momma's birthday letter to P

4/4/13

My Sweetest Little Munchkin, Peyton,

You are two years old today! On the one hand I can’t believe how fast time has flown by, but on the other hand, I have loved every minute of the past two years more than I’ve ever loved life before!

It goes without saying you’re the cutest, sweetest kid in the entire world.  I honestly don’t know how we could have been more blessed by you.  You are happy and you love Daddy and I SO MUCH—we feel your love for us all the time…in your hugs, your kisses, your smiles and your laughs.  And just yesterday you actually thanked God for Daddy and I during our prayer.  You had me holding back the tears. 

I can’t believe how smart you are.  I mean, I don’t want this to go to your head or anything, but girl, you are SO STINKING SMART for your age.  You talk more than any other kid your age that I have ever met in my entire lifetime.  I love that you have this knack for communicating—I like to think you got that from me.  You and I are having full conversations and have had them for a few months now, and it’s just so much fun to have you as a best friend!  I hope we stay this way forever, but I’m sure sometime around jr. high you’ll be over me L So sad.  I promise I’m cool, baby girl!!  Well, maybe not “cool” in the sense of the word, but funny and goofy and totally in love with you!

I continue to have big dreams for you, but I have to remind you, Love, that God’s Will comes first!  So no matter how many joys I wish for you, the reality is, God has the BIGGEST plans for you, and I continually pray that we are all prepared for what He has in store for you, and that you fall in love with Him more every day!

Munchie, I truly can’t get enough of you.  This past year I came home from work to be with you full time, and it was THE ABSOLUTE BEST decision your dad and I could have ever made!  It was ALL GOD, too, He really made the pieces fall together, because let me tell you, its not easy to afford life in Southern California on just one income, but we’re doing it and we have embraced every bit of budgeting we’ve had to do to make it happen.  Because being with you, loving on you, and teaching and guiding you are my number one priority.  We’ve had our hard days, trust me—days that I can’t believe a 2 foot tall kid can make me question every decision I’d made during that entire day—but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  I hope you are enjoying our time together, and that ultimately you are more secure in who you are as a person because I’ve been here to help you along the way.  I know you’d be fine even if I had to work—you’re strong and wonderful and my work situation wouldn’t change that—but I know this is critical time that we’ll never get back, so I pray that we both take full advantage of it!!

I think you’re going to love your birthday party this weekend.  You really know all our friends and family now, and although you may be overwhelmed and “mommy-hold-you-ish”, I think you’ll feel so very loved, and you’ll enjoy all that goodness…

Thank you for yet another wonderful year, my sweet pea.  No matter what, I’ll always love you.  SO MUCH.

Love,

Momma 

Happy Birthday Peyton!!!!

Dear Peyton, 

I've been your dad for two years now.  I know to you I seem like an expert by now, but I think it's time to let you in on a little secret... I have no idea what I'm doing!  I mean, I know to change your diaper, keep you fed, keep you away from harm, and to try not to curse when you are around, but the rest of it, yeah I'm just winging it.  I figure if I just play with you like crazy and make you laugh till you wet your diaper I'm doing something right.  Let's be honest though, making you laugh isn't so hard.  You are the happiest kid I know.  Your mouth is in a constant state of smile!  Lately, you have learned to laugh at yourself with this condescending giggle that makes me think you are going to be seriously funny when you grow up.  I love going for a walk with you practically every morning before work (especially when you tell me you want to go before I ask.) and getting hugs and kisses from you when I walk through the door after work.  I love hearing you ask question after question and discover the world around you.  I love when you ask me to "tickle you, please!" and say out of the blue "I love you Daddy!"

You are such an amazing kid.  So curious about everything you see and touch.  So sweet and loving to everyone around you.  I am so blown away about how much you know and how much you want to know more.  You talk incessantly!! And the words that come out of your mouth are so far beyond what I thought you would be saying at this age. "Bye Daddy! Have a good day at work!", "Have fun exercising!", "What did Mommy actually do?", "Daddy!! Come throw you on the bed!"  It melts my heart and blows my mind at the same time.  I seriously can't get enough of you!  Just check out this video of our walk just the other day.

Everyday you learn something new, say something new, and experience something new and every day I get to be a part of it.  I am so proud to be your father.  Your mom and I are so proud to be your parents.  Despite the fact that I am learning every day how to be your Dad, I promise to continue to do the best that I can.  I pray daily that God watches over you and you grow up to be a strong woman in His image.  I will keep changing your diaper until you don't need them anymore, keep feeding you, will still keep you out of harms way, and will still try not to curse in front of you, but I will also keep encouraging you to try new things, keep teaching you to do what is right and avoid what is wrong, and keep loving you no matter what.  

Happy Birthday, Peyton Reese Johnson!

Love,

Your Dad

the daddy effect

we've been sick in the johnson household since... um... 2012.  yeah.  it's been a rough winter.  last week peyton and i came up with a brand spankin' new cough and cold and i just about flipped over it.  i'm usually the one to suck it up and just keep moving, but this cough of ours came at a time where i was so hopeful to be done with the sickies that instead it just made me angry. 

and i was angry for 3 days.  monday, angry.  tuesday, angry.  wednesday, angry (thankfully only until 5pm when a dear friend of mine lifted my spirits with her sweet smile and encouraging words.  mind you, this friend of mine was in day 6 of now having 3 kids in her family, and i'd gone to her to help encourage and support her, but it's times like those when God does his little flip-flop-thingamajig and you find yourself in an unexpected, yet welcomed, situation ...) 

oh, and not sure if you know this, but nobody likes an angry sicky.  as it turns out, toddlers don't love 'em either.  especially sick toddlers.  so to say that the peanut and i weren't quite jiving is putting it lightly.  for 2.5 days i was mostly convinced she was trying to do anything and everything that would or could possibly make me mad.  and it was working.  peyton: 46, mommy: 0.  no wins--not one.  i was snappy and had THE LOWEST tolerance for messes.  i was tired and didn't want to clean or pick up.  i lacked excitement to play games, pretend things, or watch her not eat the meals she'd asked for a mere 5 minutes before. it was a VERY challenging 3 days, physically and emotionally.  and sleep?  what in the world was that?! 45 minutes here and there between middle of the night cries was not sleep.  she was crying--not me--although i wasn't far from it.  

thankfully, i woke up thursday morning feeling refreshed, energized, and overwhelmed by the feeling of the day's newness.  why that feeling couldn't have shown up tuesday, i'm not quite sure. but i was grateful for it.  peyton and i started jiving a little better, and our good health was slowly creeping back.

friday afternoon came and it was DADDY TIME!!  can i just tell you how excited i was about this!?  i always adore, adore, adore the days and moments josh is around to be and play with peyton and i, but i was especially excited as i was still feeling left over weariness from the long week that had preceeded. so friday, saturday, and sunday, moment after moment, i witnessed a patience and calmness that had been so foriegn to me in the recent days of sickness and short tempers.  with daddy, forts were built, messes were made, cleaning was enjoyable, tickles were constant, everything was a game, laughter was prevalent, and all that emanated from our home was JOY. a joy that i, mommy--the usual mrs. fix-it-all (insert pat on back here), had had such a terribly hard time producing just earlier that same week.  it was DADDY JOY. :)

no, you cannot have my husband.  he's mine.  i picked him out of the crowd years ago and i get to keep him.  peyton can share with me, but THAT'S IT. he's amazing.

monday morning came bright and early at 6:15am, but it came with a new perspective and a recent experience of how to practice real, true patience.  josh had been my just-in-time, life-sized example of patience in parenting and the impact it makes on our entire family.  he is my extreme to my extreme, and he evens me out so well.  so neat how God had crazy Team Johnson planned from the very beginning!

it's "only" wednesday, but our whole week has been different so far, and peyton is my little, sweet pal all over again just the way it should be!  it helps that i can breathe without coughing and that we're all sleeping better at night, but nonetheless, the lesson daddy taught us (okay..."me") this weekend was exactly what we (okay..."I") needed.  and i'm especially thankful that in these special moments my pride doesn't get in the way of learning something new from my OH-SO-VERY-WISE husband.  (alright, babe, this last plug is me looking for points... remember, i like peanut butter squished between my chocolate and any flower that doesn't stink!!! :) weeeeee!!!!)

stuff :)

here to blab--just need to get myself back into the habit of updating the blogstermagoo.

life in february 2013 is as follows, in no particular order of importance...

josh is currently in training mode to run in the ragnar relay (basically an insane group of men go run an insane amount of miles over the course of 24 hours, taking turns and driving a van slowly along side their "mates". so strange, but for a neat cause.) so, this means we are eating healthier (some days) and prioritizing workouts a little more than usual--or should i say, in the way we should ALWAYS be prioritizing them, but we don't. it's feeling good, but changes the amount of time we have together, especially because i can't join him on the runs due to a heel injury. (i came down with a plantar-fasciitis type of injury back in october, probably caused by wearing the wrong shoes all day everyday AND walking incorrectly just because i never mastered the skill... in any case, if i'm not careful it feels like i'm walking on a dagger, so i'm officially relegated to the BIKE of all terrible things in this world, until further notice. praying i learn to enjoy that...) in any case, he is still trying to pull some funding/sponsorships together for the race, so i'm gonna insert my plug right here--can you consider throwing a few bucks his way for the race???  for those of you that have so conveniently memorized your credit card number, the expiration date, the 3-digit code on the back, and how your name reads on the card,  (i know of no one that has done such a thing.......) this online way of giving would be super easy... especially if you have  few bucks in the bank to back it up :) other than that, his job at broadcom is going really well, and he's happy going to work everyday.  can ya ask for much more?! :)

peyton is a riot, as usual. she is SUCH a funny child.  her goofiness is a complete giveaway that she is our kid...   she's definitely going through a clingy stage right now, though, (or so they say it's a stage) and as much as i struggle with how hard it is to get my own agenda done during the day, i mostly love all the extra hugs and squeezes i get as a result of this constant need for mommy to "hold-you" ;) i'm learning that peyton has a lot of "josh" in her--she's got a bit more of the introspective-ness (shoot, not a word, i'm getting the red line under that one, but i'm gonna go with it so because i think it'll help you understand what i'm talking about) in her personality than i have.  i can just see her face as she's processing social situations, assessing them before making any moves, and cautiously approaching people or things knowing exactly her purpose in WHY she's going to go ahead and proceed.  unlike me, who just jumps into any social situation, often without thinking twice what may go wrong or what nonsense may fall out of my mouth before thinking it all the way through. (insert visual of lots and lots of word vomit here...)  it's been so neat seeing her personality form and grow, but more to come about that on a separate post about the peanut--scheduled for "one day soon".

thursday marks 4 years of wedded bliss for me and the hubbers! no, i'm not being sarcastic, but no, i'm also not trying to rub anything in.  josh and i don't have a perfect marriage by any means, but we both, wholeheartedly, work at it every chance we get, and we have THE MOST AMAZING SUPPORT SYSTEM and THE MOST AMAZING GOD IN THE MIDDLE OF IT that i credit for really helping make our marriage as strong as it is.  and as fun as it is.  well, actually, josh and i may bring the fun in on our own, but i'll give credit to the aforementioned on that as well :)

we have plans to do a sweet vacation in hawaii this summer with my parents, sister, and brother.  i can't even begin to tell you how excited i am to relive the days of old when we'd all travel together--this hasn't happened since i was... 13, maybe? and to have my favorite husband and favorite kid join is just going to be amahhhhzing :) YAY! this definitely presents a challenge of SAVING for this trip--a newer concept for me now that we are down to one salary... we are trying to be diligent with our dough these days, but it's hard when all these bills you don't expect keep popping up (ER visits, car issues, vet recommendations, the list goes on...)! we're working at it slowly but surely, and hope to have enough saved up before the trip to be able to enjoy it knowing how hard we worked at not spending it in the months before.

i am in such a season of contentment (thank you JESUS) and i will make claim to that because it's unusual for me, and totally welcomed when it comes.  God has been working in my heart for a good time now, and in such a visible (to-me) way that His blessings AND trials continue to encourage me.  life won't always be hunky-dory, but its solid now and i'm grateful for that.  so i chose to snapshot it this evening in this simple little post so i don't forget the little details and feelings that aren't often blogged about.

closing shop for the night. :) thanks for reading!

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?!?

theWEEKDAY

when sunday night comes around these days, it's as if things don't stop until friday afternoon. josh and i are enjoying this season of our lives with a "new baby", (although it seems as if peyton's been around and part of our lives forever, which we just love!) but it IS different than life pre-baby. as an example, here's a typical...tuesday...

5am - gigi up to pump and get dressed
530am - gigi to the park for an early workout--it's bootcamp this month, brought to me by groupon!
645am - gigi home and in the shower
7am - josh is up and at 'em
715am - peyton's up. time to feed and play!
8am - gigi off to work, josh and p off to nana's
WORK ALL DAY AS IF FAMILY JUST DON'T EXIST :-(
5pm - josh to nana's to pick up the munchkin
530pm - gigi head's home
545pm - finally, family at last :-)
6pm - walk at the park with the munchkin and the bug
630pm - josh and gigi cook and trade off playing 1-on-1 with peyt
7pm - nom nom nom for all of us
715pm - peyt takes a 20 min snoozer while we pick up around the house and do the dishes
745pm - josh and gigi are done with the dishes, so we clean our kid in the sink, next
800pm - trade off playing with p again while we pack lunches and bottles for tomorrow

815pm - josh to the trails for an evening run
830pm - peyt's bedtime...a few books and songs, lots of kisses, and one sleepy baby

845pm - josh home from his run and back in the shower
9pm - oh, hi, husband. hi, wife. couch/snuggle date? sure, why not.
10pm - final pump sesh...for geeg, not josh...of course...
1015pm - gigi spends 10 min. getting frustrated picking clothes
1030pm - roll into bed...exhausted

and again, and again, and again, until saturday. i know this isn't unusual for parents that work full time, and we're totally good to go with all this, but i can't begin to express how much we cherish the few hours we have with peyton...

and those few precious moments spent with P around the house often look something like this...

mommy and peyton after a walk at the park

daddy snuggling with peyt on the couch

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!

father's day 2011

father's day this year began with peyton and i giving daddy our cards. what a sweet morning it was. (if you look closely you can see her surprise "i love daddy" outfit. the bigger surprise was the subsequent blowout that was the cause for an outfit change...DURING CHURCH. yeah.)



then we went to church where we enjoyed pastor jp's talk about what it means to be a godly father. after church we headed over to josh's parents' house where we celebrated....

...DADDY!!

...GRANDPA JORGE!

...GRANDPA DON!

...and UNCLE MARK!

it was a great day, as is any day spent with family! HAPPY FIRST FATHER'S DAY TO MY JOSH!!

i'm going to be a HCTTFOHTBMOLWMNLWPIOWNSMFBGDAOHWH

for two and a half months, i've had the most wonderful pleasure of caring for my baby girl. i've had the opportunity to experience life as a SAHM. for those of you that don't follow mommy blogs and websites, that stands for Stay At Home Mommy. this new language is taking time to learn, but i'll get there, i'm sure.

i go back to work in two weeks. i go from being a SAHM to being a Head-Case Trying To Figure Out How To Balance My Old Life With My New Life While Pretending I'm Okay With Not Seeing My Favorite Baby Girl During All Of Her Waking Hours. or, as a blogger may put it, a HCTTFOHTBMOLWMNLWPIOWNSMFBGDAOHWH.

no, i'm not struggling with this one bit. why do you ask?

i will say, however, i am VERY fortunate to be going back to a job that i love, a boss that appreciates me, coworkers that make the day a joy, projects that intrigue and challenge me, and clients that...well, let's just say "keep things interesting".... many moms are not so fortunate when faced with the dreadful moment of returning to the work place. with all that great stuff, though, my only question is "why can't peyton come with me?!" she'd be great! i'd put her to work--answering phones, some light filing... maybe making a schedule or a budget for me when i'm in a bind. i think people would appreciate her presence in my meetings. i mean, the coo-ing and the "talking" is getting SO CUTE. i could watch her grow up and teach her plenty of things. she could nap under my desk. heck, i do--why should i not share the space?! i could make sure she goes outside a few times a day, let her scoot around the halls of the office... but mostly, i'd be able to be her main influence, and she'd have no doubt who her mommy is.

because that's what scares me most. what if little P forgets me? if i leave when she wakes up, and get home when she goes to sleep, all i become is the occasional nighttime feeder, and that awful lady that's always changing her clothes when she's half asleep in the morning or mostly asleep at night. everyday for the past 11 weeks i've gotten to stare into this little girls eyes whenever i want and whisper to her how much mommy loves her, and how great mommy thinks she is. and she stares back with a look that says, "yay!" and a little cracked smile. gosh, i love her.

but, i have to go back to work. we knew that before we began the journey that resulted in a wonderful little miracle we call peyton. so, i will. however, there are terms:

- nana and i will both be installing webcams so i can talk to my baby from work every now and then.

- nana has promised that she and peyt will visit me at work for lunch occasionally.

- i am reserving the right to wake my sleeping child at the most unfair times so i can remind her who loves her

- peyton and josh are my first priority, no matter what, so work just better darn fit into that.

- i'm will not work on the weekends. sorry, clients--weekends are for my family.

- i WILL be taking vacations this year. YAY!

- i am reserving the right to add to my terms list whenever i please.

okay, i'm off to publish these so someone else besides me believes they are valid...

i'll be blogging more about the "great going-back-to-work dilemma". more to follow at 11.

a summer weekend

josh, peyton, june, and i spent saturday afternoon roaming the peninsula at balboa. i just treasure the time the four of us get to spend together.

on sunday, we went swimming at my sister's pool, and again, got to enjoy the amazing weather! we are really loving all these summer activities.

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 :-/)

my playtime...

have you HEARD the opinions people have about breastfeeding? four words. OH. MY. GOSH. PEOPLE.

since i've become a parent, i've begun to have exposure to the world's thoughts on "everything parenting". a big topic of discussion is breastfeeding. i won't go into the details, you can google it for yourself and get an abundance of differing opinions. me, personally? i thank the Lord every day that i'm physically able to breastfeed my daughter. it's not easy, and it's not for everyone, but peyton seems to like it, i love the benefits of it, and daddy loves the money it saves us!! so for now, baby gets teet :-)

now for the contraversial part. yes, i nurse in public places. i try to consider others--for example, i do my best to not nurse over someone's dinner at a restaurant (although, family has had the unfortunate chance to experience this), or hold off a while if there is a more well-suited place to do it, like a "family's room" or "mother's room", but i'm not afraid. it's not because i can't pump. it's not because i don't have bottles of milk at home.

it's because when i'm done, i can turn my hooter-hider around and play superhero for a few minutes while someone else burps my child.

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!*