our one year old!!!

one word: BLESSED!

can you believe this time last year we were just two fools waitin' on a kid to pop out?! who'd've thunk we'd be SOOOO in love with a 28" tall peanut?! this has been the best year of our lives (especially of peyton's life...) and we are so thankful to be blessed with such an amazing little girl.

peyton reese is ONE -- she's walking 5-8 steps at a time (although only after some serious coercing...), she's talking (about 20-30 words, sometimes 2 at a time!!) and signing another 10 or so. she is FUNNY, and has been given some amazing comedic timing, as she times her condesending laughs a perfect second and a half after all other laughing has stopped ("such a lame joke, mom... not even funny--but here's a pity laugh.") that's our sarcastic girl!! she's enjoying bathtime and pooltime, but not a huge fan of eating time (although you wouldn't know it with those rolls on her legs). after a challenging year, she's finally sleeping through the night (yay/phew/'bout time, girl). she's a bit of a momma's girl when she's tired or overwhelmed, but otherwise plays well by herself and with other babies and adults. she LOVES june--or "good girl", as she calls her, and pets her just like she sees the big people pet her. her 8 teeth make up the most amazing cheeser, and the soft puffy cheeks don't hurt, either! she's brown eyed, may be left handed, and a total cuddle bug.

i still can't believe we had anything to do with making this amazing human. but then, josh kindly reminds me... (wink wink)

happy first birthday, peyton reese. you make our world go round!!

elevenMONTHS

peanut of my heart! you were a WILD RIDE to photograph this month. you with your standing, stepping, twisting, reaching, arching, and unsticking... you are something else! :) and to think 11 months ago you sat there like a sack of potatoes. i know that in just a short month or two you'll climb down that chair yourself, and walk to the other side of the house without me. good thing this monthly photo experiment is only planned for a year--at least on that chair!


munchkin, you really continue to amaze us. do you know that the second you fall asleep, i miss your smile and activity!? and the second you wake up, i miss your sweet, sleepy, heavy breath?! oh, the problems i have--will they ever go away!?

daddy and i are having a blast with you and your blooming personality, or should i say "ever-expanding knowledge of things you've officially decided you do and don't want..."! ;-) we think the world of you, sweet pea, and love you always!

xoxo
mommy n daddy

tenMONTHS

thankful for the 20 pound bundle of joy this child is. happy 10 months, peyton reese. your smile is contagious...

NINEmonths

these nine months "out" have been so much more enjoyable than your first nine months "in" :) we love you to pieces, PEAnut. you and your silly open mouth, tongue out, sloppy, dribbly kisses.

Seven Months Old!!

She’s SEVEN months! Can you believe it! It’s crazy how much difference a month can make. Help me stand! Feed me! Change my diaper! DON’T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE! It’s crazy how much personality this girl has and how much she shows her individuality. She’s constantly whispering, spitting, and trying to stand. Sometimes she’s trying to do all three at once! She’s pretty dang talented. I can just tell that as she get’s older, the greater my need for a shotgun is becoming. Have you seen the cuteness this girl exudes?!?!?!

And it should be noted... taking our monthly photos is becoming ever more challenging. This month's photo doesn't have a "7 month" sticker because--well, because of this...

When we took the sticker away, the blanket and crib became the distraction of the moment...

We even tried standing, in hopes that may make things easier...

...but we couldn't get a cheese out of her!

But really, isn't this the fun of it all?!?

6 months old and ever so amahhhzing...

our munchkin is 6 months old, and we can't believe it! we adore every inch of her 6 month old skin, love every strand of her 6 month old hair, and nuzzle every roll on her 6 month old body. seriously, can't get enough of this girl.

at 6 months old, peyton is quite the little ham. she loves to smile, and rather than chuckle or laugh, her happy default is an excited, high pitched squeal!! when left to her own devices, she rolls from one end of a room to the other. the rolling thing is great, until we're trying to change her diaper, that is...

we feel so blessed to have peyton as a part of our family. she brings an indescribable joy to our lives--a joy that is hers alone to bring--and we are thankful for that everyday.

5 months and soaking up this world!

peyton,
at 5 months old you continue to bring so much joy to our lives. you have quite the little personality--you're sweet, cuddly, happy, goofy, goofy, goofy, and constantly exploring and putting EVERYTHING in your mouth. you are easily distracted...when you're nursing and you hear june or daddy walk in, you stretch your head wayyyy back looking for them, and i get a little peek of your usually roll-covered neck. then you make noises, blow bubbles, blow air and eventually re-focus. so cute. you roll from front to back and back to front, and you twist all over, but you're not moving in any one specific direction yet. thankfully. i'm not quite ready for you to be mobile. you learned to sit up this month, and you LOVE standing on your feet when people support you up. my favorite thing you do is flash your big, gummy smile at mommy and daddy when we come get you out of your crib in the mornings. i love that you recognize us, and that you associate us with fun and happiness. because that's what we think of you, too!
we love you peyton, no doubt and never changing.
xoxo,
mommy

4 Months Old!

Four months old! Can you believe how fast time flies??? It seems like just yesterday our little girl was swaddled like a burrito and sleeping a majority of the day. Now she's up smiling, playing, rolling over and standing (with mom and dad's assistance of course.)!! Pretty soon she'll be mobile and June will have to be on the lookout for hair pulling and tail tugging.

Our little Peyton had her four month check-up today and got the A-OK from the doctors. She's 15 lbs., 24 inches tall, and all sorts of CUTE. It seems that almost everyday we notice something about her that is just like mom or dad. It is unbelievable how awesome it is to see something fairly unique about yourself show up as a trait in your child. Gigi has taken many pictures of Peyton and I sleeping next to each other in the EXACT same position. I am constantly reminded that Peyton and Gigi are linked because they both can spread their toes apart and I cannot.

This little miracle we call our daughter has taken over our lives (rightly so) and we cannot stop doting over her every spit, squeal, burp, fart, laugh, and cry. We are getting her ready as I type this to take her to her first Angels baseball game. It's not the Lakers, but I figure if she can handle baseball, she can handle the good sports easily!

Off we go!!!!

our happy girl - three months old

while you were out celebrating the 4th of july, we were out celebrating peyton's three month birthday! funny enough, this celebration looks a lot like a 4th of july celebration--a day at the pool with friends and neighbors, some grub on the BBQ, and a few chilled beverages, but we were really celebrating little p! :-) thanks, harrelson fam, for joining in the fun ;-)

peyton reese--you are the most amazing little baby girl a mom and dad could ever ask for. this month, you mastered "tummy time", became an expert babbler, found your hands and permanently attached them to the inside of your mouth, and figured out that if you smile at someone, they can't help but smile and laugh back!! you took your first trip to seattle for uncle kyle and aunt susanna's wedding, and were such a trooper on the plane and at all the activities we threw at you during the weekend. you are sleeping through the night (hitting an 8 and a half hour record last night!) and you are in love with sophie the giraffe, your taggie blankie, and anything that plays music or has lights! but mostly, you continue to be a total pleasure, and the most wonderful addition to our lives. thanks for being you!! we love you, sweet p!

look who won't stop growing! - two months

little peyton is two months old! obviously, growing is her strong suit right now... (shhhh, don't tell her i chose the pic of her with the muffin top... it's just those rolls are TO DIE FOR!) my favorite, though, has the be the toes. she maneuvers those things like her momma does... extra hands that come in "handy" more often than you'd think :-) i'll be teaching her exactly how to master the use of her toes before too long.

peyton's having no trouble smiling these days!! she's quite the cheeser! she loves when you look at her and talk to her--we have conversations all the time. she really likes sitting up these days. if she's awake, she wants to be a part of it all and see what's going on. yikes, i wonder if she'll have the fear of missing out that i do!

this little girl is such a joy. i can't remember life before peyton--she's our world! yes, we are still having the occasional date night, and continue to work on our marriage everyday... sheesh, people...! she's just our most fun toy right now :-)

love you, sweet p! (p.s. hope your first cold goes away fast... it's brutal watching you struggle to breathe through your nose :-/)

one month old today!

*peyton reese*

you are the most wonderful and amazing gift your dad and i have ever been blessed with! thank you for bringing so much JOY and LOVE to our lives. we a.d.o.r.e you, you know, and we relish in every moment we get to $pend with you (or...$pend bragging about you...)! every glance, movement, sound, facial expression, and touch of yours is priceless and will becherished by the two of us. (oh, and we know june cherishes them, too...!)

happy ONE MONTH birthday to you, our beautiful baby girl!!

all our love and more,

mommy and daddy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*cutest backside ever*

*sleepy, but not sleeping. shocking...*

*mommy loves this cuddler*

*junie keeps an eye on you*

*what are you looking for, peyt?*

*no, really, what's in there?!?!?*

*you and daddy love "after work" time!*

*mmmm, kisses for the baby girl!*