Goodbye to the Old, Hello to the New

Well, December was a complete whirlwind. Capped off by a 2 week trip to Chicago to see lots of family and friends and to celebrate the holidays. We had a GREAT trip and loved every minute seeing so many wonderful people, but it was definitely nice to get home and get back to our space and our routine. I figured, I'd let the pictures and videos do the talking this month to show you all the fun we had.

Trip on the Pikes Peak Cog to see Santa with Mommy and JoJo


Getting Ready to Fly (Peyton's first airplane ride)


P and Grandma Joannie at the Play Cafe


G watching "Sleeping Beauty" with Grandma Joannie just like I used to do all the time


Sledding with Auntie LaLa


Fun at the Children's Museum (Grocery Shopping)


Putting out cookies and milk for Santa


Santa Came!!!!


G and P in the super cute Xmas outfits


So Much Fun Playing with Great Grandma Bell (GGB)


P and LaLa in the cutest dress that she bought her


Learning to Make Homemade Healthy Soft Serve with Nonny


Jumping at Pump it Up with Nonny


Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies for Daddy with Poppy



As you can see LOTS of fun was had by all. Thanks to everyone for letting us stay with you and for taking such good care of all 3 of us. We miss you already and can't wait to see you soon!

So, so long 2010 and welcome 2011......glad to be in the year when Kyle will be coming home to us.

All Our Love,
K,L,G,and P

6 Month Stats

Peyton turned 6 months old yesterday and had her check up today. Here are her updated stats:

Height: 27.5 inches (97th percentile)

Weight: 19 lbs. 11 ounces (97th percentile)

Head Circumference: 45 cm (97th percentile)

So, she's big and beautiful. Our wonderful pediatrician says she looks fantastic and is developmentally right where she should be. She did tell me she is the size of an average 10 month old....ha ha. In comparison, Greyson is 29 lbs so only a 10 pound difference between the two of them. I'm sure she'll level out when she gets moving just like G did. For now I'm just going to love and adore all her folds and pudgy cheeks. She's our gorgeous princess!

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Last Night of Hanukkah to all our Jewish friends and family. I'm quite impressed with how well G was singing the blessing by the last night.

It's the Holiday Season

Well, as you can see from the pictures above we've had another busy month. From attending the Veteran's Day parade, to a trip to the North Pole Amusement Park, to going to the shooting range we definitely managed to keep busy and have fun during November.







In other news, Peyton is growing and changing almost everyday. She's "talking" and making noises constantly. She's eating stage 1 fruits and vegetables and so far seems to like just about everything. No surprise there with our gorgeous chubby baby girl. She's now working on rolling and every now and then manages to do it on her own. She's gaining a lot of head and back strength and is enjoying spending more time sitting in her bumbo and playing in her exersaucer. Can't believe she'll be 6 months in a matter of days.






With Peyton turning 6 months, it's a reminder that Kyle has now been deployed for 4 months...yeah, for being 1/3 of the way done. Speaking of Kyle, he had an exciting month. On Thanksgiving he was promoted to First Lieutenant and found out that shortly after the new year he'll be switching to a different battalion 4-42 Field Artillery and taking a slot as a platoon leader. It's a big honor as Kyle was one of two out of 15 candidates selected to take these leadership positions. We'll keep you posted as soon as we know more and this will definitely be a change of address for him in the near future. The pictures above show Lt. Colonel Padgett (1-22 Battalion Commander) shaking Kyle's hand after "pining" on his new rank. The other shows Kyle with his Company Commander Isaac and the former company XO Cary - who happen to be the husbands of my two great friends Allyson and Orienna. Love the symmetry of the picture of the 3 of them together as the 3 of us wives spend a lot of time together.



The month ended with a laid back Thanksgiving with us and Kyle's parents and then I headed out of a town with 2 fellow Army spouses for a getaway to Winter Park. Big thanks to Daryl and Joyce for watching G & P while I was away. I did my first 'real' skiing and proud to say I survived and escaped uninjured. It was a bit petrifying at first, but with time and practice I definitely improved and had some fun. It was a really fun trip and now we're in the wind down to the holidays time and getting ready for our big trip to Chicago for Christmas. We can't wait to get in town and see many family and friends.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season. Don't forget to check out the rest of the November pictures linked on the left.

Love,
K,L,G, and P

Hope This Holiday Season ROCKS!

Enjoy a little rock n' roll start to your holiday season from our family to yours! Who knew Kyle could sing like that, that I look quite striking with giant red hair, that G can rock the guitar, and Peyton can do one heck of a drum solo at only 5 months old? Hope this gives you a good laugh and smile!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

A Quarter of the Way Done

Well, another new month arrives and we're another month down with the deployment. Thankful to say this month marks us making it 1/4 of the way. Now that doesn't sound so great, but I'm thinking next month when we're 1/3 of the way through it will sound really good!

We continue to keep busy, as usual, to make the days while K is away pass quickly. This month was highlighted by my trip home to Chicago for Beth and Michael's wedding in Peoria. It was a beautiful ceremony and a super fun celebration. I enjoyed a weekend kid free thanks to my inlaws staying with the kids at our house in Colorado. Minus Greyson sharing a little bug he had with them they had a a great weekend and I enjoyed a fun time with family. If any of you know my sister and I well then you know that when we get together we always have fun, and fun we had!

Greyson continues to be the amazing little boy that he is. I attending his parent-teacher conference at his preschool and his teacher told me he is a great kid that loves to sing and play with his friends. It was wonderful to hear that he is just as wonderful as a kid when I'm not around.

Peyton also is doing fantastically. She's entered in to the really fun stage of being a smushy cute baby who smiles and coos. She's sitting up, assisted, and holding her head up almost all the time. She is such a sponge right now who loves to sit on my lap and see what's happening all around her. She also smiles all the time and makes the cutest baby sounds and laughs. She is such a laid back baby and so genuinely sweet. We have started introducing her to rice cereal (see video below) and will begin baby food soon.

Kyle continues to stay very busy overseas. He's now started the process of working with a military officer headhunter to prepare for the civilian job hunt when his Army obligation ends in May 2012. We're excited to get the ball rolling and to see what the next step in Kyle's career will hold for us and our family. He sends his thanks for the many packages and continued support and prayers. They definitely keep his morale up and help him get through the frustration of being separated from us. Each day gone is one closer to being done.

Hope you all had a fantastic Halloween. Greyson sure did! He was one adorable Buzz Lightyear and got to wear his costume at least 5 times...somehow Halloween has turned into a week long event. Peyton enjoyed her Team Daddy cheerleader costume and fun was had by all.

Enjoy the October pictures (linked to the left) and the videos below.

Lots of Love,
K, L, G, and P


P in the Exersaucer


Greyson Being a Goof for Daddy (IPhone Video)


Peyton's First Cereal Feeding


Greyson and his Buddies Trick or Treating

Peyton - 4 Month Update

Well, tomorrow Peyton will be officially 4 months old. Hard to believe she's getting so big. Today we had her 4 month old check up. Here is her updated stats:

Weight 16.2 lbs (95th percentile)
Height 26 inches (97th percentile)
Head Circumference 43.25cm (95th percentile)

So, yes we have one not so little, little lady :) Our pediatrician says she looks wonderful and is growing just as she should. Here's a video of our little girl in action. She's definitely the little princess of our family.



Love to you all!
K,L,G,and P