1. Your words.  This year you have not only learned how to say words, but you can now put entire sentences together to express yourself.  Your little voice is the sweetest thing we have ever heard.  If we had to pull just one single moment out from the year it would be listening to you count to 10 the very first time.  From the way you enunciate your words to putting interesting peaks for emphasis wherever you see fit, you are always making us laugh.  Ok, we can’t just name one single moment about this.  This one is embarrassing because yes, you still drink your milk from a bottle at home. But we love the way you finish & say “little bit” then “all done” always in your whisper voice.  You only say these things because you have heard us say them for the past two years.  And when we put you to bed and tell you I love you, then close the door and we wait and listen outside for “love you”. For some reason you always wait until we leave the room  Another great part, you have an amazing vocabulary and you know the proper way to say everything, but you still use the words from last year when you couldn’t pronounce them.  ‘Buthus’ is blanket. ‘Guh’ is granola. ‘Dibtrice’ is Beatrice your stuffed animal. Lastly, you talk in the third person. Everything is Peyton this and Peyton that.  For the last 6 months you refer to yourself by name, it’s so adorable to listen too.  Trying to correct you though is not as adorable. We get firm ‘NOs’.  Peyton, may your words always stay kind & sweet.  Remember, it’s very easy to say something you will regret but it’s very difficult to hold back something you want to say.  Sometimes people can never forget when we say things that are hurtful.  Be as kind with your words as you want people to be to you.
2. Your walk.  You have this stagger about you. When you’re in the happiest of moods and comfortable with your surroundings, you walk like you own the joint. You have this saunter that just makes your mom & I laugh.  May you always have the confidence to walk in a room with that same saunter.  It’s a difficult balance, but always put your hopes & dreams first. There are many roads that all lead to the same place. Walk those roads confidently and enjoy your journey along the way.
3. Your smile.  Whether it’s your silly smile, your happy smile or your angry smile.  Your smile can turn the lights on.  We can already tell you’re going to have the funniest sense of humor.   When you get into your silly moods, you simply stop at nothing to make us laugh out loud.  Whatever life puts in front of you, remember the healing power of your smile.  You’re only 2 years old and your smile has already healed your mom & me so many times.  Keep it simple my little girl and just smile.
4. Your ability to make one earn your love.  This one is definitely more for me.  I’m not very good at it, but I can tell you will be.  I think being a dad can be difficult for the first year.  At least for me, there really wasn’t a true bond like there was with your mommy.  Believe it or not over the last year you have taught me a lot.  I cannot just simply standby and say you will love me because I am your daddy.  I actually think you like me now and you made me earn it.  Your mom has amazingly from day one, made life interesting for you.  I have had to learn how to be silly, fun, interesting, a conversationalist, a reader, a story teller, a dancer, a singer and most importantly, a daddy.  I can remember sitting with you and letting 15 minutes go by without saying a word.  Your mom can now walk you into my office and you actually want to sit on my lap instead of run away.  I have such a long way to go, but have enjoyed every second of getting to know you.   I’ll make you a promise; I will always be eager to learn, listen and be a silly dad if you promise to be patient with me as you continue to learn about yourself.  We will always love your shyness and your hesitation and your knack to make people work for your smile.
5. Your ability to learn.  You have this amazing ability to learn and repeat like we have never seen before.  I almost think it’s a photographic memory.  Our dear friends Rob and Chrissy told you their baby girl’s name once and you can still remember not only her first name but her middle name.  You are so very focused and determined at everything you do regardless of the size of the challenge. You love to sit and figure things out no longer how long it takes.  You love puzzles! And for every puzzle you have a favorite piece.  You will take that same piece and either sit on it or put it behind you while you work out the rest of the puzzle.  Then you take that favorite piece out and always put it in last. Always!  It is so amazing to watch you learn new things.  Regardless of how smart you are, remember that there is always something left to learn.  I had a boss once tell me that in every story there is a nugget.  You will come across a lot of people in your life, remember to always learn from them, even if it’s one golden nugget of wisdom. You can ALWAYS learn more.

This my dear Peyton is your second year photo shoot.  Just to show that we can break the rules and have fun, we let you take the morning off from school to let you goof around and jump all over the bed.  We wanted you to remember your favorite things from your second year of life; blanket, “Panda” bear and Beatrice.  We want to wish you a very happy birthday and although these are only words, you now have something from us that will never fade, rust, rot or get thrown out after you outgrow it.  As long as we are by your side, we will continue to share on your birthday all the wonderful things we have learned about you in the last year.

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

p.s.- I included a few extra shots that I couldn’t resist sharing.  Because you so love your books and puzzles and for everyone who wanted to see what you looked like today on your second birthday!

I know a lot of newborn shoots are focused on baby sleeping time because of the  fun you can have while they are are knocked out to the world, but I was also really happy that he gave me some big blue open eyes time.  For just a little buddy, he was very alert and loved looking at the camera!  Mr. Gavin, thank you for being so fun to shoot!  I look forward to watching you grow up.

Another thing that made this shoot so romantic is how it represented this couple.   Megan and Stewart live in 2 separate states so airport travel is a way of life for them.  Believe it or not they spend tons of time together & it’s through travelling.  And at this very airport was where they exchanged their very first kiss.  I’m not a 100% sure if he lifted her off the ground, but knowing these two, I’m sure it was pretty steamy.

I appreciate so many of these photos and how the couple’s warmness comes across but my favorite I think is one you would least expect.   I’ll give you a hint; to me it’s very symbolic of love regardless of age.

I would like to thank the good people at John Wayne Airport for all they did to make Megan’s vision a reality.

This photo shoot was a little more special to me since it took place in my home town of Whittier, CA.  Penn Park is literally 4 blocks away from my grandparents old house where I spent many weekends as a kid either swimming, playing with Grandpa’s train track, making stuff in his massive wood shop or learning about photography.  That’s right, my grandfather Bliss was an amazing photographer.  During his time deployed in the US Army, he would photograph his crew blowing up stuff.  As recently as a few years ago, I looked though some of his negatives and was absolutely amazed at his spot-on exposure and timing.   Cancer took my gramps away too soon from us but I often think about the possibility of his talent being passed down to me & wonder what our conversations would be like.  Either way, I am thankful.