Oh the funny things Miss Peyton does...

Of course a Christmas update will be coming with pictures from all of our celebrations but in the meantime I thought I would share some of the funny things Peyton has been doing recently –

Blowing Kisses – she has officially mastered this and is absolutely adorable when doing it! The only tough part with her now blowing kisses is that it looks almost like her sign for eat, which she LOVES to do, so we have to really watch close to see if she is giving us some love or just wants to chow down!

Washing hands – I think the girl would let her hands go raw if we let her, she loves to wash her own hands and dry them on the towel, such a big girl. Her independent streak also carries over to brushing her teeth, another super fun task to Peyton, that is, as long as she can do it herself and Mommy doesn’t try to do it for her…

Hats – Anyone that has been around Peyton knows she has never been a fan of hats, well, that is until recently. She still doesn’t always like to leave her hats on but the other day brought her hat and gloves over to me and had me but them all on and wore them around the house for at least 10 minutes – very cute.

Apollo – The way I see it, Apollo may just be Peyton’s best friend; however, I’m not sure this is a completely reciprocal relationship. Don’t get me wrong, Apollo likes Peyton and does an excellent job of tolerating her petting him (aka hitting him, usually without toys in her hands but not always) but there are days where he just looks at us as if to say, “Is she ever going away??” But what is really funny is when we go to let Apollo in and Peyton starts to head toward the door to “help” but as soon as she hears Apollo coming she “runs for cover” until he gets inside! It probably makes way more sense for Apollo to be running from her!

Our little climber – Yep, Peyton is a climber and will try to swing her little leg on top of anything to get just that much higher. She has been able to climb the stairs for quite a while but is now quite quick at it and has even learned (when she wants to) to come down on her belly all by herself. She also likes to climb on the mantel, her chair, into the bathtub, etc.

“Talking” on the phone – Peyton loves getting a hold of our home phones and pressing the buttons – I mean, what’s not to love, they make lots of fun noises when you push them! We do have to keep a close eye on her with this though because she knows exactly where the “talk” button is and even dialed 9-1 once. Thank goodness I caught that one before the second “1” was hit – hate to have a visit from the police for no reason at all! Peyton also has learned how the phone works and after she pushes some buttons she holds it up to her ear and babbles – cute, cute cute!

I really need to start writing things down because it seems like she has been doing many more fun things but I can’t think of them right now. Hopefully this will tide everyone over until I can manage to get my Christmas pictures downloaded to the computer!

Learning New Things Every Day

Peyton seems to learn something new every day - yesterday she pretty much mastered going down the stairs on her belly. We've been trying to get her to do this for months but her friend Evan showed her how to do it on Saturday and now she is quite a pro!

We are finally enjoying bath time again as well - YAY!

Peyton is quite a climber and has become quite skillful at throwing her leg over whatever ledge, chair, etc. to pull herself up - and she is quite determined to get wherever she wants to go!

Peyton's vocabulary is expanding (and she loves to babble more and more) - we have mastered Mama, Dada, Dog, Pollo (Apollo), Adie (Sadie - Apollo's girlfriend), Ba (banana), More, eas (please) - that's about all I can think of right now though it seems like there are more. She is hilarious when she gets to talking because she looks up at us as if to say, you understand me, right? So fun!

Cabo San Lucas

Whew - what a week we just had! Last week we went on vacation with Grammy & Grandpa to Cabo San Lucas. I was just a bit nervous to take Peyton on her first airplane trip considering we had 4 flights for a total of about 10 hours on airplanes but I was hoping with 4 adults to help it would be fine. Little did I know that Peyton would be an EXCELLENT traveler! Peyton slept all but about 30 minutes of all flights combined and even did a great job at the condo, sleeping in a strange crib with Mommy, Daddy, Grammy & Grandpa all very close by.

We had a super fun time basking in the warm 80 degree sun, not at all missing the cold weather back in KC! Grammy & Peyton enjoyed daily walks and a lot of pool time. Peyton met some new friends at the pool and several people around the resort recognized her when we were walking around, quite the celebrity! ;) Peyton also really enjoyed the Mexican restaurant on the resort - in the evenings they had a flute player that was quite smitten with Peyton and he often played over by her which she just loved! Daddy & Grandpa got to play 3 rounds of golf (and Mommy joined them for one round on a beautiful ocean course) - I think they had a great time! Beautiful courses with incredible scenery - they even got to use a caddy one day! Grammy & Mommy snuck away for a little spa time one day, what a relaxing way to spend the day. Grandpa, Daddy & Mommy even decided to live on the wild side and went zip lining. 8 zip lines, long climbs and the chance to go down some of the lines tandem - we went FAST! Like I said, WHEW! We had an excellent time!!!

Here's Peyton in her stroller - she often walked over to her stroller and crawled into it when she was ready to go for a ride, even if it was just on a ride around the room!

Peyton & Mommy in the zero-entry pool. Peyton LOVED this pool since she could stand up and walk around in the water, sit down and splash and then get back up again.

Family photo before a delicious dinner - the grounds at the resort were beautiful
Peyton getting ready for swim time in her stylin' bikini. Peyton also enjoyed lots of coloring time in the hotel room, the trick was getting her to color on the paper and not the furniture!
A beautiful sunset that we enjoyed while on a sunset cruise. We even saw several whales while on our cruise - amazing!
Peyton & Grammy at the Mexican restaurant. This was at breakfast - since the flute player wasn't around during breakfast time Peyton was entertained by all of the birds flying around.
Another stylin' bikini -
Grandpa, Daddy & Mommy on the zip line - we probably got up to 40-50 mph on this zip line
Grammy, Grandpa & Peyton hangin' out on the resort
Daddy being silly on the zip line - he went backwards on several zip lines so that he could go faster!
Grandpa, Daddy & Mommy on the Ocean Course -
Daddy & Mommy before the zip line tour started -
Peyton playing in the sand - she liked the sand, amazingly liked the taste of salt water but wasn't a huge fan of the cold loud ocean. All in all her first trip to the beach went pretty well.
Daddy & Peyton playing in the sand -

Another fun tidbit - Peyton learned to dip her food on vacation - especially dipping just about anything in guacamole, including her carrots.

We had many more pictures and it was hard to pick just a few to put on here - what a fun vacation!

A few short stories from the week -

Peyton the Eating Machine - Peyton must be going through an incredible growth spurt. The absolute second she wakes up in the morning she starts making the sign for eat. I’ve gotten smarter as the week has gone on and have started bringing her sippy cup and a quick snack with me when I wake her up as the walk down to the kitchen is just too far – hilarious! This morning, though, I took her down to eat her morning snack in her high chair as I planned on giving her the rest of her blueberries since we are headed out of town. She ate all that I had left but kept making the sign for more and even has started saying more! I had to show her the empty container and then find another snack for her. Dinner has become tougher as well since she is ready to eat as soon as we walk in the door from daycare – again, literally the second we walk in the door! Sometimes a snack with pacify her but the girl is always ready to eat!

Dancing with the Snowman – A few years ago I picked-up one of the Hallmark signing snowman Christmas decorations and Peyton LOVES it! She has figured out how to turn on the music and then takes a step back and starts spinning around to dance! She is so cute when she gets to spinning and sometimes spins so much that she falls over from being dizzy!

“Again” – In addition to “more”, Peyton has started to say “again”. This one doesn’t come out quite as often but is super cute when she is so excited about something that she wants to do it again, usually when Daddy is spinning her around or turning her upside down!

Hugs from Peyton – Almost every day this week when Peyton’s boyfriend Evan gets to school she has made a mad dash to the door to give him a hug – super cute! She is also quite the little hugging machine at home and is more than happy to pass out a hug to anyone who asks – we love it!

Peyton Goes to the Symphony

Today we had the chance to go to the Kansas City Symphony Concert. Peyton did GREAT! We heard many Christmas favorites and enjoyed a family night out! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Peyton had a very busy and fun Thanksgiving holiday this year! We started our Thanksgiving holiday with a tasty meal at Nana & Papa's house. The whole Sanders crew was there and we had a fun time visiting with everyone!

Here's Peyton beating up on her poor cousin Wyatt (in her cute new jumper)-

Let's play ball Uncle Clint -

Yummy, yummy Uncle Landen - I don't know what Redi Whip is but it sure is tasty!

Then on Friday Peyton & I headed to Clinton for our annual baking day with Grammy. Peyton was quite the little helper (she played with Granny while we baked and helped us taste test some of our goodies). What a fun time having all four generations there for baking day this year.

Here's Peyton learning how to get in and out of my rocking chair -

Boy, I sure do love chocolate (notice Peyton's adorable Queen of the Kitchen in Training apron :)) -

Then on Friday night we headed to the square in Clinton for the lighting ceremony, Christmas parade and a little Christmas party hosted by Grandpa's bank. Peyton of course was adorable and had a fun time at the party!
Here's Peyton & Grandpa making an ornament for the tree -

Daddy came to meet us on Saturday and Mommy & Daddy snuck out to play 9 holes of golf in the morning and then Grandpa & Daddy played some more golf on Saturday afternoon. Then on Saturday we wrapped-up our Thanksgiving activities with a yummy dinner with the Mintun clan.

Here's Grammy & Peyton (in her cute little Thanksgiving t-shirt)
Sunday was our day to catch-up at home. We even got the tree put-up and the house all decorated for Christmas. Peyton seems to like the tree and so far has pretty much left it alone - here's to hoping that she keeps being a good girl with the tree!

Peyton All Dolled-up

I don't know why but I thought Peyton looked so adorable in this outfit before going to church that I had to take a few pictures! A girl who is always on the go....

Peyton First Birthday Pics

This photo shoot was a little messy but boy was it fun!

Peyton's 1 Year Check-up

This week we had Peyton's 1-year check-up and she is doing great! She has a little bit of an ear infection but otherwise was doing great! She weighed-in at 19 lbs 2 oz (25%) and was 29 1/4" (50%) - what a growing girl!

Peyton is 1!!!

Happy Birthday Peyton!

The big day finally came, Peyton's First Birthday!! Last Friday was Peyton's first birthday and to start the celebration Mommy & Daddy went to school at snack time with tasty decorated cookies for all of Peyton's friends. Needless to say they were quite a hit! Here are a few pics from our surprise visit.

Daddy and the birthday girl at school -
Then on Saturday it was time to get ready for the big party. Grammy came up on Friday to help us get everything ready for the party - an extra set of hands was greatly appreciated! I was insistent that I make Peyton's birthday cake and I'm so glad that I did. I had a blast making them though it did take a bit longer than I expected. They turned out great if I do say so myself!


We started the party with lots of fun appetizers followed by gift opening. Peyton kept herself pretty entertained between sitting in her new Tinkerbell rocking chair, taking rides with her boyfriend Evan in her new red wagon (a big hit!), carrying around her new pajamas and playing with her balloons while Mommy opened all of her gifts! Needless to say she will be dressed very well and has lots of fun new things to play with over the next few months. Then came the fun part, CAKE! Once in her high chair Peyton hardly wanted to wait for us to sing Happy Birthday and blow out her candle - she was ready to dig in! After she was done (and everyone else enjoyed their cake), Apollo helped the birthday girl clean-up her mess! :)


What a fun party!!!!

Here's Peyton with her snazzy party hat and cakes -
The birthday girl and her proud parents -
Time to open the presents!

Load up my presents Mom!

Happy Birthday to you - Happy Birthday to you - Happy Birthday dear Peyton - Happy Birthday to you!!!!
And finally, time to dig in (and boy did she love her cake - yummy!!!!!!)

Thanks to everyone that came to celebrate Peyton's big day with us. Thank you also for your very generous gifts - Peyton is one lucky girl!!!!

Todd Family Pictures

We decided it was time for an updated picture of all of the Todd's together since the last family picture we took was at our wedding, over 7 years ago! Enjoy!

Big Week for Peyton

This past week was a big one for Peyton. On Sunday she took a bit of a spill outside and scratched up her little cheek (see picture below). I must say, she is a tough little girl! Not much ever seems to phase her! Then on Monday she started spending her days in the Raccoon Room (1 year old room) at school. Wow! She is really growing up! This was the point that it really started to hit me that she turns one next Friday - holy cow! I'm not sure how to feel about this exactly - I'm very excited that she is growing, learning and thriving in just about every way I can think of but at the same time my baby girl seems to be a thing of the past. Bedtime has transitioned to me reading a book or two with sometimes Peyton running around her room the whole time instead of sitting on my lap followed by a sip of milk, brushing teeth and then saying her prayers while she is already laying down in her crib (versus me holding her and rocking her this entire time). She is so independent which is great but a little hard on Mom at the same time. She even knows that when we say it's time for Night-Night to go over and give her Daddy a big hug and then almost always walks over to the gate downstairs, climbs both sets of stairs and walks over to her changing area to get on her nighttime diaper and PJs. What a big girl! But I digress...

Most of the week she spent her days starting out in the Cottontail room (infant room) and after breakfast heading to the Raccoon Room to learn the ropes before fully transitioning when she officially turns one. She even took her nap over there a few days this week. This may not seem like a big deal to most but in the 1 year old room they take their naps on little cots instead of in cribs. Obviously it isn't a big deal for her as she has slept well on her little cot but Mom again was the one that was quite nervous about this change! Good thing Peyton is so flexible and willing to try new things!

Then, on Wednesday, Peyton had a big surprise with Grammy & Grandpa stopping by for a visit since they had the day off. From what I've heard she had a ball showing off her new room, toys, etc. to her grandparents and they even had the chance to be entertained by Peyton and all the other kiddos at snack time (picture 10 one year olds eating yogurt... entertaining may be putting it lightly)!

Friday brought on our 7th (yes, 7th) incident report from school. Peyton fell down outside while trying to move from the playground equipment area to the grass and conked her nose pretty good on the metal piece holding all of the wood chips in - OUCH! Between her ouchy from last Sunday and her boogered up nose she almost looks like she's been to war and back!

Today we had a fun family day. After taking care of some things around the house and running Apollo to the vet this morning we headed up to the Legend's for a little shopping and a tasty lunch. It seems that no matter where we go Peyton gets a TON of compliments (even with her war wounds). What a little cutie! She did a great job hangin' out in her stroller while we shopped, though she has found if she puts her feet on the little foot rest she can almost stand up in the stroller when she gets excited - cute! Then we made her put her hood up on her jacket when we were outside since it was a little chilly but as soon as we walked into a store she reached-up and took it off herself. Guess she knows why her hood is up and figured it isn't necessary inside!

Well - below is Peyton's 11 month picture with Pooh (which was a little late - oops - but late is better than never, right?) as a treat for those that actually made it to the end of this very long post! Since Peyton is interacting and changing so fast I feel that I have so many more stories to tell!

Flu, Ear Infection and Croup - OH MY!

We have been blessed with a VERY healthy little girl. Unfortunately, everything seemed to catch-up with Peyton at one time! Tuesday afternoon daycare called and told us Peyton had a 102 degree fever and a nasty cough. With Tylenol & Motrin we were able to keep her fever down but if we were ever late with a dose her fever popped back up to 102-103. Scary! Late on Wednesday though her fever seemed to have broke and she acted as if she felt better. Thursday morning, however, she was back to not feeling so hot. Thursday afternoon we decided it was time to have her checked out and so we went to the Dr. 45 minutes later we found out that she had Flu A (most likely H1N1), the start of an ear infection and a mild case of croup. Wow - all at once, poor girl!

After a few doses of Tamiflu and Amoxil along with some extra TLC from Mom and Dad I am happy to report Saturday appears to have been a recovery day! Today we had our smiley, busy body little toddler back, YAY!!

Since Peyton wasn't feeling so hot most of the week this week I only have one pic. Here's Peyton at dinner tonight, the first time dining with her own plate! What was on the menu? Steak, peas, crescent roll and some pureed sweet potatoes and corn - yummy!

We are so thankful that Peyton is feeling better! Hopefully she can get a great night's sleep tonight and continue her recovery tomorrow!

Dancin' Peyton

Priceless...

Mmmm....yummy pear

Peyton has become such a big girl. She will still eat little bites of food but she now loves to try and eat like a big girl. At school last week she even tried her hand at eating with a spoon. Here she is digging into her pear - she thought she was pretty hot stuff eating her snack this way!

Trick or Treat

Peyton had an excellent first Halloween! Friday my group had a bring your kiddos to work trick or treating event and Peyton was of course quite the hit! Peyton headed in to work with me early in the morning, had a little breakfast at Mommy's desk and then showed her stuff around my office. Here she is with her new friend Avery getting into some boxes. They had a ball running from desk to desk to pick-out candy from everyone's pumpkins - cute, cute!
Then on Friday night we headed to the Mayberry's for some pizza and pumpkin carving. Peyton enjoyed chillin' in Evan's rocking chair during part of the festivities.
It has been YEARS since I have carved a pumpkin but we had a blast trying our hands at pumpkin carving. Here's a pic mid-project...
Everyone played their part - Marla & I carved pumpkins, Kip roasted our pumpkin seeds for a tasty treat later in the evening and Chad bounced the kiddos around to keep the entertained and their little hands away from all the sharp tools.
And here was my finished product - I was quite proud of my pumpkin! The picture of Marla's didn't turn out on my camera but hers was great! Thanks for having us over - what a fun start to Halloween weekend!
Then on Saturday we headed to Lexington for a visit with Grandma & Grandpa Todd, Nana & Papa, Uncle Clint, Aunt April, Wyatt and Whitney, Great Aunt Linda and Kelli. Everyone thought Peyton looked adorable in her Snow White costume and how could I disagree?!? Grandpa Todd even gathered up a yard full of leaves into a pile for the kids to play in. Wyatt & Whitney loved the leaves. Peyton tried her hand at playing in the leaves but had more fun watching Wyatt & Whitney jump around! It was a beautiful fall day for playing outside!
And last but not least we got Peyton all dressed up for going out. Peyton looked adorable in her Snow White costume. We visited a few houses around the neighborhood and then returned home to treat all the other kids that were coming around the neighborhood.
Peyton was so excited to greet everyone that came to the door!
We had a great Halloween!!!