Holiday Greetings from the Heasley's

Hello friends and family,

We have decided to embrace our tree hugging nature (and well we’re just cheap and lazy), so we’re sending out an email card instead of hard copies.

It’s been a banner year for the Heasleys. Leah is in kindergarten and learning new things every day. She had her first play date and first scrap on the playground with a boy. Tyler is finally embracing potty training, much to his parents’ delight. He’s getting ready to move into the 3-year-old room at daycare.

Lots of things haven’t changed this year – Scott is still working his way through law school and our house STILL is under construction. The latest challenge is the siding company and its foreman who contracted pneumonia AND had his house broken into in the same week. We feel bad for the guy, but this company has to have more than one foreman, right???

We look forward to a great 2010. The construction should be done soon (although we’re not holding our breath) and then life will be grand. That is if we can get our beloved dog Tac to quit eating everything in sight – snowmen, screwdrivers, hairbands, flashcards, stuffed animals, Christmas ornaments, sticks of dynamite, tree limbs, flashlights, power cords and on and on and on.

We send our love and best wishes to all of you. Have a great holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year.

Scott, Liz, Leah, Tyler and Tac

Old vs. Cold

Just a little brag on my big boy...today marks the first day of no accidents. Not even during nap time. It's also the 1st time he....ah hum....well um....he pooped in potty at home!

On a less gross note - The past few days Tyler has told me I need new hands. I was thinking to myself.....that's a really odd thing to say. I know my hands are a bit dry from the cold weather but come on! I'm only in my mid 30's. What is this kid going to tell me I need to replace when I hit 40? So tonight I'm getting him ready for a bath and am taking his shirt off...doing my best not to bump his bare skin with my freezing cold hands and he says it again. Trying to joke it off and also get his tushy in the tub I ask if he thinks we'll be able to find a pair of new hands in the warm water. He relents and gets in the tub...of course has a blast and refuses to get out until I drain all the water out of the tub and he's left there shivering. I forget what I said to convince him to get out but I ask him if I have new hands now and does he like them. He says yeah then hums and says "ok mommy let's go get your cold hands". "You mean OLD hands"? "No your COLD hands mommy".

So the opposite of Cold is New....Old - Cold what's the difference when you're three?

Tyler Wants Thomas....Tyler's Gonna Get Thomas....Sorta

My baby is three! Can you believe it?

Shortly before his birthday, while rocking Tyler before bed (I know, I know he's getting too big for rocking, but he loves it as much as I do) I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday...assuming he wouldn't really care or would ask for something like ketchup (hey that's what he asked Santa for...the kid really likes ketchup). To my surprise he declared that he wanted a Thomas birthday. Ok a Thomas Birthday cake is easy, but what else?

The scenic railroad! Only issue is it's the holidays and polar express tickets are sold out in August. We settled for Mr. Jingelings Holiday Express. I'm happy to report I am too young to remember Mr. Jingeling...I was a Higbee/Twigbee shop baby. Halle's department store is little more then a building that Halle Barry is named after in my mind. I must admit I was a bit nervous about being locked in the train car with the "Keeper of the Keys" and had an image of singing horrid jingles for 3 hours with no escape, but any thing for my baby. Mr. Jingeling was not nearly as annoying as I had imagined and the kids got a kick out of it. The only down fall was the jingles only lasted for 30 minute of the 3 hour trip and keeping the kids occupied became more and more difficult as time passed. By the time we rolled back into the Rockside station I was motion sick, Tyler was running a fever and Leah was sound asleep. Despite it all I think the little man enjoyed himself and hopefully we're building lasting memories.

The past several days Tyler's daily communication sheet from daycare has mentioned him playing with this or that with Rielyn. When asked who Rielyn is he responds "she's my princess"....how flipping cute is this little man?

Yes I'm that parent that lets my kids play in the leaf piles by the street

End over End - Then and Now

Leah age 5 - Fall 2009

Leah age 15 months - Fall 2005

First Day of School

Leah's 1st day of school was today. It was just a 1/2 day for the girls and tomorrow she'll get to meet the boys in her class. I did a pretty good job of keeping it together until Tyler realized that we were leaving Leah there. Donuts and apple juice weren't enough to keep him from hollering "I want my Eah". Scott picked her up at noon and had lunch with her before taking her to day-care where she was as proud as could be to showed off her uniform. I don't think she stopped talking from the moment I picked her up until her head hit the pillow.

Leah's Birthday Surprize

Still figuring out the new camera and and the new pc hence the delay, but here's the big moment.

More Construction Site Fun

Who said a construction zone is no place for a kid? The kids have been finding plenty of ways to have fun despite the mess.

Leah's Annual Birthday Zoo Visit

Last weekend I took the kids to the Zoo for Leah's annual birthday trip to the zoo. Scott stayed behind to take the dog to the vet and get the yard cleaned up for a small get together for dinner. Aria, her mom and a long lost friend from grade school and her daughter joined us. It was a hot day and the kids we a bit of a handful so we didn't last very long.

In the evening some friends neighbor and family stopped by for a cook out. Leah was kind enough to agree to a Handy Manny themed party to play off the mess of a construction zone which is our back yard.

Meet the Newest Member of the Family

This morning we loaded the kids in the car for a surprise. After several incorrect guesses we told Leah we were going somewhere to pick out a birthday present. To that she was estatic. About an hour later we pulled into Crazy W farms driveway and announced we were there to pick a puppy. I had found these puppies on-line searching local shelters for rescue dogs. When I saw Border Collie/ Lab mix I knew I had to have one. Scott fell in love with Tac at first sight and declared he would be his. While I was partial to his brother Tic (sister name is Toe) who was rounder and looked more like a border collie. All the puppies were adorable and in the end I think Scott was better at lobbing for his pick.

Tac has been a pleasure thus far and is as cute as can be.

Summer Vaca

Gators and rain falling up couldn't ruin our vacation. Leah has declared she's going to live on the beach forever. Might pose a problem with her fair skin but wouldn't mind joining her.

Per Scott's Request

Scott asked that I upload updated pics of my new carpet ernt I mean the sunroom. Not sure if he wanted people to see what a mess he inherited by marrying into my family or if he thought the progress made this week was really cool. If you figure out his intent let me know.