2 Years Ago Today...

2 Years ago today was the happiest day of our lives. Payton was born at 1:50 am & we began this roller coaster of a journey. She is less than 6 hours old here.The next day at 10:30am they took Payton to the NICU to do an echocardiogram to check out a loud murmur. 1 hour later marked the lowest point of our lives.
She has gone thru so much in her life & I'm so glad that we had to wait 5 long years for her to come & be born near the people that paved the way for her to be so healthy now.

She came home only 2 short weeks later, was a perfect fit to our little family & was sleeping thru the night.
She was blessed at 3 weeks old with all her family around her.
We were pals from the beginning.
We cannot imagine our lives without her... These 2 years have flown by at times & we have always found a way to have fun & make each other smile.
Happy Birthday Payton! We all love you & are looking forward to many many more.
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Disneyland videos

Okay I finally got the videos to upload. And actually one didn't turn out at all.

Enjoy

Disneyland!!!!

*** The Video uploader for Google is being weird. I will post again when I've added the video's, I'm just missing 2 videos in the Finally Mickey post***


On Wednesday we had the opportunity to go to Disneyland (thanks again Robin!). The kids had such a good time, & I think that we were able to fit a lot into our day! Lines weren't too bad & moved pretty fast. The weather was great... I can't complain!



















The first ride we went on was Buzz Lightyear. I guess last time Ryan was here he really liked it. Now this is a test.... look at the face below.... What does that face tell you?
Once we figured out (after this ride) that if Melissa covered his ears to muffle the loud music he did much better.

Next we headed over to Autotopia! Both kids really enjoyed it.
Payton, although not looking to sure about what is going on, did enjoy it.
As soon as the car stopped she grabbed the wheel & started to try to turn it.
I'm getting ahead of myself. For those of you who have never been to Disneyland after you park there is a tram that takes you to the entrance. Once on the tram Payton freaked out. She started arching her back & turning purple & really crying. I had to bring in reinforcements! We sang Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam. It was perfect it was like singing a little prayer before entering the park that totally changed her attitude. I have to admit I was all of a sudden filled with dread about the whole day. It all turned out better than okay & despite the start we had a perfect day!
This is what the kids looked like all day long. The Monkey's on their backs are little harness/backpacks that have a tail/leash hooked to the back. I had to use it a couple of times to stop Payton from getting away while we were in line. Also while I'm thinking about it.... Anyone getting ready for a theme park experience, here are the things that really helped us enjoy our trip! (1) Harnesses was a must. (2) Also we took CamelBacks! Also something that is now on the must take list for us. Not a lot of cargo room but it helps you not to take to much & have a heavy back pack. (3) Double Stroller was perfect (thanks Tara for letting us borrow it & keep it till our DC Trip in a few weeks)
Peter Pan had a good line (less than 20 minutes which is the longest line we waited in for a ride but is apparently a short line for this ride) & I'm really glad we did it because Payton really really enjoyed it. I was nervous because it was another inside ride like Buzz Lightyear but she did okay.
On the Carousel Ryan rode on a horse while Payton & I sat on a bench. Mom & Payton rode the Carousel at the mall a few days before & that did not go well so I tried putting her on a horse & immediately she wanted off. She did really good on the bench & enjoyed watching Ryan go up & down.
Small World was probably Payton's favorite ride of the day. It helped that the boats are slow so it gave her time to notice things. The whole time she was pointing & ooo'ing & auhing.
It was decorated with a Christmas theme & was nice. I had never seen it decorated like that so it was cool to see something new.
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Winnie the Pooh & Friends

After Small world we headed over to the Pooh Bear ride. Another ride that Payton really enjoyed. As we got off the ride Ryan spotted Tigger. We headed over there next. We waited in line to see Pooh Bear, Eeyore & Tigger. While in line in front of Tigger we found out that Tigger had to go do exercises with his trainer for a jumping contest so he wouldn't be there by the time we got thru the line. Good Luck Tigger!
This was the hardest line for Payton to be in. She couldn't understand that she couldn't go up to the characters while in line, imagine that, an almost 2 year old not having patience & understanding the concept of taking turns?!?! So we walked around to help pass the time while Ryan was a good boy & snacked while waiting.
We got back just in time to see Pooh Bear. Payton really liked Pooh Bear & so did Ryan.

Look at that face!
She gave Pooh Bear a high five.
Now after seeing this picture I realized what went wrong. I should have held her on the other side of me. I guess she needs that 'mommy barrier' of protection!
I have a picture as a teenager in front of this statue & wanted to get another one but this was the best one. So maybe next time we go down there we will try again.
Have I mentioned how good our kids were?
Having said how good our kids were now take a look at our kids in the happiest place on earth!
Just in case you can't see their sweet expressions... This was taken at 3:30 ish on a no-nap day after being dragged around this place full of visual stimulation that, at least for Payton, she had never experienced before. I have to tell you that I laughed so hard when I downloaded these pictures & saw these faces.
We also went to the Tiki Room & it was another success! (It was before this picture though. This was taken on the way out of the park.) Both kids really enjoyed it. Melissa & I really enjoyed the Pineapple Juice & Ice Cream float we bought right outside. So yummy!

Finally Mickey!!

After a long day we were heading out & I needed to stop by the Mad Hatter to get Payton a Minnie Ear's hat & while searching for a youth size (I do mean search). Melissa caught my eye as she was walking quickly across the front of the store to head over to Mickey who had just appeared. Mickey was the last thing we wanted to do but had expected not to see him because quite frankly the kids were DONE! So it was perfect timing.As soon as Payton saw him she mustered up all the excitement she had in her (which was nothing) & stare blank faced at him. We did take a picture but the lighting wasn't good & the kids weren't looking in the sun for the picture (what were they thinking right?).
I think that the kids got more excited while they just sat & watched. I had to go buy the hat & get in embroidered & by that time there were 5 people in front of me.

When I got back with the hat Ryan was more interested in the Minnie hat & helped Payton put on the hat.
These are the only 2 pictures that we were able to get out of 20 or so that caught her with it on where her face wasn't blurred because she was frantically trying to get it off.
By this time the kids were so exhausted & slap-happy. The kids were signing our praises on the way to the car.

They discovered that their voices sounded different in the parking garage. We seriously listened to this chorus for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. It wasn't all bad, at least they weren't being grumpy!

Bedtime has become so easy!

Payton has become so easy to put to bed lately. At night after bath & brushing teeth, we read 3 or 4 books & them we tell her it's time for bed.As she walks out she waves bye & we sit in the rocking chair & sing a song. As soon as she is done she points to her crib & we put her in & are done. Last night as soon as Donald sat down with her she pointed to the crib (I don't think she likes his singing cuz she lasts a little while longer with me).

Payton used to not be able to get herself to sleep, we'd hold her till she was asleep or our arms were tired & then let her cry a little bit to get her more tired before we tried again. It does get better & Payton is proof. She is such a good girl!

Sitting isn't always easy

Payton loves to stand & sit on top of things. Below she is sitting on a plastic container.The first time she fell off she actually did loose her balance. The rest of the time (like the one below) she was 're-living' it for my benefit.
You can tell by the picture below that she wasn't sitting on it so that she will be able to sit. She's already 1/2 way off of it from the get-go.
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