A Visit from the Payne Family!

One of the perks of being a military family is all the wonderful people you meet along the way! In North Carolina, Katie and I became great friends through our running club, Stroller Warriors. Our oldest girls are just one month apart and they spent a year and a half seeing each other nearly every day! We were lucky enough to have the Payne family just 1.5 miles down the road, so a quick text typically resulted in a play/wine date for the girls and mommas! 

But the military pulls you away from those you become close with...and in 2012, we headed to VA and shortly after, the Payne's moved to Yuma, AZ. It's been 2 years since we've seen each other, so when I found out they were making a dash to the beach for the weekend, I knew we had to see them! The girls and I got up Sunday morning, grabbed some bagels and drinks and drove to the beach cottages on base. In .2 seconds, the girls were reacquainted and dining al fresco:)

This also gave me the chance to meet the newest additions to the Payne family, Michael & Grayson! Michael is almost a year old and Grayson is just 1 month! 




Nap time before hitting the beach.

After breakfast, the girls changed into their suits and we walked across the street to the "kids cove," a great spot for them to play and hang out in the water without all the waves! They did a wonderful job of playing without too much help from the parents/aunt (Katie's sister, Laura, was also visiting). They built mud pies and mud cakes on the rocks and waded in the cold water.


Nora (4), Michael (almost 1), Chloe (6), Grayson (1 month), Reagan (6) and Savannah (almost 3!)














Savannah is obsessed with babies. She was so happy that she got to hold Grayson!

After a while, the little girls, Michael, Gray and I went to the playground down the beach and the older girls continued to enjoy the water. Around lunch time, we gathered the troops and went to Harbor House for lunch. Before heading back to Yuma, they came to the house so Katie could feed the baby. The girls dressed up in costumes and played together for a bit. Although I was sad to see them go, it was so wonderful to reconnect! And they are just 3 hours way, so I know we'll be seeing more of them over the next couple years!

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