Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Remember Memorial Day Tomorrow
I am so grateful to live in this country and especially to be a Latter-day Saint in this country. It's staggering to think how good our lives are - good food, running water, warm bed - heck, people in McKinney often leave their doors unlocked at night! Talk about peace of mind. I'm starting to value that particular gift more and more.
I don't watch rated R movies, but I love this quote from A Few Good Men - When asked why the character likes Marines, she responds, "Because they stand up on a wall [or in a desert or on a ship or in an aircraft] and say, "Nothing's going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch."
I love that. I think that captures the essence and heart of all our troops regardless of branches. They serve their country and their families and people they'll never meet in this life. I appreciate their sacrifice and that of the sweet and steady spouses and children who stand behind them. Do I still feel sore at the Air Force? Sometimes. Do I support our troops? Absolutely, 100%. I support the troops, I pray for them and their families and wish we didn't have so many wars but the fact remains that "wars and rumors of wars" are unavoidable. Prophets in every dispensation have declared this to be a precursor to the return of Christ to the earth and so it must be. The last days were never going to be easy but we have a great trust and responsibility to usher in the second coming of Christ. May He come quickly and end this great suffering.
(and as a side note - I can't wait to save up for THIS painting. Its stunning and poignant.)
I don't watch rated R movies, but I love this quote from A Few Good Men - When asked why the character likes Marines, she responds, "Because they stand up on a wall [or in a desert or on a ship or in an aircraft] and say, "Nothing's going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch."
I love that. I think that captures the essence and heart of all our troops regardless of branches. They serve their country and their families and people they'll never meet in this life. I appreciate their sacrifice and that of the sweet and steady spouses and children who stand behind them. Do I still feel sore at the Air Force? Sometimes. Do I support our troops? Absolutely, 100%. I support the troops, I pray for them and their families and wish we didn't have so many wars but the fact remains that "wars and rumors of wars" are unavoidable. Prophets in every dispensation have declared this to be a precursor to the return of Christ to the earth and so it must be. The last days were never going to be easy but we have a great trust and responsibility to usher in the second coming of Christ. May He come quickly and end this great suffering.
(and as a side note - I can't wait to save up for THIS painting. Its stunning and poignant.)
Friday, May 27, 2011
It's Friday - I should be more excited
But I'm not. Friday is just any other day to me - except that the chains of my M-Th weekly bondage have been loosed and I may now eat chocolate. Or cake. Or chocolate cake if Mom Heath brings it home. :) But yes, Friday is no longer more awesome than any other day. Mitch still works on Friday (tangent: Mitch was promoted at work! Woopee! More on that in a sec), Derek still wakes up super early on Friday just like every other day, and I can still look for my lost marbles.
Yep, Mitch got promoted! It looks really good on a resume and he has much more ... mmm... not sure how to put this.... impact, maybe? Basically, if he messes up, the whole store is set back but if he succeeds (which he most definitely will), he looks really really good. :D How's that for Friday? Bahaha. He's the new unloading-the-trucks supervisor and he works 4pm-1am. Much more family friendly and it means I'll have to relearn how to sleep with him next to me. :) Not that I'm complaining - I'm very very grateful to have him back.
Derek officially has his first word - "eye." It's so cute when he says it, too. Very sweetly, almost shyly and sometimes in a whisper. So stinkin' cute!
Yep, Mitch got promoted! It looks really good on a resume and he has much more ... mmm... not sure how to put this.... impact, maybe? Basically, if he messes up, the whole store is set back but if he succeeds (which he most definitely will), he looks really really good. :D How's that for Friday? Bahaha. He's the new unloading-the-trucks supervisor and he works 4pm-1am. Much more family friendly and it means I'll have to relearn how to sleep with him next to me. :) Not that I'm complaining - I'm very very grateful to have him back.
Derek officially has his first word - "eye." It's so cute when he says it, too. Very sweetly, almost shyly and sometimes in a whisper. So stinkin' cute!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Massive Storm
Welcome to Channel Heath News...
In the McKinney area, there are major storms progressing. Here is evidence. I swear this is not on fast forward, but I think God is throwing a disco party upstairs - complete with heavenly strobe lights.
View from the front door - rain was being driven nearly horizontal down the road.
In the McKinney area, there are major storms progressing. Here is evidence. I swear this is not on fast forward, but I think God is throwing a disco party upstairs - complete with heavenly strobe lights.
We thought we were in the clear - little rain, no problem. View from the back door.
View from the front door - rain was being driven nearly horizontal down the road.
Pretty scary stuff. We woke Derek when the tornado sirens started up - he thought we were having a party. I think the scariest part of all this was that we would not have been able to hear the sirens if we were asleep. They're very faint. We had to open the back door to hear them. Couldn't hear them at all from the front door.
All is well though. The storm is almost over and Mitch is safely at work. We are very blessed.
All is well though. The storm is almost over and Mitch is safely at work. We are very blessed.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Green Box and Rain
Pretty unassuming, right? Just another box of baby toys...
But wait!! IT MOVES!!
OH NO! It's a... It's a...
Oh, it's a Derek. Phew!!
He likes his new "Little Man Cave"Being cute
Had a thunderstorm a few days ago. He liked standing under the runoff and then found this gutter puddle. Apparently the water tasted pretty good. Ick!!
Splashin' in the puddles!
Ok, all done. Please can we go inside now? He's SOAKED!Friday, May 13, 2011
POP goes the... tent
Ok, so it's not a weasel, but Derek thinks it's super cool! It's affectionately known as "The Bat-Boy Cave."
I remember having something similar as a kid in McAllen. They were super fun and absolutely the best place for a fort/book nook/whatever I wanted. I wish I had an adult sized one for me today. As a parent, I really appreciate how easy to clean these are too. Pretty hard to rip, too. This was in the attic and is a great find! Derek has been losing interest in his toys pretty quickly, but this held his attention most of the afternoon. If he wasn't playing in it, he was in fairly close proximity. We even added a blanket and some pillows after pictures to make it more comfy - totally his own initiative! Sometimes I wonder if this kid is going to be an engineer or an interior designer. ;) Nothing wrong with either.
Super excited to play
He was darting up and down this tunnel
The darker privacy of the tent makes his light up toys even brighter so they're more fascinating. He loves this baby laptop that Gamm and Papa bought for him
Hey! No girls allowed, Mom!
This kid is a master of the blank stare
Awww... sharing with Mommy.
Unrelated but super cute - he's showing off his "tricks"
I remember having something similar as a kid in McAllen. They were super fun and absolutely the best place for a fort/book nook/whatever I wanted. I wish I had an adult sized one for me today. As a parent, I really appreciate how easy to clean these are too. Pretty hard to rip, too. This was in the attic and is a great find! Derek has been losing interest in his toys pretty quickly, but this held his attention most of the afternoon. If he wasn't playing in it, he was in fairly close proximity. We even added a blanket and some pillows after pictures to make it more comfy - totally his own initiative! Sometimes I wonder if this kid is going to be an engineer or an interior designer. ;) Nothing wrong with either.
Super excited to play
He was darting up and down this tunnel
The darker privacy of the tent makes his light up toys even brighter so they're more fascinating. He loves this baby laptop that Gamm and Papa bought for him
Hey! No girls allowed, Mom!
This kid is a master of the blank stare
Awww... sharing with Mommy.Unrelated but super cute - he's showing off his "tricks"
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Dallas Zoo!
And with this last post, I'm all caught up. I've been making posts since we started the extended version of Return of the King. Oh. My. Gosh! We finished it about 20 minutes ago. Haha!
That said, this has been the coolest day in a very long time. We rode the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) out to the Dallas Zoo and it. was. AWESOME! Derek's first trip to the zoo, too. I think he really liked it! I loved seeing all the animals and was so very pleased that they weren't just lying around and that my camera took awesome pictures! Mom Heath has a lot more (since my camera died) and I'll probably add the best ones in a later post. For now, here are my favorites. Make sure not to miss the ones of Derek sprinkled in - they're hilarious!
Derek trying to eat Mom Heath's sunglasses
Mom Heath patiently showing him what glasses are for. We're on the DART here.
No, it's not a real snake.
See? There are a TON of these copper statues all over the zoo!
We took Derek into the aviary in the kid's section and the cockatiel you see on Mitch's head plopped right down on Derek's head a few seconds after we entered the aviary. Derek's hair was pretty slippery, so it opted for Mitch's cotton hat.
Cockatiel!
Naked mole rats!
Mongoose - they eat cobras!
Derek didn't realize the goat was real. He patted it and hugged it and then tried to squeeze it's ear. It flicked it's ear and Derek freaked out - he realized it was real. He didn't want to pet anymore goats.
A stuffed Alligator Gar eating Elmo. Priceless.
Gorgeous tiger!
Derek on another cool statue. He looks a little off balance because he was waving his arms around (his sign for "all done")
Awesome chameleon!
Stunning Panther Chameleon! WOW!
King Cobra - Cool!
Horned Viper
Super cool Harpie Eagle!
Derk fought and fought going to sleep. Don't worry, we laid him down in the stroller after I snapped a picture. :)
Ostrich
Zebra strikes a pose
African Elephants
I love cheetahs!
Gorgeous!
Yes, this is me feeding a giraffe. Best. Day. Ever.
Mitch thought it was cool too. Yes, we washed our hands afterwards.
Derek next to the lions. He wasn't sure what to think...
That said, this has been the coolest day in a very long time. We rode the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) out to the Dallas Zoo and it. was. AWESOME! Derek's first trip to the zoo, too. I think he really liked it! I loved seeing all the animals and was so very pleased that they weren't just lying around and that my camera took awesome pictures! Mom Heath has a lot more (since my camera died) and I'll probably add the best ones in a later post. For now, here are my favorites. Make sure not to miss the ones of Derek sprinkled in - they're hilarious!
Derek trying to eat Mom Heath's sunglasses
Mom Heath patiently showing him what glasses are for. We're on the DART here.
No, it's not a real snake.
See? There are a TON of these copper statues all over the zoo!
We took Derek into the aviary in the kid's section and the cockatiel you see on Mitch's head plopped right down on Derek's head a few seconds after we entered the aviary. Derek's hair was pretty slippery, so it opted for Mitch's cotton hat.
Cockatiel!
Naked mole rats!
Mongoose - they eat cobras!
Derek didn't realize the goat was real. He patted it and hugged it and then tried to squeeze it's ear. It flicked it's ear and Derek freaked out - he realized it was real. He didn't want to pet anymore goats.
A stuffed Alligator Gar eating Elmo. Priceless.
Gorgeous tiger!
Derek on another cool statue. He looks a little off balance because he was waving his arms around (his sign for "all done")
Awesome chameleon!
Stunning Panther Chameleon! WOW!
King Cobra - Cool!
Horned Viper
Super cool Harpie Eagle!
Derk fought and fought going to sleep. Don't worry, we laid him down in the stroller after I snapped a picture. :)
Ostrich
Zebra strikes a pose
African Elephants
I love cheetahs!
Gorgeous!
Yes, this is me feeding a giraffe. Best. Day. Ever.
Mitch thought it was cool too. Yes, we washed our hands afterwards.
Derek next to the lions. He wasn't sure what to think...Build A Bear
Picture this: a busy store, a fluffy, fleecy puppy, two aunts and a nephew. Add it all up and you get a really good time. It was fun to watch Derek dink dink dink around the store and look at at all there was to look at.
For those of you unfamiliar with Build A Bear, it's a wonderful place where kids can go to make their own stuffed animals. You pick a bear/dog/cat/whatever they have available and then you move on to the stuffing station. You pick out a stuffed heart that has a unique tracking number in it (kind of like a microchip) and usually the Build A Bear staff member has you do some kind of silly dance and then kiss the heart before you put it in the stuffed animal. Then, the staff member stuffs the animal to the desired softness/firmness. Then you move on to a cleaning station to brush off any left over stuffing. Then you can pick out an outfit to dress your animal or (my personal preference) just go check out with a super cool stuffed animal! Thanks Nana, Aunt Amy and Aunt Valerie! And thanks to Mitch for coming with us to the mall. :)
Just finished stuffing. Derek kissed the heart all by himself. :)
Behold, Luke Dawg (and Amy and Val)! He's on the light-hearted side of the force.
At first....
but then - a happy ending!
For those of you unfamiliar with Build A Bear, it's a wonderful place where kids can go to make their own stuffed animals. You pick a bear/dog/cat/whatever they have available and then you move on to the stuffing station. You pick out a stuffed heart that has a unique tracking number in it (kind of like a microchip) and usually the Build A Bear staff member has you do some kind of silly dance and then kiss the heart before you put it in the stuffed animal. Then, the staff member stuffs the animal to the desired softness/firmness. Then you move on to a cleaning station to brush off any left over stuffing. Then you can pick out an outfit to dress your animal or (my personal preference) just go check out with a super cool stuffed animal! Thanks Nana, Aunt Amy and Aunt Valerie! And thanks to Mitch for coming with us to the mall. :)
Just finished stuffing. Derek kissed the heart all by himself. :)
Behold, Luke Dawg (and Amy and Val)! He's on the light-hearted side of the force.At first....
but then - a happy ending!
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