Yum Yum! Lunch time can be messy!

We've learned to duck and cover when feeding Peyton these days!

Happy Fall Everyone!

Video of Peyton Crawling

Peyton has been crawling for a couple of weeks now. But I realize that some of you out there haven't had the opportunity to see her in action. Sooooo...here you go! Enjoy!

Aunt Courtney is the Coolest

Courtney came to visit last week and it was so awesome. It's so hard to live far away from my sisters, but I'm so thankful that it is as important to them as it is to me that we are a part of each others lives. We had tons of fun during her visit, but, as always, it was over too fast. Here are a couple of pics of Court and Peyton. They are certainly two peas in a pod.
It doesn't get much better than this...how precious!

Aunt Courtney was teaching Peyton one of life's most vital skills...walking.

It's very tiring to spend the day shopping with the girls. Peyton will obviously have to build up her tolerance. p.s. We did tighten the straps on the car seat far any and all that are concerned.

Grandparents are the Cat's Pajamas

Peyton is so blessed to have such wonderful and loving Grandparents. She is going to grow up knowing that she has love coming at her from every angle, and that is such an amazing thing. Her grandparents will have such a HUGE impact on her life and I am so thankful for that. Gran, PopPop, Grammy, Pops, and Grandpa Jim...you guys are the best! Thanks for being the best parents and grandparents EVER!
Grammy, Peyton smiles from ear to ear whenever she sees you. She really enjoys the time that you guys get to spend together while mommy is at work. You are such a big help in EVERY way!

Grandpa Jim, Peyton LOVES your visits. She can't wait to see you again and get a snuggle. Thanks for introducing her to her first boat ride ever! We miss you!!

Pops, Peyton can't help but feel so loved when she's around you. You are always willing to hold her and snuggle (when grammy will let you!). She loves it when you come home from work and she's still there...and yes...you have to give her back.

PopPop, you are such a spectacular grandpa. You are always making funny faces and sounds that crack Peyton up. Someday you and uncle Stan will have to teach her how to fish. Oh, and you are a great napping partner too!

Gran, Peyton always knows that when you're around, she is going to be the center of attention. She loves the way you will play with her and hold her for hours. She can't wait until she can ride bikes with you and PopPop like Sydney does.

Ford Came to Visit!

A couple of weekends ago Holly, Briane, and Ford came to visit. It was so nice for the kids to get to play with each other. They are at the age now where they can really start to enjoy each other's company.

On Saturday we went to the beach. It was Ford's first time ever and Peyton hadn't been since the Fourth of July. This is a great pic because if you look close enough you can see her teeth! She has FIVE now. Some aren't completely through yet but they are certainly making their presence known. Syd didn't cut a single tooth until she was 13 months old!

Here is Peyton and Ford holding hands. How sweet! We had so much fun at the beach together. We swam, played in the sand, and even tasted it too!!

YUM! There's nothing like a biter biscuit covered in sand to get your mouth watering.

"umm...mom, you gotta do something with my hair!"

Peyton's first trip to the zoo! What fun! It was REALLY hot but we had a great time none the less. Thanks for letting us know it was a free day Nana! We got to see the alligators get fed, the lions, tigers, leopards, and all kinds of cool animals. Peyton probably enjoyed watching all the people a little more than anything else.

Here is Peyton with her daddy. We were on the primate expedition. There were so many cool "monkeys" to see but Peyton was more interested in watching the water! The boat ride was fun, but toward the end we were definitely over it and I'm sure the people around us were over it too (because of Peyton's screaming). I'll tell you one thing, the child does not like being hot!

Well, we pulled it off! I've been planning Jonathan's 30th birthday party since February and it was a success. We had the party on Friday, August 29th and mom and dad's house. It was a lot of work but soooo worth it. With a full week of setting up, organizing, and keeping secrets, I'm so shocked that he was actually surprised. The party-goers seemed to have a great time drinking, dancing, and talking with friends. Thanks to everyone that helped!!!

The BIG surprise! Jonathan said he was so surprised. He knew that we had something planned but he didn't know it would be this night. There were so many people that helped and did a lot to keep this a secret. Sydney knew about this party for 6 months and didn't let the cat out of the bag! GO SYD!!!

I had this great Austin Powers costume for Jonathan to change into once he arrived. Here we are...ready to get the party started!

Spending Time with Gran and PopPop

Jonathan, Sydney, Peyton, Carmen and I went over to Gran and PopPop's house today! It was so much fun. We hung out and played, fished off the dock, ate the YUMMIEST lasagna, and went for a fun swim. It was a busy day for the little one but she was in a great mood (most of the time). She especially enjoyed her time in the pool with Gran and PopPop!

Here is Peyton with her Gran. They were watching Sydney, PopPop, and I fish in the canal. We didn't catch anything though :(

Peyton is getting to be such a big girl. She doesn't even need us to feed her anymore! She can do it all by herself (tear, sniff sniff). Can you tell the girls have spent the summer in the sun? They are both brown as berries!

Swimming with Gran and PopPop! They are so much fun!!

Peyton LOVES to swim! She is our little fishy. Her big sister is going to have so much fun teaching her how to do flips and dives when she gets older.

Peyton's Dedication

We had Peyton dedicated at Crew last week. It was a beautiful ceremony with lots of friends and family there, in person and in prayer. We feel confident in our ability to raise Peyton in Christ and we are so thankful for all of the support we will get along the way.

Peyton is the fourth generation to wear this dress. My grandmother wore the slip underneath for her baptism, my mom wore the dress and slip for hers, I wore them for mine, and Peyton wore them for her dedication. It was so special!

Chris did a wonderful job! Thanks Chris!!!