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! :)