Lucky charm

Sweets

Today we are celebrating the color green! Reason for mama to make another disposable felt t-shirt. : ) 

What is so awesome is we are actually celebrating colors BECAUSE Peyton has mastered her colors!! We've worked diligently during bathtime to review colors using her foam rainbow colored alphabet. For example, I'll pull out red letters and blue letters. Then I'll stick blue, blue, blue, blue to the side of the tub. Followed by red, red, red, red. Then ask her to identify one. It'd always just be the last color I had recited. 

But this past week, she identified an "Orange gorilla" on one of dada's t-shirts, "yellow" sleeves on Peyton's baseball tee, "1, 2, 3, 4 purple bunnies" in her Treasure hunt book, "yellow" happy face drawn for her on our Costco receipt. Purple use to be yellow, now yellow is yellow! Sounds kinda nutty but I am so proud and happy for her!

Sittin' pretty

Mama guilt

Happy girl

Today Peyton had day 6 of fever, so dada finally allowed me to take her to the pediatrician. Luckily her blood work came back normal and the doc said she must be on the upswing.  I cherished the rest of my morning with her by taking our first walk of the year! It was finally warm enough!!!!!

I found myself in tears on this walk.  This was the first day in such a long time I had weekday one on one with her. I look back at the fall and winter. I never saw her in daylight.  We'd leave for school/work before it was light out and by the time we got back home it was dark.  During two evenings a week, I had joined a moms group and a couples small group at Church to meet people in the area.  While I've enjoyed meeting some wonderful families- and cute little playmates for Peyton, it has taken precious little time away from us.  I have become really bitter and hard on myself.  It has become horribly difficult for me to drop her off at daycare.  She can sense that I'm upset and I fear that's creating a separation anxiety issue for her.  

Today I started looking for part-time opportunities. It may take awhile to find a reasonable fit, most are variable evening shifts, lots of weekend hours- Jon works evening and weekends so thats not sustainable for child care. I just pray that I am thoughtful in my decisions, that I consider the benefits of a child seeing her mama supporting her family with a rewarding job but also having her know that I put family first.

Baby love

Chuck E Cheese on steroids

Whoooa dada!

After a long yucky week of viral illness, Peyton seemed ready to get out of the house!  Still too cold for outdoor fun, we schlepped over to indoor Edinborough Park. It was advertised as pretty toddler friendly but actually ended up being a little too intense for her still muted energy level.  She rocked the bouncy house, zoomed on the scooters with dada, but didn't last long in the shoots and ladders tree house.  So Peyton and I waited in the viewing section until dada hit up all of the slides and got his fill. : )

Climbing fun

Nikki dog

Peyton's dogs

Mama and Peyton made a last minute trip to Des Moines this weekend because Peyton's "My Nikki, white dog!!" got diagnosed with cancer and we all decided to come see her.  Peyton loves her dogs, she regularly asks to FaceTime with her dogs and likes to give soft pets and hugs.  I'm glad we got to get all of the dogs together one last time.

Peyton also loved the over abundance of beebees available to her this weekend. She rocked several of them in mama's old rockin' chair.  At one point she accumulated 7 beebees!  After feeding each one in the highchair, she spent quality time on the couch with Nana proudly counting all 7 of them. Occasionally she counted a pretend baby or two making the grand total 8 or 9!! : )

Clown

Rock Rock Rock

Water babies

Kick kick kick

Class exercises

Peyton started her 8 week swimming lessons in early February. Each week she either loves lessons or is ehh not so much.  One thing for sure is she is the sweetest kiddo in the class. She is always the only kid who says thank you and goodbye to her teacher, often unprompted by mama and dada.  So proud of you sweet girl! 

My first Disney movie

Daddy date

Peyton experienced her first movie tonite: Disney movie of course!!!

101 Dalmations Rated: G... G for great.

I have casually bought Disney movies released from the vault over the years in anticipation for moments like this. Why did Peyton get to watch a movie before her 2nd birthday? Because she has been 'sick as a dog' and needed to relax. Meanwhile dada had a long day being 'worked like a dog'.  Boy oh boy did she enjoy it!

Peyton loves playing in a basement with all of her toys- and newly constructed teepee. When dada catches a basketball game downstairs while we play, Peyton will go over to the little fridge and grab dada a beer "milk dada, milk!". The other night while we played Peyton was so sweet to grab me a beer, "milk mama!" It had been kinda a rough day at the office so I obliged. What great intuition. : )  

Lights camera action

Bye Buddy!

Miss you Hodgsons!

Peyton, mama, and dada had to say goodbye to our good friends Rebecca and Dave and their companions Buddy and Penny.  We were so lucky to have their friendship during our transition to Minneapolis and wish them well on their big adventure to Portland, Oregon!!

We were able to do all sorts of fun activities with them over the past year: weekend at the cabin "up north", paddle boards, biking, pumpkin carving, snowshoeing, sledding, boating, Packers/Viking game, Como conservatory, and many dog walks!! Since I never remembered my camera on any of our fun adventures- thought we'd pose for just one. : )

Peyton was particularly upset when she said goodbye to Buddy.  The whole way home from our last visit, she kept saying, "bye Buddy, bye Buddy" the whole way home. Kinnick can't wait to visit!