Too Many To Choose From!

Seriously!! See for yourself...

(I will say this: this is part of my trip to Kansas...it is my pleasure to introduce to you Sidney Christine Perez)

More to come...

One Woman's Threat Is Another Woman's Compliment

A tale related by Tara Hiester:

The other day Tara was running around town (well, a couple of towns, actually) with multiple children in tow, some of which did not belong to her, when she received a phone call inquiring about her whereabouts. It was the mother of a birthday-child who had arrived at Tara's home to pick Sydney up and escort her to said birthday-child's party. Realizing her faux pas, Tara scrambled to purchase a gift (as she had forgotten about the party completely), raced home, readied Sydney, threw her back in the car and dragged her to the party... late. Upon seeing the chaos and upheaval the Forgotten Party created in his home, Chad proclaimed, "That's it! I'm calling Marianne! You need help; she's so organized... you need a system!" (or something to that effect)

Nobody tell Chad I forget things all the time. I prefer the pristine image he currently has of me :)

Locked and Loaded

And we are back up and running... still too slowly, I might add. We are still with the same broadband company for now, but believe me, we are shopping!

I just wanted to let you know that we're back in action and I'll be adding the promised pictures in the very-near future. Now is not the best time, as the little man is still at-large in the living room... my best opportunities to communicate with the outside world come after bedtime :)

Let me just put something out there, while I have you. Why is it that an ultra-smart 2-year-old who can successfully pick out a "slug bug" on the road and sing such lyrics as "Savior, he can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save, he conquered the grave. Forever author of salvation, he rose and conquered the grave..." okay, so he has a few lines backwards, but come on!!!... why does a genius of this caliber NOT understand the concept of getting on the potty before the pee is running down his leg?? Why? I'm not sure whose accomplishment will be more celebrated when he finally gets it: his or mine?!

Technical Difficulties

I am currently experiencing a serious blogging snafu... I have no internet! No, really. I feel so responsible to my Few Faithful Followers that I have actually trekked my butt down to the library to get online to deliver this S.O.S.! (Well, I had to come to recheck our pirate books, but that is so beside the point.)

Our internet provider, who will remain unnamed, apparently has no live humans working for them. We have automatic payments, but the credit card they have on file was stolen and therefore cancelled, so they've shut off our service. I've tried repeatedly to reach them to resolve this issue, but each time I try to get a customer service representative with an actual pulse, the computer guy tells me, in a very polite tone, I might add: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that. Please try back at a later time." And he hangs up on me!!!

Remember Max Headroom? I wonder if he is the guy on the phone? Hmm.

Anyhoo, we are giving up on this insect-inspired cellular/broadband company and looking into something else. Maybe a company that employs homo sapiens. You can imagine the difficulty of this endeavor, given we have no internet connection!! In any case, I'll post as soon as we're back up and running, because I have some incredible photos of Baby Sidney to share with you :)

That was the teaser...

On Location

Coming to you live from Larned, Kansas...

Robben and I are here in Kansas, visiting our good friends, Lyndsay & Luis and their new baby girl, Sidney. Being the social bug that he is, he stopped to tell each person that we were going to "fly way up high in the 'ky!" as we boarded the plane. On the second flight he actually fell asleep during take-off (MIRACLE!) and didn't wake up till we were making our final descent. Hallelujah :)

Robben is very interested in Baby Sidney. He offers her his trucks when she fusses and tries to soothe her with kisses :) After all, who doesn't want a Robben kiss? What I find to be hilarious is what Robben calls Luis: "Halloweece" :) For some reason, "Luis" just seems like a not-enough word to him.

Sidney is a precious, beautiful little thing. She will be 6 weeks old on Wednesday. When she's sleeping, she looks just like her mama, but when those big eyes open, she's transformed into her own little person. I will be taking LOTS of pictures of her while I'm here, so those will be posted soon and you can all comment on what a beautiful little angel my friends made :)

Today Lyndsay and I took the babes for a walk and let Robben play on a playground for a long time (at least an hour). He had lots of fun and then willingly went down for his nap. On the walk to the park he got to see a crop-dusting plane fly back and forth a bunch of times, which elicited squeals of delight. Poor Lyndsay, a simple walk on a sunny afternoon is quite an endeavor with a newborn, but I think they both enjoyed getting out of the house and getting some fresh air.

Tomorrow its off to Hays, the thriving metropolis of this part of Kansas (almost big enough to have a Starbucks...but not quite). There are a few things she wants to take us to do, but mostly I'm just hoping she gets a little relief from the new-mommy thing and a chance to have some fun. I'm perfectly fine with doing not-a-whole-lot for a week :) It's like a sick-day without having to feel yucky!

Well, I'll get back to my reading before my little man wakes up. I'll check in again soon. Hope everyone in Blogland is doing well...

Pet Portrait

I like the way this one turned out. This is one of our super-lovable outside kitties Chocolate Chip. As you can imagine she was named by children. We call her CC. (Again my apologies for the lack of commas...it drives me crazy!)

Sweet Sixteen

This past Saturday we had Ally's birthday party: Her Sweet Sixteen. Hence the "sweet" theme :) Anyone who's ever been to one of my parties knows they must have a theme...

Check out these super cute cupcakes. I made about 70 of them...each with the utmost attention to detail :)

...And my candies...

...Strawberries 3 ways: whole with whipped cream; sliced and sugared; and chocolate-dipped...

...The favors: styrofoam cupcakes filled with candy... even the flowers are sweetpeas...

...Grandma Alice made the cake :) It was an oversized cupcake (as you can see) which is why I made mass quantities of cupcakes for all to enjoy (that cake would not feed 50!)

Happy Birthday Ally! I'm glad you had a great time with all of your friends and family :) (I'm also glad it's over...that was a lot of work for me!!)

Motivating Factors

We all have goals and dreams. Whether we know what they are or not, there are always motivating factors behind those desired accomplishments...to be wealthy, to have, to be loved, to be admired, to be envied, to glorify ourselves, to glorify God...these are only a few of the possibilities. Here is Robben's motivating factor:

"I be pole paulter (pole-vaulter) when I'm big. I be pole paulter when I'm big and old. When I get older, I be pole paulter. And Mommy take a picture of me. And go, 'WOOHOO Robben!!!"

Praise and adoration, please. Thank you very much!

Every Thorn Has Its Rose

(Well every thorn that happens to be on a rosebush anyway)

That's My Girl

Last weekend Ally went to sixteenth birthday party for one of her girlfriends from school. (Forgive me please...my laptop is without a "comma" key :( ) It was quite an elaborate party (with over 200 people including friends and family) and Ally reported that she had a great time. One of the guys that the birthday-girl invited brought an uninvited guest. He was a boy Ally has known since elementary school and has never had a very good relationship with (think principal's office). Well this boy showed up high and proceeded to smoke pot right there at Ally's table. He told her "what's the big deal? It's not even bad for you." To which she replied: "Well I don't see any POSITIVE effects." She did her best to keep her distance as much as possible but when this young man actually tried to get her to smoke with him she'd had enough. She called us for a ride almost a whole hour before the party ended.

It's always good to see your kids' values actually lived out in difficult or trying situations. I'm very proud of Ally for her decision that night :)

Quotes of a 2-year-old Hiester

"Mommy! Get off the computer and come play with me!"

"Mickey Mouse is in the car. He's driving to dance!"

"Oh my goss... my God is mighty to save!"

What did Adam and Eve do? "They ate the fruit. God said NOOOOO!"

A Random Sampling

I'm so sorry. I've been told (by multiply people) that my "Photos of the Day" have been missed (as well as my quick wit and unmatched charm, no doubt). I have had bloggers-block...as well as no time and no desire to sit at the computer. Here are some pictures to make up for the days without photos. And just remember: if you COMMENT, I'll know you are enjoying my efforts!!!

Chillin' with my daddy

That's my Chubby Bunny!

Jonas Logan Heasley (my best bud's baby boy)

Tea Layelle Heasley (Jonas' twin sister)

Not One Of Those Days

There are days when I truly LOVE my life. Days where my heart is filled with joy, almost to the bursting point; days where I am so thankful for the abundance I have been blessed with; days where I feel honored and privileged to lead my life.


Today is NOT one of those days.


There are days that my little Robben is a model of obedience and kindness; days where I feel like I am doing a good job as his mommy; days that I feel like I can do this.

Unfortunately, today is NOT one of those days.



There are days when I am glad I got out of bed; days where I feel like I've accomplished something (sometimes great, sometimes small); days where I feel like I am the luckiest woman alive.

Sadly, today is NOT one of those days.



There are days that, though I am frustrated, I remember to call on God to keep me in check; days where I can exhibit extreme patience in the face of naughtiness and disobedience; days that I can remain focused on what is truly important.

I'm sorry to report that today was NOT one of those days.



There are days that my girls are not very understanding about my frustration; days that they are not very willing to help me with Robben; days that they are not very sensitive to my precariously balanced sanity.

Thank God today was NOT one of THOSE days!!!

Photo Of The Day

Takin' Back the Land

Photo Of The Day

We've always said he should be a model :)

Photo Of The Day

Snow Flowers

Photo Of The Day

Missing Mommy

After her turn at Carrie's grave, Elissa needed some time with Daddy.

Happy Birthday, Carrie!

Today is the day that Carrie (Todd's late wife & Tyler, Kurstin & Elissa's natural mommy) would be 32. Our tradition is to go to the cemetery, then to her favorite restaurant, DiCicco's. At the cemetery, each of us (youngest to oldest) takes a few minutes alone with our thoughts/prayers at the grave. We usually take flowers (we each pick our own, so they seldom go together) to replace the old ones, but today we were ill prepared. Luckily, someone (probably Alice, Carrie's mom) had already been there, replaced the flowers and added a couple of Happy Birthday balloons.

Happy Birthday, Carrie! I hope you're having a rockin' party with the heavenly hosts :)

Photo Of The Day

Longing

Robben saw a kitty outside and wanted to share the sight with the bear...

Photo Of The Day

CAKE!!

There are so many pictures that deserve Photo of the Day today, but this one takes the cake (he he). We went to Christopher's 13th Birthday party and got lots of great pics. This one sums up all that is "birthday fun".

Photo Of The Day

Todd's Passion

(This is a picture of Todd hand-scraping a floor)

Photo Of The Day

A Sunny Day in Hiesterville

Praises!

I have to take a moment to publicly praise God for some of the amazing changes/ growth in my pupils:

1. Elissa told me this morning that when Satan tempts her she wants to "just punch him in the face".
2. Kurstin has a strong desire to positively influence the people around her. She is especially concerned with her friends at Fairmont (her old school).
3. Kurstin's self-evaluation skills are impressive.
4. Both of the girls have grown by leaps and bounds in math, which has always been a source of confusion and frustration.
5. Elissa has realized that she has the ability to figure things out... just because she doesn't know something doesn't mean she can't know it.
6. Both girls have learned to think more deeply.
7. Robben said the full alphabet this morning :)

The following is an example of Elissa's writing. She learned about the state of Pennsylvania, and wrote a letter to the Chamber of Commerce of Hershey.

The following is an exerpt from Kurstin's Scripture Journal. We start each day with a devotional and 5 minutes of journaling...

Blessed (but not without trials)

Wow! What a day! It started out rather uneventful, but things escalated and got totally out of hand. I won't count it over until I'm snug in my bed and totally and completely unconscious. For instance, at the moment, my son is running around the house like a wet and naked kamikaze baby... an hour and a half past bedtime.

Before I get into the nitty gritty, I would like to count my blessings and make them public knowledge here and now: ONE- While Kurstin was deposed to her room (well, Tyler's actually- there's nothing to entertain her in there) for the offense of "attitude-weilding", rather than thinking of all the things she hates about her life, or me, or how unfair it all is, she was contemplating the fact that I "put up with a lot of stuff" from them and need/deserve a break. So she and Elissa sent me off to have some "me" time while they held down the fort. TWO- My two-year-old prays. He really prays. He thanks Jesus for things like the trampoline, our food, his mommy and daddy, and brothers and sisters (by name). He squeezes his little eyes shut and thinks of all the good things God has given him. THREE- Elissa hugged me today and said, "You're a good mom." What more could I ask for? I know there are many more, and I even thought of some today, but they seem to have gotten lost in the chaos...

So on my little date with myself... well, actually before me and me really got to do any bonding, I got a call from home. This is where it all starts to unravel. Kurstin is hysterical, which does nothing for my nerves, being that she, Elissa and Robben are home alone. She proceeds to tell me that Elissa has fallen and hit her chin and a chunk is missing and there's lots of blood and she's crying really hard. For how hard Kurstin was crying, it seemed like she was the one who was hurt. In fact, she was telling God over and over that she wished it had been her rather than Elissa (ah, blessing #4). So I abandon my time off and rush home. Elissa has gotten her emotions under control... just under control. I take a gander and sure enough, a gapping hole about 1" in length and probably about 1/4" wide. She asks me if it's broken and I tell her no, but I think she'll need stitches. No longer under control. She starts crying again. She's scared, not knowing what to expect. Luckily our doctor is able and available, so I head back into Sanger with Frightened Nine-Year-Old in tow. We wait, oh, an hour and a half, in anticipation. I assure her that she won't feel a thing after the novacaine shot and so on and so forth. We are ushered into the "surgery" room, which I think should be called something pleasant like the "bubble gum factory" or the "wonder emporium" or something. Surgery! Kick the fear up a notch, why don't you! Well, the shots were torture. He rooted around inside the wound while tears streamed down her face to her ears and I squeezed her hand till her fingers were purple, almost to the point of amputation. Once it was numb, I assured her that the worst part was over. I wasn't lying, I was merely mistaken. I figured after the internal scrubbing he gave it, she wouldn't be able to feel a thing. She felt the first stitch. She cryed a high-pitched whining cry, with "ow, ow, ow" mixed in for flavor. Again with the purple fingers. I later learned that she wanted to scream but "that would have been unnecessary" (she said). So he rooted around some more, numbing the site more thoroughly and proceeded with 3 more stitches. Afterwards I was congratulated for my bravery and my iron-grip on consciousness. Apparently most parents end up having to leave the room on the verge of passing out. I felt a little nauseous, but otherwise fine, if not horrified. Afterwards we hit Baskin Robbins with carte blanche.

By this time it was 5:30 so we went to pick up Tyler from track practice (and naturally had to wait 30 minutes, because they're always running late when you are actually there on time), meanwhile making alternate plans for dinner since I wasn't home to cook. Taco Bell. Upon arriving home I found out some more bad news...

We have a cousin (of sorts) that is in the hospital. She was born with her heart on the wrong side and upside down, too much of this, not enough of that, and what-in-the-heck-are-those. They told her parents that she'd be lucky to live 4 months. That was 45 years ago! About a week ago she had a stroke (and they say a heart attack, but who can be sure in such circumstances?). She's now in the hospital and not expected to make it. Not sure how long. The thing is, they thought that 45 years ago, too, so we are keeping the hope alive. Anyway, at dinner, Todd said he thought we should go see her. So we all throw our Taco Bell wrappers away (down-home cookin' that makes mama proud!), get Robben in jammies, and jump in the car. Thankfully we got there before visiting hours ended (another blessing!). We all crammed into her room for a short visit, lest we sap her of all the energy she needs to fight for her life. Heck, we sap me, I can only imagine what we do to others. We only stayed for about 20 minutes or so (less time than it took to get there). As we left, she said something important to each one of us... like maybe goodbye but hopefully not. It made me feel really sad, because she has a lot of things she still wants to do, relationship wise. She told me she wants to get to know me better and be friends. I just feel like she's not at peace right now. She's thinking of everything she doesn't want to miss. If she comes through this, I hope I can find a way to help her achieve these things so that when she is lying on her deathbed, she doesn't have regrets by her side.

Almost over... on the way home, Robben begins hacking and pukes up a bunch of mucus, which has no doubt been covertly making its way down his throat. You know, the day just wouldn't be complete without somebody having some sort of uncontrollable bodily malfunction. So our day wound down with Todd giving Robben a bubble bath at 9pm (which brings us back to the wet and naked kamikaze baby that was pinballing around my living room/kitchen when this conversation began) and me hitting the carseat with mass quantities of baby wipes. It's gonna stink in there tomorrow... I didn't leave the windows cracked, because at this rate, I figure that's akin to hiring some Professional Aboriginal Rain Dancers to call down the Waters of Heaven.

All that being said, I'm sure you can all understand my need for two trips to Starbucks today :)

Oh, and the Blessing of all Blessings: Thank you, God, for giving me the Gift of Flexibility!

Practice

Here is an exerpt from Katie's second photo shoot. She is now 11 weeks pregnant and overjoyed! She is so loving and kind; I know she will make an extraordinary mommy. See for yourself... pictures don't lie (at least this one doesn't!). With her permission there will be more photos to come :)