Sleeping Dislexia

Peyton's a pretty good sleeper. Monday thru Friday she wakes up between six and seven. Sometimes, she even sleeps past eight, which causes one of us to be late for work (NEVER wake a sleeping baby!) But without fail, Peyton is bright eyed and bushy tailed at FIVE AM on Saturday and Sunday. I have no idea how she knows the difference, or if she even does. But somehow she has to learn that weekends are for sleeping in! Here she is last Saturday morning, watching cartoons in her pj's at about 5:30am.

Our Little Fish

Peyton has completed three of her eight weeks of swim class - and she loves it. She's learning to float on her back (she loves when the water touches the back of her head), and she splashes like crazy. The only downside is the indoor pool temperature is freezing, and poor little Peyton's lower lip quivers the entire time.

A Masterpiece

Until now, decor in our house has been carefully selected to coordinate perfectly with the character of the room. There is the Parlor - a formal-ish living room with silk curtains and pillows, white couches and a beautiful TV hung on the wall. The Den - the family room with a cozy fireplace, burgundy accents, and suede couches for watching movies, playing games and snuggling up during the winter. And the Kitchen - a tour of various wine regions throughout the world, including a detailed map of Burgundy vineyards picked up on our trip to France.

But the best decoration is now proudly hanging on our refrigerator - it doesn't coordinate with any theme, and it certainly didn't come from Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware. But it's beautiful, and adds the perfect finishing touch to our house.

It's Peyton's first piece of art. She did it at daycare. Who knew something so seemingly insignificant could cause me to beam with pride.

Football Weekend Fail, As Told By Peyton

I stole this from Martin, but it's too cute to pass up:

"It was a disappointing football weekend."


"First, ASU got hometowned by a crew of Big 10 refs in Wisconsin. I wore my cute ASU cheerleading outfit and screamed my heart out, but it still didn't help."


"Then, ND lost in overtime to Michigan State. In retrospect, I'm glad I was spared the agony of watching the game by my parents, who forced me to go to bed before it even started. On the bright side, I was pretty jazzed that my bear and I had matching pj's."


"Since both of my teams continue to let me down, instead of focusing on football this fall, I think I'll concentrate on my crawling, walking, talking, and drinking."

8 Months Old!

Peyton is on the move! She is slowing starting to crawl, although her coordination and technique need some work. She is interested in everything in front of her, and just loves being the center of attention.

Please take special note of the bow in her hair...or should I say the bow gingerly balancing on her bald head? This is the first time she has worn one. It clung to the two strands of hair for just enough time to take the picture...and then promptly fell out.

Some favorites from the past few months....

Good Morning Gizmo!


Wiped out after a long weekend...


Aaaahhh, relaxation at last...


There's a whole new world from up here!


Ready for school!


Another day, another adorable look!


I prefer my pinots from the Russian River Valley.


I take big girl baths now!


Playing with my bestie, Amber!

Future Olympian

Peyton started swim classes this weekend. Even though we spent plenty of time with her at our own pool over the summer, we decided a little structured learning would be good. Fairfax County offers an 8 week course for babies, and Peyton couldn't wait to wear her pink tutu suit for the first lesson.



Her adorablness and sensational personality blew every other baby out of the water. While all the other kids were sitting quietly in their parents' arms during the instructions, Peyton was squealing and splashing. I don't think she is going to be shy.

Peyton has a new cousin!

Welcome Scott Alexander Rough! A healthy 6 pounds, 12 ounces, 19.5 inches long, a full head of blonde hair, and absolutely picture perfect! Mom Ginger and Dad Jim are doing great! We can't wait to meet you Scott!!

College Football is BACK! Horray!

Football Saturdays have returned (and it has been a loooong summer without them). We welcomed back the Irish and Sun Devils during our trip to New Mexico. Peyton was the perfect cheerleader for both of her teams, although by the time the ASU game was on she was turning slightly grumpy (I think she was just trying to impersonate Devils Coach Dennis Erickson's mood). But, the first weekend was a success - wins for both of our teams!

Labor Day Weekend in Albuquerque

Martin had a business trip in Denver, so we used his western travels as an excuse to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hellmer in New Mexico. I flew from DC to Albuquerque with Peyton and all of her crap by myself - and to my pleasant surprise, it wasn't that bad. Peyton did great (although she refused to sleep on the plane) and enjoyed all of the other passengers paying attention to her.

We had a great weekend eating New Mexican food (the carna adovada was particularly good this time) and meeting Zane Compton (what a cutie!!)









We also made another attempt to impress young Peyton with the zoo. The Rio Grande Zoo was so much better than the National Zoo. Peyton got to feed a giraffe and look at some really cool polar bears up close. She had a great time! Please ignore her nerdy hat - I forgot her cute, matching hat at home, and I was forced to buy this ugly one instead. The first picture is particularly funny if you know Martin and his love of maps - Peyton is clearly taking after her father!









As always, the weekend went by way too fast, and we were on the plane to DC before we knew it. Martin was able to join us for the flight home, and Peyton lucked out and got her own seat!

Not a Boat Person

We took Peyton to Burke Lake Park this weekend. It's pretty great - there is a merry-go-round, a train ride, miniature golfing, a driving range, fishing and lots of trails. Peyton loved everything - except the row boat ride. We shelled out $16 to rent the boat, but within seconds of having the life vest on, Peyton lost her mind. We were on the water for about 3 minutes before deciding to head back to land and put the poor girl out of her misery. I kind of agree with her - I mean, the orange vest really doesn't go with her outfit and it's totally unflattering.