Preston Turns 5!

I can't believe it! My baby boy is 5! The time has certainly flown by, just as everyone says it will! This year Preston really wanted a sledding party at Diego's house (cause he has the coolest sledding hill at his house) and he wanted it to be Star Wars theme. So, we got busy planning, and had a great party!

Here is Preston with his homemade Jedi cake (making cakes fancy and pretty is not my speacialty....but it sure tasted good)!

Darron made Jedi robes for all the kids and I might Ligh Sabers. They earned their robes and became Jedi's after passing the "Jedi Training Course" of a light saber battle, pod racing (sledding), shooting the bad guys, and learning to use light sabers by keeping a balloon in the air. After earning their robes, they were surprise attacked by Darth Vader....but boy did they take him down...and down....and down! He didn't have a chance!

While we were in Texas, Preston and his Maggie (my mom) had a great time making him his own Jedi robe, complete with a hood!

Here is a great picture of Jedi Master Darron putting the kids through the training course of learning to shoot the bad guys!
I'm not sure who had more fun, Darron or the kids!

I love my Preston! He is funny, easy going, sensitive, happy, talkative, playful, kind, and outgoing. He is comfortable in new situations, and enjoys making new friends and being a helper. He is thrivin in Preschool this year and looks forward to learning and playing everyday. He absolutely loves his baby brother Parker and puts up with Payton pretty well. He is still a snuggler, but it's on his own terms. His cousins, Brookelynn and Max, are his favorite people and he never gets tired of playing with them. He loves Sunday School class and singing and he's doing a great job trying to understand about Jesus and Heaven. Preston brings joy to our lives. He is easy, and fun, and loving, and my boy! I'm so glad God chose ME to be his momma! Happy 5th birthday my big boy!

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving time together with family this year. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures! Confession time: I LOVE having pictures, but I don't really enjoy being responsible to take them. And Darron doesn't either. So it's not uncommon for us to forget our cameras and end up without pictures! Maybe this should be a New Year's Resolution for me!!

My family and T/Scott's family went up to Grandma's on Wednesday night. We had a quick dinner and let the kids play for awhile. Then we made pallets on the floor and got the kids settled in to bed for the night. The guys had rented a chick flick for us, and it was terrible! But we still enjoyed just relaxing together.

Thursday morning was very relaxing and we started making the food for the feast! About mid-day Chris' family and Suzie's family arrived, along with two family friends that celebrate with us. The day was complete with a huge dinner, sledding, movies for the kids, and just relaxing and playing. Darron and Scott headed to Scott's house to sleep a little before they started their 3 a.m. shopping. The rest of us slept at Grandma's. The older cousins (Tressa, Richard, and Randall) babysat the rest of our 6 kids so us girls could do our annual shopping. We were out from 4 a.m. until about 5 pm (we did sneak away to lunch and a movie during that time as well). We all had a wonderful day, including the kids. Darron and Scott took the three teens to dinner and a movie as a thank-you for keeping our kids. And Chris, T, and I (and the kids) spent one more night up at Grandma's....just for fun since the guys were out anyways.

We slowly woke up Saturday morning, had coffee and a late breakfast, played with the kids, and finally headed home for nap time.

This was the first major Holiday without Darron's dad. We all missed him greatly, and shared some fun memories of him. Darron's family is always positive and remained that way, even when missing Keith.

Although it's been a tough year enduring the sickness and loss of Grandpa Keith, we still feel very blessed in this life, and even more so in the tight family that makes up the Rizer's. We hope you had a great day celebrating and being thankful for blessings as well.

Halloween 2010

I'm back! I've been gone from the blog world for awhile. Lots going on, and then you throw my laziness into the picture, and I end up MIA from blogging. But, I know I'll regret not having more in my printed blog books to look back on, and since I'm even worse at scrapbooking than I am blogging, I guess I better attempt to get caught up!

We had a great time "celebrating" Halloween. To be honest, I'm not a huge Halloween fan. I grew up wearing costumes, decorating the house, and trick-or-treating. And while I have nothing against dressing up and getting free candy :), I just don't like all the dark and scarey undertones of Halloween. So I like to think of it more as celebrating Fall and we decorate with lots of pumpkins and scarecrows...although I give in and let Darron put out a few of his Halloween-y decorations too.

Since our church didn't have a Fall Festival this year, we improvised. Several of our friends and their kids came to our house. There were 10 adults and 8 kids total....ages 5 to 4 months. We had dinner together and let the kids play for awhile. Then we suited up (it was COLD) and headed out for some trick-or-treating.

Here is Payton, the Pirate Princess. :)Our friend Brad planned some very fun games for adults and kids to play together. This is Marquel, gracefully wearing a stocking and trying to beat my time in knocking over bottles. I won! :)


Preston, Payton and I had fun digging out our pumpkins and getting them ready for Darron to carve. I think I've almost perfected my roasting seeds recipe...they were YUMMY!

After the kids were tired and winding down, we put on a movie in the other room and let them have some down time. Then the adult fun began! Brad divided us into two teams and gave us a bag full of random supplies. We had 20 minutes to dress one team member in a costume. The kids voted on the costume they liked the most. I think it was a tie! :)

Darron and Brad sported some great looks!

And here is my Parker boy! He was a clown! :) He and I stayed home during the trick-or-treating and enjoyed visiting with Kimi and Marta as they stayed to keep us company. Parker seemed to love all of the attention he got that night with so many friends holding him!

Becca sporting the hose and trying her best to beat my time! Nope Becca, that title is ALL MINE BABY!! :)

Payton getting in on the games too!

I can't believe I didn't take any more pictures than this! I was so busy having fun and taking care of kids, I just didn't get many pictures. Kimi got a great picture of all the kids in their costumes before trick-or-treating. I'll have to get a copy. And poor Preston didn't even make the pictures! He was a cute little Iron Man, plastic mask and all! :)

Seasons of Life

**Warning, long post with no pictures!**

I remember when I had first had Preston, I made the choice to not be involved in as many activities and things so I could really focus on being a mom. I remember feeling guilty about not being as involved with ministries at church when an older, more experienced mom said, "Just remember, there are seasons of life we live through and you're in a new season of being a mom. Enjoy this season while you're in it." I have thought about her words of wisdom many times over the years, and especially during these last five months.

April 1, 2010 began a new season of life for our family. A tiring season. An unfamiliar season. A scarey season. A sad season. A memory making season. A season spent with family and valuing time together. A season spent learning to compromise and support each other. A season that has brought us closer together. A season that has challenged us and forced us to grow up. But thankfully, a season that we know was determined by the Lord and covered in his love and mercy.

April 1, 2010 was the day we found out the devastating news that Darron's dad had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. That day, our priorities in life changed. Everything we did centered around spending time with dad and making our last memories together.

During these past five months, our lives have been full of chaos, challenges, and time together:

*I quit my job at a school I dearly loved and had been a part of for nine years!

*Darron went solo in his business that he has shared with his dad for the past 10 years. He moved offices. And he had a huge audit for work (which of course he passed with flying colors)!

*Parker was born, then three weeks later spent seven days in the hospital. This was also the week of Darron's huge audit for work and a family fishing trip to celebrate dad's 70th birthday! More on this story in a future post.

*Countless family member flew into town to spend time with mom and dad and our family.

*Dad turned 70.

*Mom, dad, Darron, T, and Chris went to Seward together for 5 days.

*Mom, dad, Darron, T, Chris, and Suzy went to Hawaii together for 10 days.

*I flew to Texas by myself with the three kids and SURVIVED! :)

*The entire family (except for me and Parker) went on a fishing charter to celebrate dad's 70th birthday.

*Numerous weekends were spent at the cabin together and numerous evenings were spent on the Hillside having dinner together.

August 31, 2010....the pancreatic cancer that had spread to dad's liver and kidney's finally caught up with him and he passed away at 5 am. He was at the cabin surrounded by all five kids and mom.

September 9, we celebrated dad's life with a beautiful memorial service and reception. Over 300 people came to honor dad and remember the beautiful life he lived.

This season of life has been the most challenging during our 9 1/2 years of marriage. Although I don't feel as though we are transitioning to a new season yet, I do feel like the rain is letting up and the flood waters are beginning to recede.

While I don't wish for another stormy season like this, I am so thankful to have been carried through on the shoulders of dear friends, an incredible chuch family, and a close physical family. Although I still have many questions and don't understand why some things had to happen, I know that the Lord is still MY Lord and He has carried our family through. And for that I praise him.

Just like the seasons change from Summer, to Fall, to Winter, to Spring....I know our seasons in life will continue to change as well. And I'm really looking forward to a more calm, peaceful season!

Summer Fun!

We have not had the best of weather this summer. May and the beginning of June started out BEAUTIFUL! Lots of sun and temps in the high 60's and mid 70's. However, we are now setting records for the most rain in years....the second rainiest July in record with 28 straight days of rain! YUCK!!

Despite the rainy weather, we take advantage of being outside anytime the sun peaks its' head out. Luckily we get direct sun in our backyard, so we have a great time playing.

Here are a few highlights of our summer fun in the backyard!

Head Straight for the ER!

(This post is actually LONG overdue. But, what's new?! :) Many of you followed this story as it unfolded on Facebook, but I wanted to get it into the blog so it would be in our published book I make once a year.)

Sunday, July 11, 2010, began like any Sunday morning. We all woke up and enjoyed some lazy time before getting ready for church. Parker seemed a little fussier than normal, but I just thought he probably had gas. No big deal. We went to church, then to lunch with family, and Parker seemed normal, just a little sleepy as he slept all through lunch. After lunch we went home, put Payton down for a nap, and Parker nursed and fell asleep on me. A little into his nap, I began to think maybe he wasn't feeling well. He was very fidgety and tossing and turning. It was then I noticed he was super hot, actually sweating on me.

I decided to take his temperature and it came back at 101.7. I nursed him, then took it again. It was 101.9. I immediatly called the pediatricians office, and they told me to head straight to the ER.

Grandma (Darron's mom) came down to be with Preston and Payton as we headed to the ER with Parker. Upon arriving, they took his temperature and it was still at 101.2. The ER doc did a quick check over and told us they would have to do a full work up because anything over 100.4 in a newborn was dangerous. Parker was only 3 weeks old at the time. A full work included a urinalysis (NOT a fun experience), chest x-rays and a spinal tap. Yep, a spinal tap! Needless to say, Darron and I were panicing inside. It was horrible to watch our sweet baby boy going through this. We shed many tears and just tried to comfort Parker as much as possible. He did great for what he was going through.

After all the tests were preformed, we were expecting them to send us on our way with orders to give tylenol or something. I guess we were in denial that something could really be wrong. It wasn't long before the ER doc came back in to tell us he was working on our admitting paperwork. "Wait, do you mean we're being admitted and will be staying here??!!" I asked. Because they had to wait on the results of the spinal tap, etc., we would be staying at least 24 to 48 hours. WHAT?? After the initial shock wore off, Darron headed home to get me some clothes and food (it was not past 9pm). He came back an hour later followed by his sister T. And before long we were being escorted upstairs to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (although the assured me we were only in the PICU because they had no rooms in the regular pediatric area).

Soon, the pediatric doctor on call showed up to tell us they weren't sure what was going on yet. They were checking for menengitis, chicken pox, and several other things. OR, it could just be a bad viral cold. But we would have to wait and see.

Darron and T both really wanted to stay with me, but I knew there was nothing they could do and there was only one bed. So at about 2:00 am they headed to T's to sleep. Thankfully, Becca was not working since it was summer time so she had gone to our house to take care of Payton and Preston for us!

The next several days were a blur. Dr. Tappel, our pediatrician, came in first thing Monday morning to meet with us. The first spinal tap was unusable so he performed another spinal tap. Parker's fever reached a high of 102.9 at one point. He was miserable. Just sleeping, eating, and moaning. Darron was a mess. His dad was turning 70 and the entire family was to go fishing to celebrate and Darron had to make the choice to miss what would be the last fishing trip with his dad. IV's were given, and changed, several times. Nurses were constantly in and out to hang antibiotic fluids and check his temperature. Dr. Tappel came by several times a day to check on Parker, and us. An ultrasound of Parker's head was performed to rule out any bleeding in the brain. We were put in a non-air-flow room until it was determined he did not have chicken pox.

Finally, on Wednesday or Thursday of that week, after exhausting all other tests and ruling out all other possibilities, it was determined that little Parker either had a bad viral infection that his body would work through, or bacterial menegitis which could be VERY dangerous if not treated. So, we ll agreed to air on the side of caution and continued treating for the menengitis, which meant 7 days of IV antibiotics. We had already been on the antibiotics since Sunday, so we needed to stay the rest of the week. No problem, as long as it meant my little man was being taken care of!

I left the hospital only one time that week while Darron stayed with Parker. Luckily, because I was nursing, the hospital gave me three meal vouchers a day to use in the cafeteria. So while Parker was sleeping, I would sneak away just long enough to grab some food and head back to the room.

I certainly wasn't lonely that week. I was SO BLESSED by so many people coming by the visit. We had numerous friends from church coming by to check on us and pray for Parker. We also had wonderful friends bringing us food, drinks, magazines, movies, music, and little gifts for Parker. The pastor and his family from our chuch brought a huge tub FULL of snacks and drinks. Another dear friend brought a bag full of homemade food and snacks. To say I was well taken care of is an understatement!

And I was also blessed by dear friends who took lots of time to come sit with me and keep me company. Darron came by everyday, but he was still having to work (he had his big audit that week) and he was also still being dad to Preston and Payton.

Marquel was a HUGE help. She kept Preston and Payton for us one day and spent LOTs of time at the hospital with me!

Darron had a hard time not being able to be with me and Parker all the time, but he did a fantastic job balancing work, us, and the other kids.

This is my sweet Parker in the ER after he had his IV put in. It took two tries to get it in and then they had to change it out midweek. Poor little guy. He was such a trooper!

The one positive about the hosital was that it got Parker sleeping in his own bed. Until this visit, he wouldn't sleep well unless he was in bed with me. He felt too terrible to care where he slept, so he got used to sleeping on his own. The nurses wouldn't let me hold him if I was asleep, so we had no choice. :)
It was so hard seeing him like this. I'm just so thankful they didn't have to put the IV in his head.

This was the ultrasound to make sure there was no bleeding in the brain. Praise the Lord it came by totally normal and Parker slept through the whole thing!

Becca was a complete lifesavor during this week. She (and Craig) stayed with Payton and Preston Sunday night through Wednesday afternoon and spoiled them rotten. Then, she spent time everyday at the hospital with me and Parker....I'm talking hours.....just keeping us company and being an emotional support for me. She was truly a blessing to our family.

Now it's November and Parker is 4 1/2 months old. It seems like forever ago that we were in the hospital. He's a big 16 pound, healthy baby boy. You would never have a clue he spent a week being sick.

While I don't ever want to experience something so scarey and uncertain with one of my children again, I am thankful for what God showed us during that time. Darron and I pulled together and were a strength for each other during a VERY stressful time, a time when it's easy to take out frustrations on each other. God showed us what He intended for a Christian family to be like..a family ralling around another family to pray, offer support, bring food, take care of kids, hug and love on, and just be there when needed. I had no idea that many people deeply cared about our family. I can't imagine going through an experience like this without having the love and support of a Christian family. And God also showed us that He is in control, that He has a plan, and that He is always with us.

This experience came during the mist of a storm for our family. Darron's dad was battling pancreatic cancer and each day was a new uncertainty. Just when we thought we were already in a valley, we found ourselves in an uncertain place with Parker and his health. But we never felt alone and we always had a peace knowing that our Father was surrounding us with His love and comfort. Praise the Lord!

Welcome Baby Parker

Only a month overdue....but finally......introducing William Parker Rizer.

Born Thursday, June 17th

5:15 pm

8 lbs 7 0z

20 1/2 inches Parker's birth story will always be a reminder to our family that God is in control and His timing is always perfect.

Although my due date was not until June 24, at 38 weeks I was already 5 cm dilated and 60% effaced. While this doesn't seem like a big deal, it was actually a VERY stressful time. Darron, his sisters, and his parents were leaving for a family weekend two hours away. Because Grandpa Keith is pancreatic cancer and his chemo does not seem to be working, a five day retreat to Seward was much needed for the family. My doctor encouraged Darron to still go on the trip, and told me to lay low as much as possible while he was gone! Nervous and apprehensive, Darron headed out early Thursday morning and we both prayed and trusted in the Lord's plan.

The kids and I had a fun few days, trying to stay busy without sending me into labor. Contractions were a regular part of my day and night and at one point they started coming about ten minutes apart.

Thankfully, Parker listened to his mommies pleads to stay put and Darron arrived home late Monday night to a very pregnant, contracting wife.

Less than 48 hours later, and labor was starting!

T and Scott wanted to keep Preston and Payton on Wednesday night because we all felt like labor was knocking on the door. So after dropping off the kids, Darron and I headed to a late movie. During the movie I was cramping pretty bad and having stronger contrations. After the movie we headed home and settled in for the night. I slept pretty good but woke up at 4 am needing to use the bathroom. I tried to go back to bed, but I couldn't stop thinking about a strawberry popsicle I had in the freezer. So....downstairs I went to enjoy! About 10 minutes later my contractions changed. Suddenly they were more painful and started coming closer together.

By 5:30 am I woke Darron up and told him my contractions were about seven minutes a part and pretty painful. Because of my history of delivery pretty quickly, we headed to the hospital.

T (Darron's sister and my labor support) met us at the hospital. My contractions were five minutes apart and I was still 5 cm dilated so we went walking the halls of the hospital for about an hour or so. After walking, my contractions were more painful and I had dilated another cm.

By noon I had received my epidural (LOVE those!) and the doctor decided to break my water about 1 pm. Not much happened until about 4:45. As I rolled over on my side, I felt Parker drop into place and I needed to push. In rushed the doctor and I pushed and breathed through one contraction. Parker's head came easily but the cord was wrapped around his neck twice. The doctor unwrapped the cord and suctioned his mouth and nose, then delivered the rest of him. He quickly turned from blue to red, was placed on my tummy, and screamed that precious cry all parents wait to hear. Because we didn't know if he was a boy or girl, I listened eagerly to hear several voices yell, "boy!" as he came out.....and I was RELIEVED to have another boy (not sure I can handle another girl!).

Preston LOVES his baby brother....they already have a special bond.

Walking the halls of the hospital at 39 weeks pregnant. I was way bigger with Parker than with the other two.

Happy to meet our new little man.

Is this Preston or Parker....they look SOOO much alike!

Payton and Preston meeting Parker for the first time.

Holding Parker for the first time.

Payton wasn't sure what to think at first. She LOVED Parker but wasn't sure how to handle the crying and having to share her momma's lap! She really enjoys talking to him and helping now.

Parker is a sweet little guy. Pretty laid back and easy going for the most part. Although life is busy with a four year old, a two year old (going through the terrible two's!), and a newborn....I wouldn't want it any differently! So thankful for my family and the blessing they are! And thankful for having a reminder, through Parker, of God's perfect timing and plan!

Catching Up

I'm finally taking time out of my nesting frenzy to update my blog with a few pictures. As I was downloading the pictures, I realized two things: 1) the date is wrong on our camera, yet again! and 2) I haven't taken many pictures lately! But here are a few:

37 weeks pregnant and the docs say I'm due any day now. We shall see. I love being pregnant, but I have definatly felt it more this go around! I finally feel "ready" for the baby and we're super excited to see if it's a boy or a girl! Any guesses??We did our annual family campout with Darron's family to Eklutna lake over Memorial Weekend. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather! It was HOT (in the high 70's) and wonderful! The kids had tons of fun playing in the dirst and water, going on hikes, and fishing with dad! It was great to camp with Grandpa again, although he slept a good part of the weekend.
Preston and his cousin (practically brother) are playing soccer again this year and LOVING it! Max has scored a few goals. Preston....well, let's just say sports may not be his big money maker! :) He loves to run and be around the ball and in the middle of the group, but he hasn't actually made a lot of contact with the ball. But by the smile on his face, you'd think he was scoring the winning goal!

Best buds!

Our neice got married a few weekends ago and Preston and Payton were the Ring Bearer and Flower girl (along with their cousins Brookelynn and Max). They did great and loved getting to dress up. Pres was disappointed that there was no ring on his pillow so I tied one of my rings on it for him. They were so stinkin' cute! Payton did great, but she tried to run back up the aisle. Too cute!

So far we have a had a great summer and been blessed with very warm, sunny weather! The kids love playing in the backyard this year and it's awesome to watch them enjoy something we put so much time and money into last year.

Darron's dad, Keith, is hanging in there. We just found out a couple of days ago that the chemo drug he has been on is not working. They are changing him to two different drugs starting next week. These aren't easy drugs and he will expereice many more side effects. We are trying to stay positive and enjoy our time with him. But our hearts are very heavy and the unkown is difficult. Please continue to keep our family in prayers.

Our next update will hopefully be pictures of a new baby! :)

Out of Touch

It's been a month a a half since my last post. A lot has been going on in our family during this past month. Many of you have been praying for our family and are aware of what is going on through Facebook. But I definatly wanted to blog about this season in our life so I can have it in the blog book I publish each year.

On April 1st, our "normal" life changed. After having terrible back pain, going to doctors, and having tests done, the news was finally delivered to Darron's dad.....cancer. While is appeared to be kidney cancer, we soon found out it was actually pancreatic cancer that had already spread to his kidney and liver. While Darron had been told cancer, none of us knew the type or seriousness of the cancer for a few hours. I received a phone call early afternoon from his sister and brother-in-law to let me know the seriousness of the situation. Terminal cancer. The most painful, fastest spreading cancer. Darron was in an appointment with clients and didn't know yet. So I called some close friends who dropped everything to come and be with my children. Darron's sister, T, picked me up and we headed to his office. When his clients left, we walked in. He could tell from our faces something was wrong. Telling my husband that his dad is dying from terminal cancer has by far been the hardest thing I have ever had to do in our nine years of marriage. I'm in tears now just thinking of that moment.

Keith and Ann boarded a plane to Hawaii that night because they needed time away, together and alone, to process things. They were gone just under a week. During that time, Darron and his sisters and brother-in-laws begin working on remodeling his dad's bathroom to make it functional and comfortable for him. They surprised him with this when he returned from Hawaii.

Much has happened since April 1st. There have been many doctors appointments, chemo once a week, many family dinners and time spent together, enough tears to last a life time, more prayers being lifted than can possibly be counted, and more worry and stress than we bargained for.

At this time, we don't know if the chemo is working or not. The tumor in Keith's pancreas is inoperable and he is in Stage 4. The chemo is hopefully shrinking the tumor to allow for less pain and more time. We've heard anywhere from six week to a year left with Keith. Only the Lord knows.

It's amazing how much life can change in one day. We are learning to live a new "normal" of being together with Darron's parents, the kids and I being alone much more, being more spontaneous and less planned, cutting back on outside obligations and responsibilities, and learning to support each other through it all.

During this season, we are also experiencing lots of change.
-Darron is now on his own at the office....Keith was planning to retire in July but has not worked since April 1st
-Darron is moving to a new office at the end of the month
-Our neice is getting married in a week and the family has been busy, busy
-I am leaving a school I dearly love and have been teaching at for 8 years
-We are having a baby in June
-Lots of different family is beginning to come in town to visit Keith and the family

We solicite your prayers and say thank-you to all of those who have already been praying. While we feel as though we are walking through the "valley of life" right now, we do fear no evil and feel strengthened and uplifted in the Lord daily. I will keep you updated, and I will post pictures of the family soon.

Family Pictures 2010

Payton Turns Two!

I can't believe that my "baby girl" is already two years old! Payton turned two on March 3rd! We decided not to have a big celebration this year, but we just kept it low key instead. Here is a sweet profile of my baby girl and her cute pony tail. Anytime I pull her hair up like this she feels it and says, "tuute" (cute)!Preston, Darron, and I took Payton to Chuck-E-Cheese to play some games and ride some rides for her birthday. Here she is on the horse. Darron went birthday shopping and came home with dishes for her new kitchen and this Easter hat. She loved the kitchen, dishes, AND hat!

This was my feeble attempt at a cute birthday cake. A friend from work had given me this bear cake pan a while ago, and since Payton loves bears and babies, I thought I'd try it out. It turned out cute, and yummy.....I just wish I knew how to REALLY decorate instead of just throwing on lots of sprinkles!

My closest girlfriends came over later that night for our weekly Bible study. We all sang to Payton and they brought her gifts. She loved the attention, the presents, and the cake!

We are so blessed by our little girl. She gave me a rough start (coming too quickly for the epidural to take much affect), and began having seizure at about two weeks old. She was a pretty fussy and demanding baby to say the least! But we believe God has a mighty plan for her! The Lord completely healed her of seizures and has instilled a very happy, joyful, outgoing, spunky personality in her. She is very sensitive to correction (I have NO idea where she got that from!), and while she has a strong opinion and personality, she wants to please.

Payton LOVEs her big brother, Preston, and seems to be excited about having a new baby in June. She LOVES baby dolls, purses, and jewelry (she is so NOT my daughter)! She is still extremely attached to one specific blanket (that we have three of) and her two fingers on her left hand....they are her security and comfort.

As of this past week, Payton and Preston are sharing a room. Darron built bunk beds (a post and pictures soon to come) and Preston sleeps on the top while Payton sleeps on the bottom in a toddler bed. She has made a SMOOTH transition and we are so proud of her! She is now called our "big girl."

We love this little girl so much and we are so thankful for the joy, happiness, laughter, and love she has brought to our family! Happy second birthday Payton!