My boy is 5 years old!

My son is now 5 years old! It is hard to believe that he is old enough to start kindergarten! We decided to wait to give him a little more time to be ready. He loves to learn and I am sure would love it. However, I would rather him be older than younger. Plus my Uncle Lynn once asked if I would rather him have an extra year to be a kid or an extra year to be an adult. We chose kid. For his birthday party the Saturday before his actual birthday we had a splash party with a slip n slide, lots of sprinklers, and water balloons. Oh and a delicious chocolate cake. On his actual birthday we went bowling and then to the Royals game that night. He got special treatment at the game. He got stuff from girls in the KC Crew and a man sitting behind us got him a baseball with Kauffman Stadium on it from the gift shop. I think he had a great birthday. We even took him golfing the next day! Here are 5 things that are great about Liam:
*He doesn't know a stranger. He talks to everyone and wants to be friends with everyone. He actual talks a little too much sometimes! :)
*He loves to learn. Recently he even said, "I want to learn so I can be smarter".
*He loves to share his knowledge even if his ideas are a little off and don't make sense.
*He wants to be a professional golfer when he grows up. He even got a gift certificate for golf lessons that came with a golf shirt and golf balls. When we golfed the day after his birthday he was very adamant about wearing his new golf shirt.
*He is a kind and loving boy. He tries to help his sister and other little kids when he sees they need help. This kindness makes him a little sensitive at times too.

Another 3 year old!

Now it is my little girl's turn to be 3 years old. I am not even sure where to start with her except that she is her own girl. She is a very sassy girl that I think will have no trouble standing up for herself. She has been so excited to turn three and for days has been showing people with her fingers how old she is. Here are some fun facts about her.

*She love Princess stuff.
*She loves to wear dresses.
*She loves to wear heels.
*She likes to sing and her favorite song for a while was part of that world from The Little Mermaid.
*She loves to copy her brother and beat up on him.
*She is dramatic.
*She is a fast learner.
*She likes to talk in silly voices and make silly faces.
*She loves to dance and can really shake her hips.
*She can act shy at times but she really isn't

Even though she wears my patience down some days I am grateful to be her Mommy. She brings joy and laughter into our lives and I don't know what I would do without her. She has made our family complete.

My boy turned 4!!!

So my little man is now 4 years old. He is such a funny little guy. He does things in his own way and in his own time so it is best not to push him too hard. He can be whiny at times but overall he is a great kid. I love to call him the professor or the elephant. I call him the professor because he is very inquisitive and wants to know about things. Then we does know about things he likes to tell others about what he knows. He is the elephant because he has a great memory. He remembers a surprising amount of information. Here are a few more facts about my big guy.
*He likes Transformers and Spiderman.
*The movie Spiderman scared him but he loved the Transformers movie!
*He loves books and gets frustrated that he can't read yet.
*He likes to watch shows about animals.
*He likes going to the zoo and still talks about the white alligator we saw in Omaha a year ago.
*He worries about his sister and tries to help her even though she doesn't want it and then it usually causes a fight.
*He is a mama's boy.
*He is just like his father!
*He loves to play with his cousins.
*He will choose water instead of ice cream!!!
*He doesn't like broccoli.
*He says he wants to be a golfer and a chef when he grows up.

Well that is just a little about him. I could go on and on. I am so proud to be his mother and every year I get to have with him makes my life even better.

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.

Proud to be an American!

Two posts in one day!!!
Well I always enjoy telling people that I have an Egyptian brother-in-law, but now he is an American! Mohamed filled out his papers (which were many and took hours), paid his fees (not cheap!), and passed the test (he studied a lot and probably knows more than most people born in America). So today he went to the Federal Courthouse in KC, MO and took his Oath of Citizenship. As a 4th grade teacher I was so excited to go and see this process so that I could tell my students about it. So I trekked downtown excitedly carrying my video camera and digital camera (which Mohamed kept making fun of me for). It was such a great experience and really made me feel so proud to live in a country that accepts people from all over the world, giving them freedom they may not have had before. There were 60 people from 28 different countries that became citizens during this ceremony! I know that our country isn't perfect, but it is a place that gives so many opportunities to so many people that may not have ever had them!
Mohamed has told me how grateful he is to become an American citizen because he feels this country has given him so much. He even got registered to vote today and is excited to be able to be part of such an exciting election year!
Below is a picture of the courtroom and a picture of Mohamed with his mom and certificate of citizenship.

Boy vs. Girl

So I have been told that I need to post more. Since this is all very new still and I am no pro, I am keeping it basic at this point. I decided to write about how different my babies are.
Liam is just his own kid and such a boy. He does his thing and is usually just happy hanging out and playing by himself. He has taken to playing baseball too. This consists of taking a long item that looks like it could be a bat and some ball then just running. There usually is no hitting involved, maybe some swinging of the "bat" but no hitting. I think he may like a T-Ball set! Oh and he is getting a bit tricky. The other day he said something about candy corn so I said "do you want candy corn?" trying to figure out what he said for sure, to which he replied, "Okay, Mommy"! It was like he tricked me into agreeing to get him some treats!
Now Lainey, I am discovering, is a total girl. She loves to carry around stuffed animals and blankets. Over the weekend Liam found an old necklace of mine from Hawaii that was tucked away in a drawer. When Lainey realized what he had she wanted it. So Joe found another necklace from a hippy costume that he doubled up and put around her neck. She just loved it and didn't even pull at it. She just walked around like she was big stuff with that necklace. The next day the necklaces came out again and she wore both of them around for the rest of the day. When we were outside later I took some pictures of her with them on. Then somehow I managed to get Liam to sit down next to her (usually he is too busy running, playing, and doing his thing). So here they are. Liam with his dirty, chalky (he loves sidewalk chalk) face and Lainey with her necklaces! They are just so cute, I can't get enough of them!

Grandpa O'Dell

So, here is my first official blog and I guess it's a sad one. My Grandpa O'Dell (my mom's dad) passed away on Wednesday. He was 82 years old and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about a year ago. He really struggled with having this disease and actually didn't believe the doctors at first. He really did tell them they were wrong! He went into a nursing home in April and never got to go home. For the past couple of months it got really bad really fast. It was hard for my mom and her sisters to watch him go, but I know he is happier now that he is with my grandma again.
My mom and I were talking the other day about how watching someone die is almost like watching a baby being born. Don't get me wrong, it's much happier to watch a baby being born, but they both remind you that there is something bigger and better than any of us can imagine.
I promise the next time I do this it will be a happy sweet one about my babies!