

2010-03-21T15:12:00.003-05:00

Two seconds. I turned my head for two seconds to call Haze outside to go riding on the golf cart and Grayson saw his opportunity and took it! He 'drove' the golf cart solo into the garage, hit the refrigerator and the freezer so hard, far and long that they both were unplugged once he stopped. We are so lucky that these are his only battle scars! He is all boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A month of updates!

2010-03-17T18:30:00.003-05:00

When you ignore your blog for a month, you get a post like this in order to catch up!

Tuesdays have become pizza night at our house. The kids love answering the door and paying the delivery guy! Here's my crew chowing down!

Two bugs in a rug! I don't know what it is about a sleeping bag, but kids love them! These two love to camp out in their bags, under a homemade tent watching movies and eating popcorn! That's a good thing since it has rained almost every weekend for the past month!

A man in training......Kyle has to watch where he is going every step he takes these days because Gray is on his heels constantly! He wants to be just like his daddy! It is so cute! He is so strong and so mechanically inclined. It is amazing how different boys and girls are from birth!

The new swing set FINALLY!!!!!!

2010-03-16T20:34:00.004-05:00

Kyle and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary on February 21st. We had all sorts of plans for a child free night of fun and romance, but when we woke up to the first warm, dry Saturday since November, all that changed and we decided to build the new swingset instead! Sug and Joe came over and we had it done in no time. Ok, it took a LONG time, but at least it is done! The kids both love it. Haze can swing herself (very high I might add) and Gray loves being on the big swing this year like his big sister!

Valentine's Day 2010

2010-03-16T20:22:00.003-05:00

Oh, how far we have come! We turned a corner with Valentine's Day this year. Haze really cared about what cards we picked out for her friends, she wrote all of her friends' names on the cards and signed them. I mean, seriously, she is only 4! She also HAS to pick out her clothes now (including the shoes...anyway). Gray could still care less at this point about such things; give him candy and he is good to go. Day to day, time seems to lag on and on sometimes, but before you know it, time really flies! They are so much fun right now. Kyle and I are just trying to enjoy every moment we can with them as we know they will be grown before we know it!

Snow 2010

2010-02-12T18:45:00.006-06:00

So much snow and so much fun! We woke up to a suprising 5 1/2 inches of snow today.

These two had a blast building Frosty the Cowboy Snowman out of left over party favors from Gray's birthday!
The snow was still coming down so hard that most of our pictures turned out blurry. We stayed out and played for hours- throwing snowballs and making snow angels that we were soaking wet and FREEZING! We went in to eat cinnamon rolls and Gray literally fell asleep at the table....Kyle was soon to follow....but EH was still good to go, so she and I made homemade Valentine cards for her teachers (another post later)!

Later this afternoon, Sug and Joe (aka the biggest kid in the world when snow is on the ground) came over to play. Truth be known, Joe built a seven foot snowman in my parents yard and he was at our house to try to out do himself because, unlike them, we have no big trees in our yard, and therefore, should have more snow! Notice the large plastic container in Joe's hands and his three helpers.

Here is the first layer of Hulk, the incredible, snowman. EH thought it was her dancing stage and would not get off of it!

Well, that is, unless you would catch her when she jumped off....

And then you know who had to have a turn on stage too.....

And fearless as he is....had to jump too!

So... while Gray was dancing and jumping, EH had a new idea for Joe's plastic tub...
a REDNECK sled!!!!!!!!!!!

So Joe had to give up the dream of building the biggest Mississippi snowman ever, as there was no snow left in our yard because he pulled Elizabeth Haze around in that sled for MILES! They had a blast. Well, we ALL did!

Silly Sunday Funday

2010-02-12T18:38:00.003-06:00

Super Bowl Sunday we were acting a little silly before church and I stopped and happened to notice how quickly these two are growing up! I realized that Gray is almost the age Haze was when he was born. It seems like yesterday that we were introducing the two of them and now they are just the best of friends. He adores her and she is smitten with him. Kyle and I are so blessed.

Yippee Ki Yo--- Gray is 2!

2010-01-24T17:50:00.005-06:00

Grayson Kyle Clayton turned two on January 21st. To celebrate, we threw an old fashion cowboy BBQ at the Clayton Ponderosa. Stick horses, cowboy hats, sheriff's badges, bandanas and boots were everywhere!

Nice hair on me, but this is the only family shot we took!

Here's what the guests saw as they walked up:

Maw Clayton made all the posters for the "WANTED" guests:

Here's the cake:

the spread.....

the chow.....

And the fun.....

Hitting the trail....get along little doggie...

Happy Trails to you, until we meet again!!!!!!

Toddler Birthday Parties!

2010-01-15T08:55:00.007-06:00

It is hard to believe that two big time social butterflies like Kyle and I used to be have let our social calendars dwindle to the Greater Jackson Metro Area toddler birthday circuit, but that seems to be all anybody does around here these days! I guess that is what happens when 12 of your couple friends have 25 babies in 5 years!

We started the day out by going to Pump it Up for Evie's birthday.

Elizabeth Haze has always been fearless on these jumpy thing so I don't know why I am surprised that Grayson is the same way!!!!!

Frances Claire's 4th birthday party was at Dancing Divas and oh my goodness, we had fun! Here is Haze at the very beginning getting ready to get started. Notice the slippers she chose to wear; this will be important later!

Here's Elizabeth Haze making her very own lip gloss (the party favor, how cute is that)Watch out Ms. McEvoy!

Here Mrs. Helen is giving EH a makeover....

So sassy!!!!!!

Then they fixed her hair for the big performance!

The REAL ballerina read a story about Angelina the Ballerina (one of our favorites)!

Then the girls did stretching exercises, dancing warm ups, a little routine.....

They had pictures taken by the paparazzi

and then.....

What, can't find her.....look for the infamous slippers....yes, upside down!

I could literally post 100 more pictures from this party. She had so much fun and I think after this and the Nutcracker we are set to take dance lessons now. Parent lesson 114- let kids do things in their own sweet time and everyone is happy!

Safety First!

2010-01-13T19:42:00.003-06:00

Whenever there is silence around our house for more than 5 minutes, Kyle and I go looking for 'trouble.' This is what we found the other night! Haze said, "We're working, but we're being safe!" Flipping hilarious!

Uncle Doooooo

2010-01-13T19:33:00.001-06:00

Uncle Drew dropped by for a visit last week and I got this great picture of him and EH!

The Kids' Trees

2010-01-03T23:10:00.003-06:00

Did I seriously not post pics of the kids' trees? I realized as we were taking them down this weekend that I had not taken their pictures with their trees this year. Well, this is the best I could do as not everyone was exactly cooperating!

Pretty Boy is Almost 2!

2010-01-03T23:00:00.002-06:00

He thinks he is so sly sneaking in Haze's bed, but she secretly loves it! She tucks him in and surrounds him with his three best buddies- ernie, cookie and elmo! All he is missing is Barney!

And does anybody wonder why he gets away with murder? He oh so knows how to work it already! Notice the poor chick in the bikini under his foot! Womanizer at 23 months!

Out With the Old and in With the New!

2010-01-03T22:43:00.003-06:00

Kyle's busiest day of the work year is New Year's Eve. As a result, we decided to forego our party and stayed in with the kids.

Kyle and the kids were asleep by 9pm and I wasn't that far behind!

We celebrated and welcomed 2010 by inviting Sug and Joe over for a traditional New Year's meal and fireworks. We were all so excited.

Haze decided to dress herself at the last minute. Her she is in her outfit:

Here is Gray right before they arrived.....

Here is Haze five minutes after we took her to the fireworks stand!

So, Kyle and I actually had an opportunity to hang out with Sug & Joe and had some adult conversation for the first time in forever!!!! Happy New Year to us!

First Trip to the Movie

2010-01-03T22:33:00.002-06:00

New Year's Eve, CC took Elizabeth Haze to see 'The Princess and the Frog.' This was Haze's first trip to the theater. They had a blast (except for the loud, scarey previews). EH was a little confused about the whole deal. That night she said, "Momma, that was not Princess and the Frog live that CC took me to; it was a big loud TV show." HAHAHA! I believe we are raising a Broadway kind of girl! She loves a live show.

Spaghetti Twins

2009-12-28T21:22:00.005-06:00

Some days more than others our two sweet hearts look alike! This was one of those days. As I was snapping pictures of Gray man eating his sketti,

I was instantly reminded of EH striking the same pose 2 short years ago....

I am constantly amazed how much they look and act alike at times. How they like and dislike a lot of the same things, have some of the habits and then I am not surprised when....

this one sees a bite on his foot and he eats it!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is all BOY!

The Arnault Family Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T08:16:00.006-06:00

Christmas morning means heading to Mamaw Sarah's house for more food, fellowship and fun.

Yes, you have seen these outfits before. Elizabeth Haze insisted upon wearing her nativity dress because it had Baby Jesus on it and it was Baby Jesus' birthday. How can you argue with that? Oh well, she was right, I should have saved them for Christmas Day!

As close as Uncle Billy has ever been able to get to EH!

You think getting a picture of the two of them is hard; try getting a picture of NINE of them! These are Mamaw Sarah's great grandchildren. Sarah Emily Catt (4th), Elizabeth Haze Clayton (7th), Brodie Cole Arnault (8th), Mamie Graycen Arnault (3rd), Grayson Kyle Clayton (9th), Will Preston Catt (5th), Mia Bailey Arnault (1st), Maycee Laine Arnault (2nd) and Gavin Luke Arnault (6th).

Little man grabbing attention; he's pretty good at that!

Pretty little girl...just about worn completely out! We have been on a whirlwind holiday week long trip! She should sleep well tonight! Well, we all should!

Santa 2009

2009-12-25T21:59:00.005-06:00

Christmas mornings just keep getting better! The magic of Christmas has filled this house this year because Elizabeth Haze actually 'gets it.'

Here's the look on her face.....

when she saw this....

and his first reaction....

they had so much fun opening presents.....and tearing into everything....

What a fun morning! Toys, toys, and more toys!

Christmas Eve at Sug & Joe's- The Black Family Christmas

2009-12-25T21:30:00.003-06:00

Christmas Eve means Sug and Joe's Breakfast for Dinner shin dig. A good time was had by all. Notice that we all arrived all dressed up and it took exactly 10 minutes for Kyle to put on his comfy clothes!

We made sausage balls, as always (my personal favorite)!

We made crafts and played with Sug.

As Kyle would say, it wouldn't be a day....we took my car to my parents', I had loaded it with the presents for my grandmother's house the next day, I parked directly behind my mom's car and.........I lost my keys! Did I mention that Kyle's keys were locked in my car too? Well, we turned the house upside down looking for them for 2 hours. Kyle called the BMW assist people to have them send a satelite signal to unlock my car. As he was about to give our credit card number to pay the $119 fee, I found my keys.....in my purse.....everyone was REAL happy!

So then we opened presents, played and had a blast! Ironically, one of my stocking stuffers was a key finder key chain from Mori luggage! Once again, my car keys and I are the story of the season!

Santa Photos at Highland Village

2009-12-25T20:12:00.004-06:00

Sug and Joe meet the 4 Claytons at Highland Village to have photos taken with Santa. Elizabeth Haze did wonderfully well. She ran straight up to Santa and told him that she had been a very good girl and began spouting off her wish list. Gray did not do so well. He was not a happy camper and again we all four ended up having to get in the picture! They turned out horrible, but we all had fun.

Sug and Joe gave the kids coins to throw in the fountain and they loved it!

The Clayton Family Christmas 2009

2009-12-20T17:55:00.005-06:00

December 20th we loaded up and traveled to Ellisville for Christmas with Big G and Dee. Dee cooked brunch and it was delicious. She made STICKY TOAST!! We had so much fun. It was so nice to just veg out and watch the kids play.

Here's one......

Here's the other one!!!

Here's two...

The other two...

Here's three...

And we did it! Here's the whole crew with Big G!

And with Dee too!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Cleveland Family Christmas

2009-12-19T19:49:00.004-06:00

We had the Cleveland Family Christmas Friday the 18th. We had an absolute blast. Believe it or not, this was at the very end of the evening. The kids hung in there with the adults and were still going strong at 11! Here's the whole crew minus the gorgeous wives/mothers!

So here's our attempt at getting all three of the oldest cousins together....

One....

Two....

A different silly two....

A comfy three in their Christmas pjs!!!!

We love Uncle Keith....

Uncle Keith watching Aunt Dawn crack Gray up.....

There's Anna Cooper hanging out with Ross and Aunt Amy!

The Kyle Clayton foursome....

The Drew Clayton foursome....

C.C. and E.H.

Christmas pics that I had to post!

2009-12-19T17:53:00.002-06:00

Elizabeth Haze Clayton, 4 going on 14. She is growing up so fast!

Little Paige and mini Kyle cuddled up on the couch watching cartoons first thing in the morning. Notice they choose to watch Daddy's new birthday present in the den now, and Daddy lets them.

Umm, just cute! haha

Girls Night Out to The Nutcracker

2009-12-06T20:28:00.004-06:00

Elizabeth Haze and I went to see the real Nutcracker ballet with Tonya and Presley at the Madison Cultural Arts Center. It was a fancy girls night out that required us to dress up and act like ladies!

Here we are at the house after putting on our makeup and flat ironing our hair. Ironically, EH told me earlier in the week that she was ready to take dancing lessons again. I tried last year, and, well let's just say, it was a fiasco!

Elizabeth Haze was in complete awe of the ballerinas and sat through the first act like an angel. She said, "See, Momma, that's what I'm talking about. That's what I want to do." Wonderful, I thought.

Well, after the intermission and half way through the second act, she and Presley decided that they needed to practice in the aisle. Here Presley is practicing lifting Haze up like the ballerina did! Needless to say, we quietly snuck out after this "performance!" It was hilarious!

We had so much fun. I think dancing is going to be a large part of our lives from now on. Parenting lesson #487- let children do things in their own time and everyone will be happy!

Baking Cookies!

2009-12-06T20:16:00.004-06:00

As the kids get older, life is getting easier in some ways and more difficult in others! While Kyle and I can sit down to relax and not worry about every move the kids make, we hardly get to sit down because they require constant activity!

So, while Kyle took a nap Saturday afternoon, EH, Gray and I baked cookies from scratch for the first time.

Here we are before we started.....

She was so excited and felt so accomplished with all she did to help. She is SO SWEET. I know it won't last, but it sure is fun right now.

These two absolutely adore each other. They rarely fight and they share better than we could imagine.

Once again, I was proven wrong. I thought this baking adventure would be a disaster. It was so much fun for all of us and we didn't even make a mess!

El Nino Snow!!!!

2009-12-06T19:58:00.004-06:00

This weekend we were surprised by a couple of inches of snow thanks to El Nino. We had a blast playing in it.

Kyle was actually the biggest kid about the whole thing!

Elizabeth Haze loved it; Gray did too until he actually touched it with his hands and then....not so much!

If we didn't send Christmas cards to people that we hardly ever see, this could be our Christmas card picture! I haven't been able to capture smiles like this in any other trial for pictures!

I finally made the cut! Late night in the snow puts a smile on every one's face!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-28T18:10:00.003-06:00

Our family is so blessed, we have so much to be thankful for.

Watching the ducks in the lake.....

We are so silly!

It's not perfect, but they are all four there!

First Time on a Bicycle

2009-11-19T19:06:00.003-06:00

Ok, here's proof that you never have parenting figured out! Sug & Joe gave EH a bicycle for her birthday last weekend. Kyle and I knew that this would more than likely be a huge learning adventure for her due to the fact that she has never really taken a liking to riding her tricycle or her big wheel. She would rather be pushed than peddle! Who wouldn't?

Weeeelllllll, she proved us wrong! She strapped on her helmet, threw her leg over the bike and took off down the drive way without directions, questions or anything! I didn't even have the camera ready to take pictures!

As you can see, the first helmet we gave her was WAY too small. Here she is trying on the bigger helmet, knee pads and elbow pads along with the flapper dress up outfit she got from Uncle Drew and Aunt Taylor!

Here she is trying to put it all together! How hilarious? I had to make her take her Uggs that CC and Ray gave her because it was just too much!!!! hahaha

And not to be left out, here's Grayford in the knee pads that go with the smaller helmet. He put them on all by himself and was so proud!

Offically 4!

2009-11-18T19:42:00.004-06:00

It's official, Elizabeth Haze is F-O-U-R! I can't believe how fast four years have gone by! So let's see....before she turned the big 4, EH could spell and write her name, spell her colors (red, blue, green, black, white, yellow, orange, purple and pink), can identify and write all 26 letters (upper and lower case), can count to 30 and colors inside the lines! Her teachers tell us that academically she is very advanced! She takes after her momma! Ha-ha! She is 42 inches tall and weighs 37 pounds. That is a long way from 5 pounds 4 ounces! We are so proud of her. She is a dream come true for us!

I have had adjustment issues with this birthday. I remember just about everything from my 4th birthday party on, so I feel a little pressure to step it up a notch in the parenting department! I updated her LilyPie ticker today and actually teared up when I saw the '5' at the end of it. Five? Seriously? How can that be?

Haze's Family Birthday Party!

2009-11-15T20:44:00.004-06:00

Today we had family over for Elizabeth Haze's fourth birthday party. Sug & Joe, CC & Ray, Big G & Dee, Uncle Drew, Aunt Taylor, Caroline and Anna Cooper all came over to celebrate with us.

EH had the best time. There is a lot to say for a small, simple birthday party these days. Each grandparent had a chance to spend one on one time with her which was nice.

Gray and Caroline loved EH's new bicycle!

This look on her face was priceless! Kyle and I gave her a Barbie Cozy Cottage Dream House and, well, this look tells it all.

Caroline liked playing with it too! These two are going to be inseparable one day!

We had a great day. Simple family fun. Tonight when everyone had gone home, Elizabeth Haze held my face and said, "Mommy, you make my heart happy!" sniff, sniff....enough said!

THE Cinderella picture!!!!!!

2009-11-02T08:18:00.002-06:00

Cinderella Birthday Party

2009-11-01T17:16:00.006-06:00

Elizabeth Haze had her friends birthday party a little early this year. Jackson Prep did Cinderella for their musical this year and had an interactive tea party after the performance so EH and I took three of her best friends and their moms (three of my BFFs) to the play and tea party.

Here she is before the party posing with her copy of the handmade invitations we hand delivered weeks ago. There is supposed to be a castle on the bottom, but it is missing from Haze's??? Behind the actual invitation, there is a frame that they can put the pictures with Cinderella and our 4 little ladies! (once they come in, a professional photographer was charging for pic with Cin and the Prince)

Each of our FOUR princesses had their own individual cake that matched their dress. They absolutely loved having their own cake. We had ice cream and pink lemonade too.

Here they are with the Queen Mums.....

Shannon and Frances Claire Jackson, Tonya and Presley DeRuiter, EH and me, Shannon and Davan Zenor

Sug and Joe were there to help throughout the chaos! All the girls are crazy about Sug and Joe!

We had their faces painted. As you can tell, this is serious business!

Their picture taken with the wicked step sister....

The wicked step mother.....

The fairy godmother....

With Cinderella's carriage....

My sister had a big birthday blow out and all I got to do was.....

Be on the lookout for more birthday madness! We have a family party planned closer to her actual birthday and then another at school! Yes, I am crazy, but it sure is fun!!!!!!

Trick or Treat 2009

2009-10-31T21:21:00.004-05:00

All of the hustle and bustle of the Fall Festival season did not spoil Halloween afterall. This had to be the BEST night of Trick or Treating ever! The kids dressed up as Belle and a 'prince frog,' that is what Elizabeth Haze called him! They were fearless going door to door saying trick or treat and thank you as long as we let them!

The shy little girl was no where to be found. EH owned the neighborhood tonight.

Here they are once we returned home checking out the loot. Kyle and I just stood and watched as we counted our blessings.
We are so proud of what we have and are so thankful for our princess and prince frog!

More Halloween!

2009-10-30T19:12:00.003-05:00

I mean how many more Halloween functions can we have and it is STILL not actually Halloween yet?

We had a momma/daughter day with the Jacksons and the Zenors last weekend. The new mall in Ridgeland had a fall festival with live entertainment by Vince Vance and the Valiants! It was a blast and the girls looked too cute!

This is from the kids school party. It is the big fund raiser for the school for the year. I try to make up for all my slacking as a non-selling cookie dough, wrapping paper, raffle ticket mom by bidding on the fabulous prizes in the silent auction. I did manage to make a million nutter-butter ghost cookies for the bake sell this year, so I am getting a little better!

This is Haze's BFF Sarah from school. They would not stop giggling! I foresee all night slumber party mischief a few years down the road! Check out Gray's outfit in the background! Some days you just never know how they are going to look when you pick them up!

Just 'cuz pics!

2009-10-30T18:57:00.002-05:00

Twenty-one Months, seriously?

2009-10-21T21:11:00.000-05:00

Gray also turned 21 months on the 21st. I mean, where did the time go? He weighs 27 pounds and is almost 3 feet tall. He loves football, choo choo trains, playing catch, singing songs, being outside and riding the golf cart. He is ALL BOY!

Caroline's 2nd Birthday!

2009-10-21T20:46:00.005-05:00

Caroline turned two on the 15th and we went to Hattiesburg for the Halloween themed party. The kids never sat still long enough to get a good picture of all of them, but here they are having a blast.

Gray was supposed to be a frog to go along with Haze's princess costume, but he wouldn't put it on!

Pumpkin Patch and Day in the Country

2009-10-18T21:09:00.007-05:00

Oh my stars! October is the kick off month for a crazy schedule around our house! We seem to have some sort of event every weekend through Gray's birthday in January planned! Here are a few pictures from A Day in the Country at Chapel of the Cross, the church where Kyle and I were married almost 6 years ago! My, my how things have changed!

Here are a couple from the Nichols Boyd Pumpkin Patch field trip that I had to miss because of work! Kyle took EH and they had a blast together.

This is the infamous Sasha! She has been Elizabeth Haze's best friend at school since day one! Sa-shhhhhhaaaaa! That is what EH called her for the first year!

Last weekend we also had our neighborhood Fall Party. There was a band and the kids LOVED singing and dancing with them.

Four Generations of Harris Women

2009-10-06T20:50:00.003-05:00

It wasn't until I posted a picture of the four generations of Clayton men that I realized I was a part of four generations of Harris women! I have been so blessed to have grown up with all four of my grandparents and four great grands that I totally take for granted that this is normal when it is not. So we snapped a picture while Mamaw Sarah was over for a visit tonight. Pictured here is Sarah Elizabeth Harris Arnault, Linda Susan Arnault Black, Stephanie Paige Black Clayton and Elizabeth Haze Clayton.

We couldn't leave out lil fella for long! Here's Gray hanging out with 4 generations of women that absolutely adore him!!!!

MeMe and Pop Pop

2009-09-24T19:53:00.008-05:00

The 4 Claytons loaded up on an airplane and flew to Williamsport, Pennsylvania last week to go visit Kyle's Clayton grandparents. What an adventure! We had so much fun. We haven't seen them since Elizabeth Haze's second birthday, they had never seen Gray in person and we were ready for a trip! Gary and Delecia met us up there and we had a blast!

There was a little bit of a warm up period needed, but Haze and Gray were running the show in no time! They played so hard, I don't know who needed naps more by lunch, the kids or MeMe and Pop Pop!

Haze fell in love with Pennsylvania...she called it Fairytale, Pennsylvania! She didn't want to come home because she wanted to stay in the Fairytale. Her words, not mine! She had the best time hanging out with MeMe.

Here's the Clayton clan minus the two family photographers! Of course we couldn't get a good one of everybody at once, but they are all there none the less!

Kyle and I took the kids to the Little League International headquaters one afternoon. They were able to run bases, pitch baseballs and have batting practice. It was exhausting, but a blast!

This picture is to prove Deleicia was there! My children adore her; especially Elizabeth Haze. She is so good at spoiling them rotten and giving them undivided attention! She helps me out so much.

Family pics from Williamsport, Pennsylvania

2009-09-24T19:48:00.002-05:00

Four Generations of Clayton Men

2009-09-24T19:44:00.004-05:00

This trip marked the first time four generations of Clayton men had ever been together. This is Grayson Kyle Clayton, Kyle Cleveland Clayton, Gary Douglas Clayton and James Milner Clayton.

La Festiva in Williamsport

2009-09-24T19:17:00.003-05:00

Saturday afternoon we all loaded up and went to Bowman Field for La Festiva. I don't know who these fearless children were that went with us! Elizabeth Haze jumped in the moon bounce, rode the Dragon Roller Coaster, went down the three story slide three times by herself, rode the Ferris wheel with Big G and Dee Dee, took Gray for a train ride, rode the merry go round all by herself and would have done more had we not run out of tickets!!!!!

Haze also insisted that she get to ride the pony, so Big G bought her a ticket and sure enough.....Elizabeth Haze Clayton had her first pony ride in Williamsport, PA!

Not to be out done, Gray did too!

They really were the cutest little things at this fair. It was so much fun to see how much they have both grown since last year at this time. They were both fearless. This year, Kyle and I were the scaredy cats!!!

All the Little Claytons

2009-09-13T19:02:00.006-05:00

We had the 4 Clayton grandchildren together for the first time this weekend. It was a crazy house, but so much fun. They played really well together. Haze was the oldest one for the first time ever! I never realized until today that she has it just like me- one of the baby grandchildren on one side of the family and the oldest on the other!

Here they are all together for the first time ever

Here's CeCe and her little ladies!

The older three....not an easy one to capture....

The older girls cooking celery (that's what they said, not me)!

The babies....so sweet showing love!

Some sweet little girls, for sure!

Here's Nana with Haze...they are quickly becoming the best of friends!

Football is in full force!

2009-09-07T19:51:00.002-05:00

What a great Labor Day weekend! We had several cookouts and lots of company this weekend, but the only time I had my camera out was at the football game Friday night! These few pictures are from before the game! The game was a nail biter to the very last second so I will have to get better pictures next week!

Look at our sweet cheerleader! She is such a doll and has way too much fun running around with her friends at the Prep football games! The only time we can get her to sit still is to ask her to sit in HER stadium chair! I have to say this is one of the best Sug ideas ever!

And how adorable is this? This is a regulation size helmet. He almost fell over backwards when we put it on his head! It was hilarious. His compromise for taking it off was letting him drag it around for the remainder of the night! Needless to say, we are now in the market for a little boy, light weight red football helmet!

Wild Weekend!

2009-08-30T20:53:00.006-05:00

This weekend was slammed full of fun and excitement! We started off with the first Prep home game of the year. It is amazing how much all of the kids from our Prep family have grown in the past year! Both Haze and Gray had a blast running and playing in the end zone. They didn't want to leave once it was over, but Kyle and I were worn out!

Saturday Big G and Dee Dee came up for a visit. The doorbell rang and the fun started; no warm up time needed anymore! Haze about wore both of them out! This is about the only time they sat still while they were here.....riding on the golf cart.

Sunday the 4 Claytons went to see Elmo Live. This was a trial run to see if our Disney trip in January was really a good idea or not. Our seats were on the floor, center section, second row on the aisle....this had to be the best seats in the house! Both Haze and Gray got to shake hands with every character in the show (except Big Bird and Oscar, they didn't leave the stage). The smiles on both of their faces were priceless. We all laughed and sang and danced for two hours straight! Disney is a definite! As soon as the characters came on stage, Haze grabbed her face McCauley Culkin Home Alone style and said, "They all came, I thought it was just going to be Elmo."

Sug came over Sunday night to top things off with these fabulous tu-tus! I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but Haze loved them!

She doesn't really look like herself in these because this is actually her reflection. She would not pose for me at all, because she would not stopp twirling in front of the mirror!

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall.....

2009-08-23T13:50:00.003-05:00

Miss Priss has totally been into trying out different hair-dos! This is one of our favorites! The look on her face says it all; this is one happy little girl!

Eighteen Months!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-15T19:17:00.004-05:00

A year and a half old!!!!!!! Time has flown! Gray is 32.5 inches tall and weighs 26.2 pounds. He has 18 teeth and a vocabulary of about 50 words. This week he literally went from saying "mama baba" to "uh oh momma, I need a bottle dis ones all gawn." It goes by too quickly. Kyle and I try our best to enjoy every minute because we know it will be over before we know it.

The Boys and CeCe

2009-08-15T19:13:00.001-05:00

We went to CeCe and Ray's to eat dinner with Nana last Sunday. Food, fun and family- no better combination.

Football is just around the corner!

2009-08-15T19:05:00.002-05:00

Football season is just around the corner and our munckins cannot wait! We tried on their Prep uniforms this week and they would not take them off! We would expect this from Haze, but Gray thought he was hot stuff in his football jersey! He was right too! Thank heavens for the line passes- these two are going to be all over the place at games this season. GOoooooooo Prep!