First off, I have two pics that I stole from Jodi's blog. Here's Bella with her little cousin, Ava.
My turn with the little beauty. 
And of course, Ava and Graydon. He was pretty fascinated with her pony tail for quite a while.
Doggy smooches!!! Getting reaquainted with Hurley.
Donnie and Auntie Mary! I could not get him to keep those fingers out of his mouth. 
Graydon had this fun little game with Uncle Scott. He would look up and stare at him for a few seconds. Then he'd turn his head towards us and laugh. Then he'd return his eyes toward Uncle Scott and give another serious stare. This went on for a few minutes. I laughed so hard there were tears in my eyes. 
Uncle Andy and Ava
Our two kiddos in the ball pit. This was a very popular toy. 
Little Miss Ava 
Snuggle time with Auntie Lori . . . 
. . . and a sleepy Grandpa. Graydon was content as could be - which surprised me since he never sits still with me anymore.
Party time! Graydon turned one while we stayed with my parents. Auntie Lori and Ava are ready to celebrate! 
I made a little banner of Graydon through the year. 
And decorated some noisemakers that unfortunately didn't make any noise.
Cupcake toppers! 
And there's the birthday boy!!! 
"Happy Birthday to you"
Cupcake time! 
He wasted no time getting right to it. 
All cupcaked out. He managed to keep his face (besides the mouth area) rather clean. His lap and pants were another story. 
The next day, we had the rest of the family over for a little birthday party.
More cake and singing!! 
Laughing with Grandma
The following day, we celebrated our family Christmas
The kids came back with quite the loot!
Bella played the Wii for the first time. She loved golf but got pretty frustrated with bowling. (And isn'st Auntie Lori cute in Bella's tiara). 
Our week at the Benetti House came to an end. Kilps House here we come. . .
One of Bella's nightly rituals was making popcorn with Grandpa. She did not let him forget about it either.
All bundled up! It seems we can always count on lots of snow when we're back in Wisconsin!
Auntie Laura was nice enough to take the kids outside.
Monkey pile on Andy! 
Daddy and Bella 
Our attempt at a photo with all five cousins. I probably took at least 20 shots and this was the best I got. Grady Boy did not sit still for long. Even here, he's just about to take off. 
Uncle Tom with the big kids.
Silly gooses! 
Before we knew it, our vacation had come to an end and it was time to head back east. We must have arrived in Pennsylvania shortly after a snowfall, because we had miles and miles that looked like this. It was beautiful!
There are lots of mountains to drive through in PA which means lots of tunnels to go under. Something must have happened inside one of the tunnels (we still don't know what), because we got stuck in traffic and backed up for quite some time. We eventually got the kids out of their seats since it was clear we weren't going anywhere any time soon. They must have been out of their seats for five minutes when suddenly the traffic started moving again. I scrambled pretty quick to get them both buckled in as we finally made our way through the tunnel. 
As good as it felt to get away, it felt wonderful to get home, sleep in our own beds, and quit living out of suitcases. We miss everyone, but it's good to get back into a little routine again. I didn't take Graydon's teddy bear with us, so here is his 12-month photo, a few days late. This was by far the hardest one to take. As soon as I put him in the chair, he started rocking in it. That was a first. I couldn't get him to stop moving. Here he is mid-rock.
Then he started grabbing his bear and hugging it to the point where I could only see his hands and feet. This was the best I could do. . . and he's still a little blurry because he's moving so much. Typical one-year-old, I guess.
Graydon took his first step on January 2nd. The most steps I've seen him take so far is 16, though it's usually about 6-8 on average before he ends up on his hands and feet. This photo isn't the greatest, but it's the only one I have of him walking so far.
While we were gone, Graydon made a big announcement for us. 
In case you can't read that, here's a closer look. 
Now, in case you need translation like much of our family did, I'll make this easy: I'm pregnant! Baby #3 is due July 5, 2010. We are very excited about the new addition to our family. We kept this a secret for quite a while because we wanted to tell our families in person at Christmas. It feels good to finally be able to share our news!!! The Kilps house is going to be very lively this summer! 
