Daddy Day Care

Martin gets what seems like every other Monday off.  The Feds take advantage of all holidays, (Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Sweetheart Day, Grandparents Day, Summer Solstice Day) while us hard-working real-world corporate types suffer through five day work weeks.

While I am a teensy bit jealous at all of Martin's extended weekends, I love that he chooses to spend them with Peyton.  He could take her to daycare and have a nice, relaxing day to himself.  But, he jumps at the chance to have a full day with his number one gal.  Only one problem - all sense of order, rules, and structure flies out the window and chaos breaks lose.

Peyton convinces Daddy to let her wear sunglasses INSIDE the house.  Please note she is wearing a t-shirt with cows on it that reads "There are no kangeroos in Austria."  Daddy purchased it for her and I know he was secretly planning the day when he could dress her in it when I wasn't looking.  Also please note Peyton's hair looks like she stuck her finger in a light socket.  Knowing how paranoid Martin is about Peyton's safety, I know she didn't actually stick her finger in a light socket, but I'm pretty sure the brush, comb, and hair bows never saw the light of day today.

Because Daddy is wrapped around Peyton's finger, he allowed her to sit thisclose to the TV to watch Seasame Street. 

I wasn't quite sure what to do when I got this picture while I was at a work dinner.  Peyton is wearing the same blue dress she went to school in, but she has pajama shorts on underneath.  The explanation: "I changed her diaper and she insisted on wearing pants."  It also appears as if Peyton is picking her nose.  In fact, according to Daddy, she is eating her hair bow.

Easily Entertained

It's a perfect fit!

Peyton is a project girl. She gets her mind set on something, and, while I hate to say she obsesses, she obsesses. Case in point: Project fill up soup can with water and pour it on myself while sitting in the kitchen sink.

I will play in this sink and allow you to cook dinner, Mommy.  Just don't get mad when my pants end up wet.

Peyton's Flower Girl Debut

Peyton is good at a lot of things.  She is a great sleeper.  She is the best when it comes to expressing her feelings.  And she is number one when it comes to looking adorable.  Peyton, however, is not very good at being a flower girl.  She's only had one shot, but her debut isn't going to win her any awards. 

Peyton and Grandma practiced tossing petals out of the flower girl basket at home several times leading up to my cousin Katie's big day.  She loved dumping all of the petals out at once, and immediately cleaning them up. 

Come reheasal day, Peyton did a decent job.  She walked down the aisle with me just fine.  She wasn't too keen on tossing her petals, but she wasn't a total disaster either.  Then came the wedding.  There is no doubt that Peyton won in the cute department.  I mean, she looks amazing in her blue princess dress and matching hair bow. 

 Pretty as a princess.

But PK had a little trouble when it came time to perform.  She was a victim of shoes sinking into the soft grass, and lost her footing several times during her walk down the aisle.  She tripped on the front of her dress at least three times, falling to the ground.  I was holding her hand and tried my best to keep her focused.  She dumped one glob of petals at the very beginning, but after she started tripping, she became flustered and forgot all about the duties assigned to her.  She made it to the end of the aisle without crying, and immediately took a seat next to Logan and spent a good ten minutes eating sticks.

"My mommy hid sticks in my flower girl basket as an attempt to bride me into behaving good. I will share with you, Logan, but don't tell Scott.  He'll try to steal them all."

If it weren't for Uncle Jim trying to entice her by making crazy noises, I think she would have fared better.  But she got a little cranky in the sun and Daddy had to take her to the back of the ceremony site for a few minutes.

She did manage to make it through the introductions at the reception and even stayed passed her bed time for dinner.  But soon after, it was time for her to get home, take off that uncomfortable dress, and pass out for the night. 

So, not the greatest performance to date.  But, Peyton can say she was a flower girl in a wedding, and hopefully the bride and groom appreciated the effort!

The happy couple, Katie and Ethan

The bridal party, minus the kids.

Latest and Greatest

So I'm still using the lame excuse that I'm behind on blogging because we are in transition.  We are currently living at my parent's house, but slowly moving into a rental house.  We have an offer in on a permanent house, but haven't closed yet.  Basically, we are transients.  But we are very thankful to Grandma and Grandpa for letting us squat - I'm sure they are counting down the days until their household returns to the calm and peaceful place it once was -- before their grown daughter, her husband, and their almost two year old toddler turned it into complete chaos.  And another thanks to Aunt Ginger and Uncle Jim for letting us rent one of their homes from them (yes, they have mutiple homes.  Wish I had me some Rough money!)  Someday, all of the back and forth and living out of suitcases will be over, and we'll be settled somewhere.  But for now, we're relying on the kindness of our family, and loving watching Peyton spend time with her Mama and Baba.

Peyton enjoys her first baseball game with Grandma and Grandpa.  Apparently, she thought all of the cheering was due to her cuteness.

 

The newest Diamondbacks fan soaking in the game.

It's been three weeks since we left Amber.  Peyton watches her video to remember her best friend.

 

Peyton goofing around with her piggies. 

Pebbles

Someone had a rough night last night. Look at that hair!

Hugging her doll before putting her "night night" with all of the other stuffed animals.

 

Peyton decides to join her animals for the nap.  Playing is exhausting!

 

Sharing a mid-afternoon snack with Scott.

Scott Turns One!!

One of the best things about being back in Arizona is being able to attend family events.  Scott's first birthday is a prime example.  Had we not moved back, I'm not sure we would have been able to join in on the festivities. 

My sister did a bang up job creating a storybook wonderland.  And as you can see from the picture above, Scott didn't skip a beat when it came to digging into the blue frosting. 

The picture of Scott (above) cracks me up. Kudos to the amazing Beth at Lizzie Bee Photography for capturing the guilt and innocence all at the same time.

Peyton had a great time - since the party was a storybook theme, all the kiddos came dressed in the finest night time wear.  But since this was a celebration, Peyton decided to throw on a tutu over her pj's just for fun. 

She had a ball swinging and blowing bubbles.  And eating veggies and dip.

And here is one last shot of the man of the hour - lounging in his rocking new big boy chair, surrounded by new toys and clothes.  Happy birthday buddy!  We are so happy we got to celebrate with you.

Headin' Out West

After nearly 9 years living as "east coasters," Martin, Peyton, and I are back in the southwest.  Apologies in advance for the long post, but the entire process of us coming home deserves some special attention, and it's certainly something I want Peyton to read about later in life (and that, afterall, is the whole purpose of this blog).

April 26, 2011
Martin, about one week shy of "eligibility" for applying for transfers, sees a job opening in Phoenix.  For the next two weeks, he works tirelessly on his application.  The weight of our family moving back home rests solely on his shoulders.  As his submits his paperwork, we cross our fingers that few people apply for the position.

May 10, 2011
The Phoenix job posting is officially closed...and although we had hoped only 2 or 3 other people applied, a whopping 10 people with varying levels of experience submit an application.  The job is not in Martin's area of expertise, and we hear rumors that several candidates are more senior than him.  We resign ourselves to the fact that this is not meant to be our chance, and try to move on.

May 30, 2011
While traveling to Kentucky for work, Martin hears a rumor that he was to be awarded the position.  While his source was reliable, the position would not be formally awarded until early July when a board would convene to make a final decision, and we are cautious to get our hopes up.  I however, begin a serious networking expedition in hopes of finding some leads on a job for myself.  We learn shortly thereafter that the national selection won't take place until July 6.  We have more than one month to wait to know if we'll be going home.

June 3, 2011
I receive a phone call from a friend saying he knows of a great job opportunity for me in Phoenix.  That call is immediately followed by a recruiter, who asks if I can fly out to Arizona the following week for an interview.

June 13, 2011
I interview at the Arizona Commerce Authority for the Director of Communications position.  Although I feel the conversation goes well, I inform them that I am not 100% that our transfer is happening, and I need to wait several weeks before committing to anything.

June 15, 2011
The ACA offers me the position.  I accept, contingent on my husband getting the transfer.  I map out a schedule of house chores that need to be done in case we need to sell the house.

July 6, 2011
D-day arrives.  We've told only a handful of friends and family about the potential move, in fear we will be disappointed, and we don't want to jinx ourselves.  We expect to hear news around noon.  Nada.  Maybe one?  Nada.  Two?  Nope.  Finally, at 3pm, I receive a text from Martin saying "GOOD news...I got the job."

And with that, the two+ month process of quitting jobs, starting new jobs, commuting from DC to AZ for two months, getting our house ready for sale, visiting Phoenix on a ten day "house hunting" trip, selling the DC house, coordinating packers, movers, car shippers, flights, hotels, temporary housing, and all the other nonsense that goes with moving a family of three across the country commenced.  And while we were thrilled to be moving back home to the warm weather, our friends, our family, and a place we truly feel we can raise our daughter, we also counted down the days until we had to say goodbye to some very good friends.  For as much as we wanted to go, we didn't want to say goodbye.

For the rest of the story, I think I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Martin adds drawer and cabinet knobs to the kitchen in an effort to squeeze every penny out of the listing price.

In addition to the kitchen update, we redid the backyard landscaping, retouched paint and cleaned like maniacs.

I also replaced my fancy schamcy dining room chandelier with this one, along with Peyton's crystal chandelier in her bedroom.  No way were the new owners getting those!

Our house is officially on the market.  And now we wait for a willing buyer.

Meantime, Peyton bear gets used to life in sunny Scottsdale, lounging in Grandma and Grandpa's pool during our two week house hunting trip.

"I could get used to this lifestyle!"

It doesn't take long for PK Drama to adapt to the Scottsdale way of life.

Peyton also becomes best buddies with her cousin Scott.  Little does he know she is just using him for his cool backyard swing.

After two weeks away, Peyton and Amber are reunited.

Shortly after our return to DC, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits...as if to say we aren't welcome.  This is the worst of the damage.

This photograph depicts some disturbed picture frames after a rare earthquake hit DC.  Also in the photo are an anxious bed and two unhappy lamps.  Not pictured is the angry chair.

Best buddies Peyton and Amber take one last trip to the sprayground together.  

Seeing these two say goodbye will be the hardest part.

One last cruise around the circle.

Peyton helps Daddy take the previously mentioned chandeliers out of the attic to get ready for the packers.

My favorite room in our house - Peyton's pink princess palace.

PK and Daddy admire the view from our deck, and Daddy wonders if all the birds he fed will notice his absence.

Storage unit from hell.  At least we had packers who got to deal with this.

The moving truck arrives.  Peyton is totally confused.

I think we might need a couple of these...we have lots of stuff.

"Hey Amber, I'll stuff you in a box and you can sneak in the truck and meet me in Phoenix.  It's a perfect plan!"

The farewell barbeque on the circle. Great time...even better friends.

Mama besties and baby besties.

Sometimes you just really luck out when it comes to neighbors.

Peyton officially throws her "I don't wanna move" protest.

The car shippers load up our ride...it will supposedly be delivered in two weeks.

3 people, 7 bags, 1 stroller.  We are ready to go to Arizona!

So what was put in that big moving truck?

Our ride waiting to take us to the airport...for the last time.

One last neighbor photo.  I was so touched that all of our neighbors came outside EARLY that morning to say one last goodbye.