The Holidays 2009

My kids are at great ages for Christmas, they are excited about everything and they love to sing Jingle Bells! It has been such a fun time around our house. All Liam wanted was a train table and Santa came through. The table was on the lower level of the house so when he came down to the tree upstairs he didn't see it and was disappointed. Then we went down to go through stockings and he didn't even notice the table. So Joe threw something by it and asked Liam to get it so he turned to grab it and then saw the table. He got all excited and kept saying "Thank you Santa". It was too cute. Lainey didn't really care what she got but she did get princess stuff and dress up clothes which makes her happy. We did take the kids to see Santa at Crown Center this year and Lainey got scared. Liam just jumped right on his lap no problems, but when we put Lainey on his lap she cried. So I sat next to her and then she was fine. It was crazy because she is such a fearless girl, I didn't think Santa would be a problem for her. Overall it was a great time and it is so much better with kids. I was really excited to see their reactions which makes being a parent so much fun.

A 2 year old!

I now officially have a 2 year old daughter. She is such a sweet, sassy, and fun little girl to have around. I am so happy that she was sent to me to raise. She is such a joy to have around (even when she has the crazies). She loves to dance and spin around. She loves to say Cinderella in a sing-song way. She loves baby dolls and stuffed animals. She loves to follow her big brother around and chase and tackle him. It is wonderful to have a daughter.
Today we had a party for her and her cousin (he is 9 days older than her)and she had a lot of fun running around with her cousins and friends. We are very fortunate to have such wonderful people in our lives who care so much about us and our children. She had a great day and I hope she has many more to come. I look forward to watching her grow and have more good times ahead.
Oh and she finally got the big girl bed she has been wanting! I guess she isn't a baby anymore!

A three year old!!!

My baby boy is 3 years old today. It is hard to believe 3 years have already passed. It was tough to get him out and he still fights me to this day but he is such a great son. I am very fortunate to have him.
He is such a fun kid to have around. He loves to sing songs from movies and he picks them up quickly. He loves the movie The Three Amigos. This has made him interested in cowboys. He will put on his hat and boots and then go out to the swing set to ride the buckin' bronco! He still loves cars too. Just the other day he was hanging out in his room, lining up his cars like they were in a parking lot (he even told me they were in a parking lot). He says some of the funniest stuff that I am not always sure where he gets it from. He has also gotten into dinosaurs and he seems to catch onto the names very quickly. He just amazes me all the time at what he catches onto, notices, and remembers.
For his birthday we invited some friends and family over last night for cake and ice cream. He had a great time playing. He really just wanted to open presents and it was really hard for him to wait. He made it till after cake and ice cream though and was then able to play with his new toys. Then today for his actual birthday we took him to the T-Rex dinosaur themed restaurant. He has become a bit of a chicken recently and was scared at first. Luckily they gave us a table by the aquarium which helped him to ease into the dinosaur atmosphere. Then he loved it and after we ate he got to make a dinosaur at the Build-A-Dino Workshop (little sister got one too).
Overall I think he had a fun time and I am excited to see how he continues to grow and change from year to year.
Here is a little slideshow of him over the years with a few pictures from his birthday this year.

My mom, the birthday girl!!!

Fifty years ago today my mom was born. She was about 3 months early and barely weighed 3 pounds. She wasn't expected to survive, but she did. That is something that makes my mom great. Since birth she has been a fighter. She has made it through many tough challenges because of that strength. One of the hardest things we have ever been through as a family was losing my sister, Abbie. She did 6 years ago today. Yep, that's right she died on our mother's birthday, so it is always hard for my mom to celebrate her birth because she misses Abbie so much. Though we miss Abbie everyday I think it is important to celebrate my mom's life. Since it is a milestone birthday I made a video of pictures of her throughout the years. She is a great mother and I am so fortunate to say that she is my mother. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Don't Mess with Texas!!!

This year for vacation we were able to go to Texas to visit my dad (he lives about an hour north of Dallas). My grandma was able to come with us, which was great because she was a big help with the kids. We flew out from KC and went to Dallas then onto San Antonio. This was the first time the kids got to go on a plane. They were very excited and did pretty well they just had a hard time not being able to run around.

While we were in San Antonio we went to Sea World and the Alamo. The kids loved Sea World especially Shamu. The still talk about Shamu. We were able to even have dinner with Shamu. We got to go behind the show tank to the training area to eat and get a close up view of the whales. The trainers came around to answer questions as well. It was very neat.

The Alamo was fun for the kids to walk around but they enjoyed the boat ride on the River Walk more. I went to the Alamo when I was 10 years old and didn't like it at all. As an adult it was very interesting.


The next day we loaded up and headed to my dad's place in Sherman. It was a long drive but the kids did good. When we finally made it to his place we had BBQ waiting for us. It was different than KC BBQ but it was really good.

The next day we went out on my dad's boat. It was fun to ride around and Lainey loved standing up front with the wind in her face. Liam liked sitting in the back under the shape of the canopy. We were able to find a spot to beach the boat and play in the sand and water. Lainey is a water baby and we couldn't keep her out, she was not scared at all. Liam on the other hand would barely put his feet in. Toward the end of our time there I did get him to run into the water with me. After we left we discovered how red Liam, Lainey, and I were even though we put on sunblock. Then we headed to my dad's casino project to see what work he is up to. It was huge with multiple phases. It looks it will be neat when it is done.


The next day I was able to go and visit one of my old roommates from Ricks who I hadn't seen in 9 years, who happened to live about a half hour from my dad. She isn't from that area but moved there about a year ago. It was a lot of fun to visit and catch up with her. Plus our kids had good time playing together. Then that evening my dad took us to the cowboy stores to gear up for the rodeo. Liam and Lainey got boots and hats which they love. They still put them on almost everyday and Lainey says "yee-haw cowboy" a lot. For years my dad has tried to get me to get boots and I finally gave in. I really like them and hope I will be able to wear them often. Oh and Joe even got some boots too, but they don't look cowboyish so that works well for him.

On our last night we went to the rodeo in Mesquite. The kids loved it. Lainey kept saying "yee-haw cowboy" and Liam kept wanting to see buckin' broncos. We had great seats right in the front row near the shoots so the kids were able to see everything. Also the cowboys that wait out on the horses to make sure everyone is safe kept riding past us too so the kids got a good look. They even got to pet one after the show. There were ponies to ride and they both wanted to do but Liam kept chickening out. Finally Joe got him to ride around once.

We flew home the next day and were exhausted. It was a great trip and I am grateful for my dad's generosity but I was happy to be home so the kids could be in their beds and I could be in mine.

Make a Smilebox invite

A banana in your pants???

So we are working on potty training Liam. The first full day was difficult with him screaming and yelling and refusing to sit on the toilet. Then yesterday Joe got him on the toilet just in time for him to go potty and that seemed to help him. The first few times going in the toilet were messy cause he was already going, but then last night and this morning he went potty with no mess. Unfortunately pooping hasn't been successful. This morning I took some things out to the garage and as I came back in I hear Joe saying, "You have a banana in your pants?". Then I look at Liam who tells me he has a banana in his pants. When I checked there was no banana, of course, just poop! Well at least he is doing okay with the potty, I am sure he'll figure out the poop thing soon, right?

Potty Training and Fund Raising!!!

So we have officially began potty training Liam. There have been toilet sitting episodes here and there but not to this magnitude. My little man is so stubborn and likes to do things his own way that this whole thing is daunting to me. We had already planned to start this week but on Sunday he told me that he wanted to wear "underwears" so we put some on him. He ended up peeing in those 3 hours later! So then yesterday afternoon we decided to just do it and go with underwear full time (except at night). Yesterday we went through about 5 pairs of underwear and a couple pairs of pants. Since 8 this morning we have gone through 1 pair of shorts, 3 pairs of pants, and about 6 pairs of underwear! I'm going to be doing a lot of laundry! I know we haven't been working on it for long but I am already frustruated! I'm sure once he goes in the toilet once it will get easier, just have to get him to do that!

Besides potty training I am trying to raise funds for our Relay for Life team. I really don't like asking people for money but that is one way it has to get done. We have already had a Bunco night and a garage sale that have helped us raise some funds. We are having another Bunco night tonight (which I can't go to because Joe is at work and Liam is potty training) and another garage sale on Saturday. If you read this and want more information about Relay or our fund raising events let me know. My email is eshbeat@yahoo.com or you can check out my page http://main.acsevents.org/goto/Heather.Beaty .

Oh and since people just love to see the kids I will post a recent one of Liam, Lainey, and Ferris (who is now in Egypt visiting his grandparents for the summer) eating popcorn one night.