'Nona with BaBa

Arizona = Grandma, Grandpa, Baby Scott, and never ending activities of fun!

The title of this blog post may need a little translating. That is Peyton speak for "Arizona" and "Grandpa," which also happen to be Peyton's two new favorite things.

We took a much needed long weekend and flew to 'Nona to spend some time soaking up the 115 degree rays, eating my parent's out of house and home, and celebrating some very special occasions. Peyton had a splash playing in the pool, running away from the dogs, eating out at Mexican restaurants, goofing off with Grandma and BaBa, playing with her cousin Scott, going to the circus, and running amok at Katie and Ethan's 1980's themed bridal shower. Phew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it all.

Poolside Barbie

Splish Splash!

"Stomping the rocks is almost as much fun as splashing in the water!"

"My fingers are all wrinkly!"

"Smurfs were cool in the 80's, right, Mama? I guess I fit right in then!"

"Two purses and my ride on elephant. I'm ready to start the day."

"Scott, I wish I could be mad at your for sticking raisins up my nose, but you're too darn cute!"

"Oooh, the zebras match my skirt. Good outfit choice, Mommy!"

Peas and Carrots

January 2010

Since her third day on Earth, Peyton has been best friends with Amber. Amber, who is ten weeks older than Peyton, lives a few doors down, and the two girls have been inseperable since birth. It started out with innocent play dates.

May 2010

But the two have grown quite accustomed to each other. Peyton (or Pey-eh as Amber calls her) is so attached to Amber (Ber) now, she stands outside her front door every night asking for her to come outside. If she isn't home or is eating dinner, Peyton throws a fit.

"Can Amber please come out and play?"

Now that the weather is nice, our nightly ritual includes about 45 minutes of play time outside - the two girls toddle about the neighborhood, usually cruise around in some apparatus (either the pink the car, the trike, or the wagon), and try not to fall down the drain.

Like any true friendship, this one has seen it's share of ups and downs. The two fight over puffs, snack traps, corn poppers, wagon seats, water, juice, and balls. And as this video shows, they sometimes don't agree on what is the proper way to play with an inflatable pool.

But the bottom line is, these two hell raisers are buddies...through thick and thin.

17 Months Old!

While there was no official doctor's visit to record Peyton's stats at 17 months old, our own inaccurate measuring showed her standing 32 inches tall and weighing in at a whopping 25 pounds. Which, according to statistical certainties, means she'll grow up to be 6'4" and 110 pounds.

At 17 months, Peyton's speech is really taking off. She tries to mimic almost every word we say, and has added all done, Elmo, cat, thank you, no, cheeky, book, bee-bee (for blueberry), poop, shoes, and agua (for water). Speaking of Spanish, she seems to comprehend it well. Anytime we ask her how to say water, she says, "agua."

She is a solid walker now, and has even been known to take off running. She can climb the two flights of stairs in our house with ease, cleans up her toys if asked, loves coloring, and her favorite game is "BOO!" with Daddy chasing her around the couch.

Here is this month's winning shot:

And the out takes:

"Why, God, why must I turn a month older every month and endure this agony?!!"

"I can be pleasant if not confined to your torture chair."

"I'm minding my own business here brushing my teeth. So...why'd you hand me this elephant?"

"I see dead people."