In one of her most important tapes, Erin tells Peyton that she hopes Doug will marry again. "If God decides to take me to heaven, I'm going to be looking for another soul to bring to Daddy. I want you to know that I would very much bless Daddy remarrying."
Even with Erin's blessing, Doug says the thought of remarrying was far from his mind. Then three years later, he met Cheryl. "When he first told me he was ready to propose to Cheryl, I just told him I wasn't really ready," Peyton says. "I need to get to know her better—and we did."
Doug waited to propose, giving Peyton and Cheryl more time to bond, and on March 29, 2003, the two were married. Peyton was their maid of honor.
On their engagement night, Peyton gave Cheryl a very special letter. "I know that you will be the perfect mother for me," it read. "I promise to always love you and respect you for the rest of my life. I love you…Mom."
"I cried," Cheryl remembers with tears in her eyes. "It was the first time she had [called me] 'Mom.'"
The extraordinary love of the Kramp family continues to grow—Cheryl and Doug are expecting their second baby together.
Published 01/01/2006
