Austin Michael - 18 Months

 
I find it almost difficult to write this post. It means having to admit that my baby is becoming less and less a baby every day. Yesterday, Austin hit the 18 month mark. And I get teary just looking at all the pics! Here goes…
Austin Michael – What a joy you are to our family! You had a rough start at life, it’s true, but you haven’t let it slow you down one bit. You are fearless (and relentless). You smile and laugh so freely, but you’re just as sure to let us know when you’re *not* happy. ;)  You adore your big brother and you’d follow your Daddy anywhere. But I can’t say that I’m not more than a little bit glad when only Mommy’s hugs will do.  I know you’re going to be our resident ‘daredevil’ and, trust me, that worries me already, but I know God always has you in the palm of His hand. I adore you, little man, and I look forward to seeing you learn and grow more every day (just not *too* quickly, please).
As for what our Austin Michael is up to these days:

• Making animal sounds (including motions) for the elephant, monkey, tiger/lion/bear (growling is his favorite), dog, pig, and some others.
• Saying “DA-DA” over and over and over… and rarely saying “Mama” (I usually just get called “Dada” too, and don’t think he doesn’t know the difference – he thinks it’s funny. Stinker)
• Sword fighting with his brother.
• Following Zack around EVERYWHERE – especially when Zack doesn’t want to be followed. ;)
• Copying everything Zack does (which Zack finds hilarious)
• Dancing to most any music (and his dance moves are adorable – though I admit I’m slightly biased)
• Climbing anything he can get near and jumping off things.
• Doing anything daredevil-ish – he LOVES for Daddy to throw him in the air. The higher, the better as far as he’s concerned. (I foresee many ER visits for us… he’s already had stitches!)
• His feet look awesome and he’ll have another check-up in Iowa City this month. He walks, he runs, he dances… you’d never know he started out with two very crooked little feet. ;)

Well, my baby may be less a baby today than he was yesterday, but he’s not all grown up yet, and I intend to enjoy every last little baby moment with him. Praise the Lord for this time we have together.

Mini-Van? Mega Fun.

So, I’m a little behind in my blogging these days. Truth be told, I have about 4 or 5 blogs in my head just waiting to be written… It’s just finding the time to sit and write that tends to be the issue. ;) But I have a moment tonight (Josh and the boys are watching Bob the Builder…), so I thought I’d try to get at least ONE out of my already to full noggin (maybe two?!) Here goes…

I mentioned a couple posts ago that we’d gotten a new mini-van. That’s right, I am now a mini-van mamma! And, let me tell you, I couldn’t be happier! I’m madly in love with the thing, and if that’s wrong… I don’t even want to be right. ;P

Some of you know, we’ve been having vehicle issues for several months now. Our Tahoe (which we love) has been gradually falling apart as it’s gotten older. It had gotten to the point that we decided we just needed to sell it to pay off the loan and then figure out getting another vehicle. Then came the “hallelujah moment” (*you know, when angels sing and the heavens open?*) We found out Josh’s grandma was likely going to sell the minivan that she and Grandpa had bought a few years ago. Grandpa passed away this year (*we still miss him so much*) and Grandma wanted to get something smaller, and more practical for her.

To make a bit of a long story a little shorter, we talked to Grandma, got a loan, and bought the van. Grandma was happy it was staying in the family, and we were ecstatic ‘cause it was such a perfect fit for our family. And what about the Tahoe, you ask? MY parents bought it and my dad’s going to fix up the problems it’s having (he’s a master mechanic). Can you say perfect solution for everyone? We sure did. ;)

And what’s even more fun than having a mini-van? Having a super cute, fun one! It’s a 2004 Toyota Sienna… Did I mention I’m in love with it? (I am)

And have you seen the super fun Sienna commercials? Yeah, the ones with the funny, cute couple and their kids? Let me just say this: Swagger Wagon. Maybe this will jog your memory…

I *heart* that video. ‘Cause yeah…. “I kiss their boo-boos…clean doggie doo-doos” and “It’s true, if I were you, I’d be jealous of me” ;P

So yeah, we’ve got a Swagger Wagon. I’m a mini-van mommy. And you know what? It’s awesome.

A Budding Author…

Today, I decided Zack and I’s school project would be writing stories. So, we sat down at the computer together. Zack dictated. I typed. This is what came out… (*obviously we haven’t quite tackled run-on sentences yet, but I figure we’ve got time*)
The Racing Zack
by Zackary Heilman
Once upon a time, Zack was in a really big race driving a race car. He was in a small car that had his name on it. He was wearing shoes, a helmet, a racing suit and gloves. And then he pushed on the smash pedal and smashed the other car and all the other cars lost and he won. Then he got out of his car and cheered!
THE END
The Band of Zack
by Zackary Heilman
Zack had really new drums. They were gold and blue. Mommy took Zack to a band. Daddy was playing the guitar. Mommy was singing “Brainpower.” But suddenly Zack came back home and ate breakfast when he woke up in the morning. Then he went to time out. Daddy wrote a game called Iron Man and Silver Iron Man. It was game two.
THE END

The Dragon of Everyone Dragons
by Zackary Heilman
Once upon a time, at home, Zack had a bad dream. A dragon ate Zack and he was freaked out and he was scared and ran away. Zack tried to get away and Mommy came. Zack told Mommy there was a mysterious dragon. Suddenly, the dragon touched Zack and he turned into a dragon, and Mommy turned into a dragon, and Austin turned in a dragon, and Daddy turned into a dragon. All Zack’s friends turned into a dragon.
THE END
The Playing of Zack
by Zackary Heilman
One day Zack was playing with his drums and Daddy was playing a game. But suddenly, when Zack looked, his old drums were gone! He checked in his present and one of his friends gave him no drums, just a guitar! Suddenly, Zack was very happy! Then he played the guitar all night.
THE END
The Playing of All of My Family
by Zackary Heilman
One day all of my family was playing and so was Austin. Mommy was making my little brother, Austin, a little smaller. We gave Daddy some glasses on the Wii. I played Wii Sports Resort and so did Mommy. I tried the bow and arrows, but it didn’t go so well. And all of the sudden, I haven’t played bowling on it. But I have played basketball and Frisbee and swordfighting. Then we got a new big TV and I got so many new toys that I couldn’t believe my eyes! I got a big blood blister, but I looked and it was healing. We got a new clock. Austin’s asleep, but it’s ok.
THE END
The Night of Me Being Batman
by Zackary Heilman
One day Batman was fighting bad guys and he swung and then he started fighting more bad guys. Batman had claws. They were good claws. They boomed out. He scratched Joker’s face. And then he got all of his goons. And then Batman and Robin had saved the day again.
THE END
Teen Titans
by Zackary Heliman
One day all of Robin’s friends were fighting a monster. Well, Robin tried to talk to that man, but he spoke Spanish. Well, Robin spoke Spanish too! Then he spoke English again.
THE END
The Lego Batman of Fighting
by Zackary Heilman
The Riddler is teaching his friends how to work like him. An orange guy went, “OOO HEE HEE HUH!” And then the Riddler went, “BIP!” But Riddler and Orange Guy were waiting for the building of Gotham to boom. They thought it was Molten Man. But suddenly, Batman and Robin appeared out of nowhere! Robin fell down and Batman climbed down the stairs. His cape was stuck on his head, but he FWOOMed it out. Zack was playing a game, and he came out from nowhere! He was fighting the bad guys. He pushed “X X X X X”.
THE END
This started out as writing one story, but turned into eight. (and Zack wanted to hear each one read back to him.) Once I put "by Zackary Heilman" on the first story, Zack made sure I did it for EACH ONE. He also says "THE END" for every story. So, I thought it appropriate to type it up just like he said it. Honestly, I can't wait to read these to him when he's a teenager... ;) So, today's school project was a success! :)

Oh, the Best Laid Plans…

So yesterday, I decided to toss the boys in the van…(Yes! New van! …We’ll do a “van post” later…’Cause it’s just a fun story!) Ok, we’re in the van… and we head out to find a duck pond. Austin is fascinated with ducks and he’s never gotten to go “feed the ducks” and Zack LOVES doing it… so I thought, “Hey, it’s free and it’s outdoors. That’s a win!”

And things started out well… There were a couple Canadian geese that were VERY friendly, and more than ready to make our acquaintance (and eat our bread).

Zack gave it his all when throwing each piece (after asking me each time if he could eat it).

Austin loved the geese (and also loved eating the bread – he didn’t ask) He was also fascinated with these guys…

Yep, those are fish. They were just as eager for the bread as the geese and ducks were! And here’s the proof…

Yes, that fish is coming OUT of the water to eat the bread! CREEPY MUCH?!

So, things were going well. The boys were feeding the ducks (Austin was trying to stuff as much bread in his own mouth as he could) Zack was having fun near the water, we were going to head over to the playground and that’s when it happened. Zack threw a little too hard, while standing a little too close to the edge…. and THIS happened…

Yep, he FELL IN! If any kid on earth could manage it, Zack could. And I’m telling you moms out there, it freaked me out for a second… but then I was trying SO HARD not to laugh! It was like something off America’s Funniest Home Videos – His feet went FLYING out from under him and he landed BOTTOM FIRST in the shallow edge of the pond. There was that half second of shocked silence and then the blood-curdling scream… I yanked him out of the water (with Austin under one arm ‘cause he was trying to go in, too), rescued his shoes that were floating away, and then worked to calm him down.

Once he was settled, we headed for the van to assess the damage. (I got pics of the back, but neglected to get pics of the front of him!)

Stinky pond mud on the shorts? Check. Stinky pond mud on new hoodie? Check. Stinky pond mud on legs, hands, and face? Check, check and CHECK!

So, since we just got the van, I don’t exactly have it “stocked” with all those handy little things moms usually have on hand. I had my “mini” diaper bag, and that’s about it. So, Zack got stripped down to his undies (which were also soaked), I put a reusable grocery bag on his booster, and we headed home.) Zack’s biggest concern at that point? “Mommy, I don’t want to smell like fish and duck poop!” My response, “Sorry, buddy, but you DO smell like that, and you will until we get home and you get a bath.” That led to him reminding me he “didn’t want to smell like fish and duck poop” about every two minutes on the way home. (like I was going to forget)

So, what was supposed to be a relaxing, fun trip to the duck pond ended up being an little more stressful, and a little shorter than I’d planned. But we ended up with a fun story to tell Daddy when he got home. ;)

Wish List

I’m sitting in a completely quiet house (except for a snoring pug) and looking at clothes and pretty things online. It’s a glorious moment. So…I thought I might share a few of these pretty things with all of you and see what you think. Am I wrong? Or are these things just lovely?

I’m in love with this tank from Old Navy…

…and it comes in five different colors!

And how about these plaid bermudas? Yes please!

…and then of course I’m loving this cuff bracelet…

And since someone ((probably me)) broke my sunglasses… I’m thinking a pair of these may soon be in order.

Alright… I better stop now. Thus ends the wish list portion of our blogging…you may now return to your previous scheduled life. ;)

Review: “Firefly”

For those of you who don’t know, I’m a bit of a geek. Shocking, I know. To be a little more specific, I enjoy sci fi and video games. (within certain limits), which some people tend to find “geeky.” Yet another facet of my incredibly complex personality. (Ok, so really it’s not all that complex…)
At any rate, Josh and I are both big fans of Star Trek (though we’re not the “dress-up-at-conventions” types) and also Star Wars (again, no costumes or conventions) and we’ve discovered some other movies and TV shows we enjoy of the “sci fi” variety. So, when we have time (usually after the boys are in bed) we like to watch our geeky shows together. ;)

Recently, a friend of Josh’s recommended we try out Firefly. It was a show that aired a few years ago and only lasted one season. So, we added it to our Netflix list. (honestly, we LOVE Netflix) Last night, we finished up the final episode. There were only 14 episodes total, and I have to tell you – we were sorry to see it end!

The show was created by Joss Whedon (who also created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse, etc.) It was obvious the makers of the show expected they’d have a second season, because there were so many loose ends left hanging. Since the show ended up cancelled, there was a movie made (Serenity) that is supposed to wrap things up. Josh and I will be watching that very soon. (tonight, I hope!)
What was interesting about this show was it was far less “out there” than others, such as Star Wars or Star Trek. No aliens or weird space anomalies. It was pretty believable for what the future might be like in 500 years (which is when it’s set). It has sort of a “space cowboy” feel to it.
What I really enjoyed was that I found myself laughing every episode (yes, EVERY episode). The characters were real, believable and even (dare I say) endearing. They’re criminals, mind you, but loveable criminals none-the-less. (think sort of a Robin Hood vibe) I found I cared for the characters, and was always interested to see what was coming in the next episode.
There was something I loved about each of the main characters, but my favorites were probably Wash (played by Alan Tudyk)…

…and Jayne (played by Adam Baldwin)…

…simply because they always made me laugh.
I also loved the playfulness and sweetness of Kaylee (played by Jewel Staite – who I also loved in Flash Forward on the Disney Channel when I was a kid!)

So, yes, 14 episodes was far too few for me. It seems Firefly didn’t get the fair shot it deserved (I have the same sentiment about Freaks and Geeks!) and I’m sure I’ll still be wanting more when the final scene of Serenity plays, but I’m so glad that we tried this show out! All that said, I definitely recommend it.

6 Years

Us then…


Us now…


The last six years have had their fair share of ups and downs, with plenty of tough times sprinkled throughout, but I can tell you without hesitation that the last six years have been six of the best years of my life. On April 3, 2004 I married the man God made just for me and here’s something else I can tell you: I love him even more today than I did then.
Joshua Heilman: Six years and two kids later… I love you more than I ever have. I’m so blessed by your patience and kindness, your sense of humor and sense of honor, your love for God and your love for family. I adore you.