Bittersweet

Martin and I are spending our second to last week in Washington, DC - the house is on the market, the one way plane tickets to Arizona are purchased, and the moving truck is scheduled.  Our time as "Washingtonians" is coming to an end.  Someone asked me the other day what I would miss the most about living here.  The first thing that came to mind wasn't the easy access to some of the best sightseeing, the great restaurants, or the awesome career opportunities.  It was our wonderful neighborhood...and even more specifically, the fabulous friends we've made right here at home...most especially the Richards.

Although we've been trying for almost a decade to get back home to Arizona, our ties to this area have only grown since Peyton was born.  In addition to her regular requests to see Mommy and Daddy, Peyton also routinely and emotionally asks to see her best friend Amber, Amber's mom Amy, or their dog Rudy (usually in that order).  Peyton's morning routine isn't complete until she sees at least 20 minutes of videos and photos of Amber and her on my iPhone.  As soon as we're on our way home from daycare, PK immediately asks for Amber.  More often than not, Peyton waits impatiently at Amber's front door for her and Amy to get home so they can goof off in their house or wagon together.  And Peyton can't go to bed at night without first kissing a picture of Amber "night night" and giving the now wrinkled photograph a hug.

Fun in the sun.

Taking a juice box break.

We therefore leave the area with heavy hearts, knowing that Peyton may grow up and have little or no memory of her first best friend, Amber.  I am sad that the two of them won't get to continue to grow up together, share in all of their great milestones, and play together on a nightly basis.  And, I'm sad for me too.  Amy and I have become more than just neighbors.  She's my gossip buddy, my cat sitter, my spare pantry, my pedicure pal, my fellow Britney lover, and, as a first time mom, my counselor and parenting expert.  We're best friends, just like our daughters.

Britney '11

I hear people talk about "childhood friends" or say "we've been best friends since we were babies."  My one wish is that even though a country may separate them, Peyton and Amber stay in touch, visit each other, and call each other best friends for the rest of their lives.  And my one consolation is that with today's technology, I know these two will be skype pals.  Any maybe, just maybe, my not so casual hints to convince the Richards to move to Arizona won't go unnoticed.

Let's conquer this water tunnel together.

Best Friends Forever...

A MAJOR Milestone...

At 19+ months, we have seen our fair share of amazing milestones in Peyton's precious life.  We witnessed her first smile, thanked heaven when she slept through the night, cheered her on as she rolled over, marveled at her unique crawling skills, rooted her on to her first step, and listened intently to her first words.  But today, on August 21, 2011, Peyton Kristen Hellmer achieved a milestone so incredibly wonderful, fun, and exclusively girly, that as her Mommy, I had to race to the computer to blog about it right away.

Drumroll please.....Peyton wore PIGTAILS!!!  Or, "piggies" as we called them.

 I'd been coveting our neighbor Amber's piggies for a few weeks, and finally decided to give them a try.  True to her diva form, Peyton was irritated beyond measure as I twisted the tiny rubberbands in her hair.  She screamed, cried, and and shook her head "no!"  I managed to get them in, and I know Peyton agrees they were worth the 7 seconds of agony.

I mean, honestly, it doesn't get any cuter than this.  Granted, Peyton's hair isn't quite in perfect piggy form yet.  The sides of her hair refuse to grow in, and her bangs are too short, requiring a bow.  But, whatevs.  Peyton wore piggies!

There are many reasons I love having a little girl, but I have to say, being able to put her hair in piggies is one of them!

Making Up For Lost Time

I've been a bad blogger. It's been almost a month since I posted, and for my loyal readers, I'm sure you are close to checking into a mental hospital due to Peyton picture withdrawl. I apologize. But, life has been crazy (and for those of you who read this, you know that). We are in the middle of a cross country move, starting new jobs, trying to sell one house and buy another, and maintain some sort of normalcy in Peyton's life in the process. While I can't promise that I will be better about posting over the next several weeks, I can promise the following photos will save your sanity and remind you how stinking adorable PK is. More to come...soon, I hope.

Peyton bear spending a little quality coloring time with Amber before departing for Arizona for two weeks.  I'm anticipating some serious skyping/pen pal action once we move.

 Hamming it up for the camera on the flight to Arizona.  Too bad she didn't sleep a wink.

"Have your people call my people."

 Striking a pose before hitting the pool.