The Heston Family Blog

What a month!

2011-03-10T11:35:00.000-06:00

This last month has been quiten an emotional rollercoaster. God has been faithful, but I have definitely had my share of tears.....tears of worry, tears of sadness, tears of joy, tears of comfort and peace, and now, on the other side of our fears, I can see just how faithful and full of love our God is.

About 5 weeks ago, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. This came as a complete shock to us. We don't have this in our family, so when my mom was having a biopsy, I went into it completely believing the results would be negative. Her risk factor was like 5%. When she called to tell me that her test results came back saying that both spots they had tested were cancerous. I lost it. This began the waiting game of not knowing what we were looking at and leting myself worry and go to the bad place as I call it, with my thoughts. It took what felt like forever, and ended up being only a week and a half or so to get a plan of action. She had a masectomy 2 weeks ago, and is recovering now. They tested all the tissue and one of the surrounding lymph nodes and everything looks clear now. My mom is going to be spending a lot of time with her oncologist over the next 5 years, but praise the Lord, it looks like maybe the worst is behind us. As of now, she doesn't have to have radiation or chemo.....which is such an answered prayer. Thank you God for taking care of my mommy!

During the waiting game, which I think is the very hardest part, my mom wanted us to come be with her for a week or so....to keep her entertained. What a week!!! Layla and her kids were there the first part, which is always so fun. Payton adores her cousins, Reagan and Reese. We also had one other unexpected guest.....which was AMAZING!! My sister, Danielle, who is a missionary is Asia, came home for a week to be with us. We hadn't seen her in a year and a half, and she hadn't met Cooper yet. So.....seeing them together was so wonderful. She lived with us when Payton was this age and Payton LOVES her DeeDee. It didn't take Cooper too long to fall just as in love as Payton is. Leaving at the end of the week was really hard. Payton wanted DeeDee to come home with us and for us to stay longer and help Nana.

As of now, DeeDee is back in Asia, and Nana is recovering in Littlefield. Clee and I are going to visit Danielle in June and we, hopefully, will see my mom sometime soon as well.

Here are some pictures from our trip!

Blake (2 months), Reese (2), Reagan (4), Payton (3), and Cooper (9 months)

The Boys

Sweet Cousins!!!

Payton dancing with Pops

Payton entertaining Nana!

Cooper and his new favorite person, Aunt DeeDee!!!

Another fun video

2011-01-27T16:56:00.000-06:00

I had made a few videos of my little guy and thought you guys would like to see it! He's really cute, so be prepared to smile!

He's On the Move!

2011-01-24T15:37:00.000-06:00

Cooper is officially crawling. Over the last few weeks, he has been working so hard to get from place to place. He first figured out that rolling would get him where he needs to go, but it just wasn't good enough. He would get on all fours, and try to move forward. But this little guy has some serious determination, and he has officially mastered the skill of crawling. Here is a video of his progress and his success!

Payton's First haircut

2011-01-24T10:44:00.000-06:00

After three years aof watching my little girl go from baldie to a long haired girl, I finally decided I needed to take the plunge. Her hair was becoming a mess. It was lots of different lengths and needed a good trim. Cutting it was quite a big thing for me, because it took her so long to get it, but I knew the day would come.

Here is her before picture (Her hair looks precious in this picture, but trust me, this is a very good hair day, not what it always looks like)

We talked about getting her hair for most of the week before and we would tell her how she needed to be really still and patient. She was amazing....she didn't say a word. She just sat completely still watching the lady cut her hair.

Here is the after picture. I decided to make a fun day out of it. We rode the carousel and got a cookie to celebrate her big day!

Christmas in Houston

2011-01-24T10:37:00.000-06:00

A little late...I know.

We celebrated Christmas with Clee's side of the family on New Year's Eve. We had a great time, and it was really fun to be able to prolong Christmas for a whole week.

Payton had the best time decorating cookies with Gigi and Aunt Jessie

Payton and Katelyn tearing into all their Chrsitmas presents

Gigi and Popi and all their Grandbabies

Christmas in Litte Rock

2011-01-06T16:36:00.000-06:00

We spent Christmas this year in Little Rock with my sister and her family and my mom and dad. We had a wonderful time! Payton and Cooper had so much fun playing with their cousins, Reagan and Reese, and we got to meet our newest little nephew, Blake Harrell Ramsey. He was born on December 18th. We thought he might share a birthday with Payton or I, but he wanted his own special day. He is precious, and couldn't be more different than Coop.

Cooper made a new best friend, Minnie. He would watch her and just laugh and smile at her and he LOVED getting kisses!

Jason is such a good influence. He was painting Reagan's toes, so Clee got in on the action and gave Payton beautiful purple nails, too.

The girls taking care of Blake

We miss Aunt DeeDee more than anything. She couldn't physically be here because she is still in Taiwan, but she was with us through the computer!! WE CAN"T WAIT TO HAVE HER BACK!!!!

Pops and Cooper. These two are so sweet!

Payton got a veil and a bouquet from Reagan and Reese. She loves being a bride. So far, she has asked me if she could marry Cooper, Blake and Owen (both of them at the same wedding), and her friend Eli from church.

The girls in their new princess dresses

Cooper and Blake (These two are going to be best buddies)

Check out our little football player.....so cute!

Nana and Pops and their sweet grandbabies!!

Our Trip to Russellville, AR

2011-01-06T16:23:00.000-06:00

Before we headed to Little Rock for Chirstmas, we made a stop to visit some of our closest friends, Larry and Bethany Walker, and their son, Carson. We had a wonderful time catching up. We sure do wish they lived closer.

Bethany is so sweet. Payton and I were having birthdays and she surprised us for the second year in a row with a cake.

Payton and her buddy Carson, and their daddys

Cooper getting to enjoy his sweet friend, Miss Bethany!

We also made a stop to visit Santa. My kids did a better job of paying attention to the camera that Santa did! But I still thought the picture turned out great!

Cooper loved riding in Carson's fancy car

Clee and Carson

Payton's First Show

2011-01-06T16:06:00.000-06:00

Payton had a precious Christmas performance at her preschool. She had been dancing around the house singing "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" for about a month, and she would do motions. I knew we were in for a good show. She always sings so loud and dances so big at home, so I was expecting the same, but once she got on the stage, she became a little more shy. She did a wonderful job. It was so fun getting to watch her up there. I know this is only the first of many performances for this little one.

Here she is with her good friends, Katherine and Ally doing the motions.

I think bowing at the end of the song might have been her favorite part.

Payton and her sweet friend, Ally, hugging and saying goodbye at her Christmas party.

Catching up on Blogs

2011-01-06T08:28:00.000-06:00

I have been a terrible blogger recently. I am going to attempt to catch up today on everything going on in our busy lives. I hope you don't mind reading several at once.

Nat and Jessie's Wedding

2010-12-15T20:56:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was a very special one in our house. Clee's brother, Nat, got married. Jessie has been Aunt Jessie for a long time now. We are just so excited she is finally a Heston.

We had a wonderful time at the wedding and Jessie was a beautiful bride. Payton had her first opportunity to be a flower girl and she had the best time. She shared her responsibilities with Erin's daughter, Katelyn, and our sweet friends, Blake and Owen Stroh.

Here they are practicing at the rehearsal.

Such a ham. She thought the baskets were so funny!

Here she is practicing running down the aisle. After this, we told her to walk very slowly, and for the ceremony, she did wonderful. She walked very slowly down the aisle, and when she got to the end, she gave Nat a huge hug and he told her she forgot to drop her flowers, so she stood there and shook her basket until every flower petal was on the ground. It was really sweet.

Mommy and her pretty flower girl before the ceremony!

Daddy and Coop (Aren't they the two best looking guys you've ever seen?)

Mommy, Tiffany (A friend from college), Erin, and Kim

Me and My Hubs

The family! We match....isn't it so cute?

Payton enjoyed the ceremony, but nothing compares to her love of the dance floor. The dance part of the wedding lasted 2 hours, and Payton was on the dance floor the entire time. She took one break to get a cookie and then returned to the dance floor with her cookie!

Patyon and Katelyn dancing

Dancing with the bride and groom

Dancing with my hubby!

Check out Erin's moves.

2 of our favorite people, Kim and Nate Stroh

Payton and Katelyn got in on the action when Jessie threw the bouquet. Luckily, they didn't catch it. I'm not sure we are ready for another wedding that soon.

Pretty Payton

This is Payton at the end of the wedding. Sad for it to end, but ready to crash

Payton's Purple Princess Party

2010-12-06T14:17:00.000-06:00

This weekend we had Payton's 3rd birthday party. She won't technically be 3 until December 19th, but this is a super busy month and we had to have it early. Her favorite color is purple, and she is obsessed with princesses, so we combined them. My mom made her an adorable purple princess dress, so we were set. We had purple cupcakes and decorated the house to create her purple palace. She had the best time, and told her daddy, "Daddy, this is the BEST birthday party ever!" She's pretty good at getting excited.

The family and our purple princess

Blowing out her 3 candles (She is geting so big)

Cooper thought the party was awesome too.

Payton and a few of her prince and princess friends

Showing off her purple tongue

Telling me how much she loved everything. This melts a mommy's heart!

Mommy and Payton...Best Friends!!!

Payton's friend, Garrett got into the purple theme too and even wore a shirt that said prince charming. Precious, right?

We had an amazing time.....not sure how we can top it next year!

MY BIG BOY!!!

2010-11-02T14:42:00.000-05:00

My little boy is getting so big. He is almost 6 months old and is starting to grow up so much. He is sitting up (sometimes) on his own, has gotten his first 2 teeth, and is just starting to seem so much bigger than a newborn. Here are a few of my latest pictures.

Cooper enjoys standing up, just like his sister. Clee is proud of this trick. He stays close by, but does let him stand there without holding on to him.

Here he is sitting up.....it usually only lasts about 10 seconds, but he can still do it!

He loves his exersaucer. So much to see....so much to touch!

Dewberry Farms

2010-10-31T14:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Clee, Nat, Jessie, and I took Payton, Katelyn, and Cooper to Dewberry Farms. We had never been there before, but we had a great time. The kids loved it. This is a farm outside of Katy that has a corn maze; pumpkin patch; animal farm with goats, cows, sheep, chickens; tons of fun slides and climbing things; pig races.....super fun....if anyone is looking for a fun family activity.

Here are Nat and Jessie with their nieces and nephew.

Nat and Katelyn in a fun tunnel (Erin....are you impressed with my photography)

Daddy and Payton enjoying a jungle gym

Payton loved the slides

Mommy and Payton

The Bumpy slide

We took the girls on a little train ride....it was a little bit of a tight squeeze

Me and my little man

Jessie and Katelyn

Taco Nat and Katelyn in the corn maze!

Fun with Gigi and her zoo keeper, animals, and purple princess

2010-10-31T14:11:00.000-05:00

Friday night, Gigi took Payton and Katelyn to the fall festival at her church. Erin and I decided to bring the two little ones up to have a little fun, as well, and then we headed home....but Payton and Katelyn stayed for a slumber party with Gigi and Popi.

Here is the crew.....a zoo keeper, lion, monkey, and the purple princes

Gigi and her babies. Cooper loved Elizabeth's mane. He wanted to eat it! Brave monkey....to be messing with a lion like that.

Erin and I are the brave ones in this picture. I love how proud Payton looks to be holding her little brother

This picture was completely unposed. She came up behind me and gave me a huge hug....Luckily, Erin was nearby to capture it. I am a proud mama!

Fun Times in Littlefield

2010-10-27T14:44:00.000-05:00

This past week, Payton, Cooper, and I travelled to Littlefield to see Nana and Pops. My sister, Layla, and her girls, Reagan and Reese, also flew in from Little Rock. We had the best time playing with cousins and getting to spend time with family.

This also marked Cooper's first airplane ride. He did great. It was definitely challenging managing 2 kids during the flight, but we made it, and the trip was so wonderful....definitely worth it!

Here are a few pictures of the fun that was had.

The girls spent most of the week in Nana's dress up clothes. Great purchase, mom!

Look at our 2 little models!

We were also able to get to spend time with my grandmother, which is always wonderful

Pops and Cooper....inseparable!

Fun times with Pops!

Flying during our fun family walk

These 2 were quite the pair. Payton and Reese are good at finding themselves in trouble.

Cooper loves his nana

Cheering on the Littlefield Wildcats at a pep rally!

The kids started out with balloons. This is their devastation, when the balloons flew away!

We can't wait to see everyone again at Christmas.....when we get to meet our little nephew Blake!

When Nana and Pops Come to Town

2010-10-17T20:34:00.000-05:00

My parents were so lucky to be able to go visit my sister in Taiwan last week. We were able to reap some of the fun though by making a pit stop in Houston on their way to and from Taiwan. Thanks, Dee Dee, for sharing them.

My kids adore their Nana and Pops. Cooper and Pops are adorable....two peas in a pod. My dad has been waiting 30 years for a little boy in the family. It's about time!

Nana and Pops and their little man, Coop!

My mom made Payton this purple princess dress for Halloween. She LOVES it.....when she saw it the first time, she was so excited about it. She has worn it so much since then.

This was a present fron Nana and Pops after their trip. She loved it. We put her hair in a litttle bun and put straws in it, like chop sticks. Precious!!!

Sting 'Em Jackets!

2010-10-14T16:20:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, Kim Stroh and I decided to return to our alma mater, Howard Payne University, with our kiddos. The hubbys were busy, so we decided to be brave and make the road trip with just us and our four kids. We had the trusty new mini van to make the trip a little more cush and we had managed to find a couple of sweet college students to watch our kids Friday night, we knew it would be a super fun weekend.

And....it definitely was. We squeezed a lot into 2 days, but I think the best part was getting to share HPU with our kids. Payton is finally big enough to start understanding things and she had the best time. She kept telling me how much she loved the "buzzy, buzzy bee" (aka yellow jacket) and by the end of the weekend, she was an expert at saying, "Awwwww......Sting Em" and making her stinger with her little finger. We had a great time.

My favorite little jackets!

My cute little boy enjoying his view from the back

Payton made a friend, Lilah Snow. Her mom, Candace, and I were in the same sorority......here are two of our future Delta Chi Rho girls in the making!

Payton using her stinger while we sang the school song. She's a pro!

Kim and I were there too....Class of '03....wow! That's old!

Here we are with our wonderful hosts and dear friends, Dub and Deb Wilson!

The Wilsons had a fun pumpkin patch set up outside their house.

"Sting 'Em Jackets"

This shirt was a huge hit. It was Clee's when he was a little boy! Looks pretty good for being almost 30 years old!

We also got to meet our good friends, Michael and Abby Criner's daughter, Adele. She is 2 months older than Cooper. They were so funny. They couldn't keep their hands off each other. I think they were excited to see someone else their size!

Pretty Impressive!

2010-10-01T13:12:00.000-05:00

During lunch today, Clee and I got a nice little surprise. We were sitting on the couch while Clee ate his lunch. Cooper was asleep, and Payton was coming in and out to visit with us. She was hanging out in our room and kept saying she was putting make-up on. Well.....I just thought she was pretending, because she pretends to put make-up on all the time with me, when I am putting it on. So.....as Clee and I were talking, he started to realize she had been gone for quite awhile, probably 10 minutes, and went to find out what was really going on. A few seconds later, I hear, "Holly.....you may want to get in here." So we go in to find our daughter, with completely painted fingers and toes. Payton had found my fingernail polish and had painted both her hands and her feet.....in our bedroom.....on our carpet. To our amazement, our 2 1/2 year old daughter didn't get any polish on the carpet. She only got it on her nails.....and hands and feet, of course. Not that I condone this, and we told her she could not do that again, but we were pretty impressed with her work. She even painted her bad hand, and for girls, that is pretty difficult....can you imagine a 2 year old?

Our Little Comedian

2010-09-30T20:07:00.000-05:00

Cooper's favorite thing to laugh at is his sister. I find it hilarious. Sometimes she won't even be doing anything. He will just be looking at her and cracking up. I tried to capture it on video, but only caught the tell end of his laughter. Enjoy the little glimpse into what I see all day!

Cooper's First Solids

2010-09-19T19:58:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my baby is four months old and big enough to start eating solids. We got the go ahead at Cooper's four month check up that he is ready for solids. Eating baby food was disastrous for Payton. She never would let us feed her. By 8 months, she was eating table food....so I was not looking forward to going through this again. HE DID GREAT!!! He loved it, and I almost think he has had more rice cereal in the last 2 days (only 2 feedings) than Payton did the entire time. Go Coop!!

And the adorable video:

We Took the Plunge!

2010-09-19T19:54:00.000-05:00

So.....after much discussion and ultimately wearing my husband down, we took the plunge and.....BOUGHT A MINIVAN! We bought a Volkwagen Routan, and I love it! Even Clee loves it, and that is saying a lot....because this man was 100% anti-minivan.

I read this quote somewhere and thought it was so fitting. "No one aspires to own a minivan. It is something you buy out of pure necessity." And this is so true. After having 2 babies, and discovering just how hard it has been to cart them and all their things with just a sedan, and after pricing SUV's that actually have trunk space, a minivan really was the only choice for us.

We were, however, planning on making our purchase next summer, but we found a deal that was just too good to pass up. We were able to buy a brand new (we never thought this would be possible) Mini van with everything we wanted (DVD player, Rear camera, navigation, leather, and so many more bells and whistles than I had even hoped for) in our budget. I love it and can't wait to drive it all the time. I know....it sounds so weird to be excited about a mini-van, but I really love it. You were right, Layla! They really are awesome!

Isn't this so fun? It has 2 dvd players so the middle and back can watch 2 different things.

Here is our touchpad navigation/radio/voice activate phone. I sat in the car earlier today and called my parents. This will definitely come in handy!

Our Newest Addition to the Family

2010-09-19T19:41:00.000-05:00

Clee's sister, Erin, had her new baby on August 31st, Elizabeth Lynn Anderson. She is tiny and so sweet. Last night was the first time we had been able to get all four grandkids together. It was so fun getting to have Payton and Katelyn having so much fun together, and then getting to see Cooper and Elizabeth together. He looks so big. They are only 3 months apart, and I know they will be really sweet friends!

The "Big" kids

(Blake and Owen were here, too, but we missed them in the pictures. Sorry boys!)

The "Little" Kids

The love each other already

I don't think Gigi could look any happier!

Cooper's Baby Dedication

2010-09-19T19:36:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday we had Cooper's baby dedication at church. It was a very special time where we made a commitment as a family and as a church to share the love of Christ with our son. We will do our very best to raise Cooper as Christ would. We were so blessed to have Angie, Nat, and Jessie join us for this special celebration.

Here is Cooper with our pastor, Bruce Webb.

While we were waiting for Cooper's dedication, we were singing praise and worship music. Payton was certainly enjoying herself. We didn't know at the time that Jessie was catching it all on video. It is precious. See for yourself

For those in our family who couldn't attend, here is the sweet message our pastor brought for Cooper.

Off to School

2010-08-31T18:16:00.001-05:00

Today was Payton's first day of preschool. I was excited for her, and I knew she would love it. She is my little social butterfly and loves making friends and trying new things. I was right. She had a wonderful time and didn't want to leave. We were walking out of the church and she looked at me and said, "Mommy....school is fun!" I think that is what every mom hopes for.

Every year when we were growing up, my mom would put us in front of a blank wall and talk to us about our first day of school. We would talk about how old we were and what grade we were going into. I decided to continue the tradition.

Here are a few pictures from the special day!

New Pictures - August 2010

2010-08-30T13:28:00.000-05:00

August has flown by. Here are a few new pictures of our sweet kids.

Cooper - 3 months

They love their daddy

Clee went to say hi to Cooper one night after work, and Payton wanted to join in on the action, so she went over and climber up on Clee. It was really funny!

Fun Daddy Time

Our BIG girl and our LITTLE boy

Cute man (In all of his pictures, he looks so startled. He gets a little overwhelmed by the big black machine called a camera.)

This picture cracks me up. He was fighting going to sleep so much. Clee was playing "pony" with Coop and he ended up falling asleep in that position.

A couple of days ago, Payton decided she wanted to be Sleeping Beauty and Cooper would be Mickey Mouse. I thought these pictures were awesome. Coop makes a pretty good Mickey, don't you think?

Bedtime Fun

2010-08-30T13:12:00.000-05:00

It always seems that about an hour before Payton goes to bed, she gets an extra burst of energy and she then decides she is going to run in circles around the entire house, and turn up the silly volume about 100%. It is quite humorous, but sometimes difficult to get her to calm down. One night, she was being a ham and a half, and I decided to document our adventure.

Below is Payton's dress up clothes box. She kept telling us she wanted to sleep in her dress up clothes, and we told her she was too big for the box. She needed to show us that was not exactly true.

She also likes to dress Cooper up in her dress up clothes. We only let her put hats on him, and he often is completely confused. Here was one of her suggestions for a new look for the little guy.

Childlike Faith

2010-08-12T20:40:00.000-05:00

Payton has been saying some of the most precious things lately. It is amazing and humbling as a parent to have the responsibility of introducing God to your child and so rewarding to see the first glimpses of them understanding and expressing their feelings about God and Jesus.

This past weekend on our vacation was when she first really started talking about God. We were driving at night and could see the stars. She kept talking about the moon and stars and I told her that God made the moon and the stars, and she started saying that God made everything. She said “God made the stars, the moon, her carseat, her milk, dress up clothes, etc.” Then later on in the weekend Payton and her daddy took a walk to this really pretty field with tons of trees. Clee asked her, “Payton, do you know who made all these trees?” and she said, “God!” Then she said, “God is not here, daddy.” And Cleesaid, “He is here, Payton. He is always with us. We just can’t see Him.” She said, “Oh. I love God. He made Payton and Daddy and Mommy and Cooper.” I love this childlike faith.

Tonight we were sitting at the table having a discussion with Payton about a recurring problem we have been having. She has started swatting at things when she doesn’t get her way. She doesn’t hit hard, but she still swats and things and people. Well….today she had a friend over to play and had swatted at him when he was playing with something she wanted. I was telling daddy about that and we told her that made mommy and daddy really sad, and then we told her that it makes God sad too when she isn’t nice, and she said, “I love God.” We told her that God loves her, too. She then said, “I no want to make God sad. I want to make Him happy!” Clee and I just smiled at each other and told her that was good. We should always want to make God happy!

Payton loves to sing, and I was fortunate enough to get a video of her singing Jesus loves me.

San Antonio - August 2010

2010-08-09T10:01:00.003-05:00

his week we took our first family vacation. We went to San Antonio with our great friends, Kim and Nate Stroh and their twim boys, Blake and Owen. We had the best time. We went to Sea World, the Alamo, Riverwalk, spent time with Clee's grandmother, Mamoo, and then spent the weekend at a wonderful retreat house of Clee's Aunt Carol, called Windomere. The week was so much fun and definitely needed.

Sea World (Thursday, August 5, 2010)

Watching the dolphins

Enjoying Sea World with my favorite little man

After a long hot day

Blake and Owen after a good swim!

Payton and Daddy had the best time swimming. Mommy stayed back and hung out with Cooper.

Payton and Blake

Cooper even enjoyed the Shamu Show

Here is a video compilation of our fun at Sea World

Friday (August 6, 2010)

We took the kids and Nate to see the Alamo for the first time. This was extra special to Clee. He loves the Alamo and Texas history.

He shared a moment with Payton and Cooper, telling them of how much he loves the Alamo!

Mommy and Kim even got to have an afternoon of pedicures and shopping. Fun times!!

Windomere (Friday - Sunday, August 6-8, 2010)

Windomere was so nice and relaxing after such a busy few days in San Antonio. We took walks, watched for deer (or Bambi as Payton called each deer she saw), played tennis, played games, and just recooped from the week.

Saturday morning, we took a walk, and helped wear the kids out before their 3 1/2 hour naps.

Clee teaching Payton some tennis moves

Mommy and Cooper watching everyone play tennis

My little tennis star

My Adorable Kids

2010-08-01T16:55:00.001-05:00

I have taken so many cute pictures of my kids this month. I wanted to share with you guys some of my favorites. Cooper is getting so big, and Payton just amazes me every day with how smart she is. I am definitely a proud mama!!

Doesn't he look so big?

I was in the bathroom getting ready one morning and I came into the living room to find this. This was one of those "Melt your heart moments!"

This is Payton and her cousin, Katelyn. They were playing at our house one night and having the best time in Payton's bed. It was devastating to both of them when Katelyn didn't get to actually sleep with Payton that night....Soon enough, there will be many slumber parties!!!

Always a princess!

This is one of Cooper's favorite ways to nap, and Mommy and Daddy like it, too. What is better than a snuggly baby? Not much!

Payton brought in all of her toys and they were all going to play with Cooper on his mat. She is always taking care of him.

Payton wanted Cooper to sleep with her. We let her get a glimpse of what that would be like.

So stinkin' cute!

Mommy and Payton.....best friends!!!

My little sailor!

She lived a good life

2010-07-25T21:44:00.000-05:00

She survived a hurricane and more thunderstorms than I can count, but she couldn't survive the windstorm of July 24, 2010. I'm talking about one of our pine trees in our back yard.

Clee is very proud of our yard and works really hard to make it look wonderful. Along our back fence, we have several trees. This particular pine tree was the tallest and biggest of all the trees. It even had endured hurricane Ike and only came out of it leaning a little.....but last night, Clee and I were sitting on the couch and I noticed the wind was blowing pretty hard, but nothing different than any other storm blowing in. I asked Clee if he thought it would be possible for that tree to snap. It was getting blown all over the place, and he didn't think so....I mean, it survived a hurricane. He decided to try and brace it anyway. As he was about to attach the rope, I heard a very loud snap, and looked outside to find our poor tree laying flat on the ground. Lukcily, it didn't land on Clee or the fence or the house, but none the less, Clee is bummer and not looking forward to the work that is going to go into removing and putting in a new tree.

Here is the tree 2 years ago right after the hurricane. It was so tiny then.

This picture was taken in April, this year. It had definitely recovered from the hurricane and was so big!

And....here it is!

Snap!!

This is what the inside of a tree looks like!!

Buddies

2010-07-21T18:23:00.000-05:00

Last night, we had small groups with our Sunday School class, and some of Payton and Cooper's best buddies were there. Cooper is so lucky to have 2 little buddies that are only 3 months between them.

Chase (March), Cooper (May), and Joshua (February)
We, as moms, have decided they are best friends.

Josh's brother, Logan, is one of Payton's best friends. Don't they look like they could be brother and sister?

"Swimming" with Daddy

2010-07-19T15:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Clee had intentions of taking Payton swimming, but the weather just wouldn't cooperate. It wasn't raining when Payton woke up from her nap and so they got changed for the pool....but as they were about to leave, the rain started coming.....pouring, actually. They made the most of it, though, and had a blast. I was excited to catch a glimpse of it on video and get some really adorable pictures.

Nana and Grand-Mary

2010-07-19T15:28:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, my mom (Nana) and my grandmother (Grandmommy to me and Grand-Mary to my kiddos) came to visit. It was wonderful. Payton loved the undivided attention from Nana and Cooper got to meet his great grandmother. Here are a few pictures from their fun trip!

Getting So Big

2010-07-09T14:44:00.000-05:00

I haven't put any new pictues of my little guy on the blog in awhile, so I thought it was definitely time. He is getting so big. He is 8 weeks old today and is starting to show a lot more personality. He is smiling and cooing a little and starting to really respond to things. He has started playing on his playmat with the star that plays music and changes color. He still cries a lot of the time he is awake, but I feel like we are seeing glimmers of a happier baby. Here are some of our new pictures.

Daddy and His Little Monkeys

This is a sweet video of Cooper and Payton playing together

Potty Training

2010-07-07T20:45:00.001-05:00

Potty Training, potty training, potty training.....I have been dreading this for so long. In fact, I am pretty sure that Payton has probably been ready for a little while, and I have been the one to wait. I guess I had a pretty good excuse with Cooper, but I'm so glad I finally just decided to tackle it. We have stayed home the last 3 days and haven't gone anywhere or done anything except focus on potty training. Payton has been wonderful! We went cold turkey with panties, except in nap and night time, then we do pullups. She has only had 3 accidents in the last three days. I read a book and was told to have between 20 and 30 pairs of panties, and I would be doing laundry each night, so I did that. But.....we have only gone through 10 pairs in 3 days. I think waiting has made the whole process a little easier, because when your child is ready.....they are ready, and it isn't too bad. We would simply tell her every 15 minutes or so all day, for 3 days, to let us know when she needs to go to the potty. After awhile, I think she has gotten sick of this question, and she just stops and looks at me, like....."Mommy, I know!"

I know we will still have our accidents, but I am so proud of her!! My baby girl is really a big girl now!

My props....before the whole process began!

Paytons Panties

This is the very beginning of the first day.....She was so proud of her panties.

As a reward for going in the potty, she would get an M&M and a piece of toy jewelry I found in the dollar party favors at wal-mart. Here she is showing off some of her new jewelry.

She is being silly here. I thought this picture was funny, so I had to share it!

She is showing off her diamond ring. She told me, "Mommy, be really careful. Diamonds are really fancy!"

Granny and Pop's 60th Anniversary

2010-07-06T11:13:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, we went to an amazing ranch outside of Houston to celebrate Clee's grandparents, Ralph and Louise Hooper (Granny and Pop's) 60th wedding anniversary. All of their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were in attendance. It was so much fun to have everyone together and to watch the little ones play together. 60 years is amazing and hard to fathom. It is fun to think about my life from that perspective and how it will have grown and changed when Clee and I have been married 60 years. Granny and Pop are an inspiration to us!!!

Here is the whole gang!

The Heston Clan

Payton with her cousins, Katelyn and Kennedy

Gigi and Katelyn playing with Cooper. Cooper had the best time. He was held pretty much for 4 days straight. He was in Heaven.

And I couldn't pass up posting and Payton and Daddy picture!

Sorry about the blog absence. I"ll try and do better!

Fun with Cousins

2010-06-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

This week has been so fun. My sister, Layla, and her daughters came to visit and to meet little Cooper. Payton has had a ball and the girls love Cooper. It has been such a blessing having an extra grown-up around as well for my sanity. My sister is wonderful. THe only thing that would have been better is if Danielle were here as well.

Here are a few pictures from our fun week.

The Astros Game

2010-06-02T17:17:00.000-05:00

On Memorial day, we had a lot of fun. Clee took Payton to the Astros game and Cooper and I stayed home and got lots of rest. Clee and Payton had the best time. She even got her very own Astros cap. She loved it. The Astros didn't do so hot, but their daddy-daughter date at the ball park may become a regular event!!

Can you see the resemblance?

2010-05-28T17:40:00.000-05:00

As Cooper has come home, and I've really started looking at pictures of him, I am amazed at how much he looks like his sister as a baby. Here are some of the pictures I have found to show the strong resemblance. What do you think?

Cooper

Payton

Cooper

Payton

Cooper

Payton

This next one is Clee's favorite!!!

Cooper

Payton

Payton Loves her Little "Tooper"

2010-05-26T09:19:00.004-05:00

Payton loves her little brother so much....maybe even more than she loves mommy and daddy. She wants to be close to him all the time, pushing him in his swing, singing to him, and just loving on him. It is really precious. Here are just a few of the moments I have been able to catch with my camera.

Sweet Videos from our time at the Hospital

2010-05-18T15:46:00.004-05:00

This video is precious. It is when Payton held Cooper for the first time. She was so sweet with him and started singing. She loves her brother so much and loves taking care of him. I know things may not always be quite so sweet between the two of them, but I am so happy that they have each other!

This is what we get to see. It was just a sweet little video of Clee talking to his son. Enjoy!

Lots of Cooper Pictures

2010-05-17T20:53:00.006-05:00

We are officially home. It is so nice to be in my own home with my own things. Cooper seems to like it, too. He has officially woken up though and we have been able to hear his sweet voice much more today. I had so much trouble uploading pictures at the hospital so I had to wait until now. Here are a few of our favorites. Enjoy

Cooper Clee Heston - May 14, 2010

2010-05-15T18:11:00.003-05:00

Cooper Clee Heston was born on May 14, 2010 at 7:59 a.m. He weighs 6 lbs. 11 ozs. and is 19 inches long.

We had a wonderful delivery yesterday morning. We were at the hospital by 6 and he was here by 8. He is perfect....with his little round head and long skinny fingers and feet. He makes the sweetest sounds and loves being held by his daddy. It has been a really fun couple of days. Payton adores him. We have been talking to her about Cooper coming for a long time, and we even told her the night before that when she woke up Friday morning mommy and daddy were going to be at the hospital with Cooper, but she would get to meet him that morning with Gigi and Popi. You never know how much a 2 year old will understand, but she has been precious. She came into the room, found Cooper, and had her daddy pick her up to look at him, before she even noticed I was there. She told us, "He is a prince." and then she looked at me and said, "Mommy, you no have a baby in your tummy." She is so smart. She keeps telling us that she loves him and that he is her little brother, and when he cries, she will go up to him and say, "It's okay, little buddy!" It really is so sweet.

There will be many more pictures to come, but I am running into a little difficuly uploading pictures here at the hospital....so for now, here are just a few!

Cooper's Daddy Shower

2010-05-07T13:23:00.003-05:00

Today at work, Clee's co-workers surprised him with a baby shower for Cooper and a pot luck lunch. This is one of the many benefits Clee has of working with only women. If he worked with a bunch of boys, you know they would never be this thoughtful (right, ladies?) Here are a few pictures from his fun surprise.

Look at all these diapers. Isn't this wonderful???

Thank you so much for everything!!!! Cooper is one blessed little boy!!!

Cooper's Nursery

2010-04-24T21:07:00.005-05:00

I've been holding off showing pictures of the nursery until we were completely finished. Well....yesterday, with the help of my amazing husband, we hung the very last thing and are ready to show everyone.

Let me know what you think

This is the backdrop behind Cooper's bed. I painted it to match his bedding!

This is my view as I walk back to my kiddo's rooms. It is still so crazy to me to think I am about to have 2 children, in less than 3 weeks.

Cooper's door hanger, up close

We painted the walls Khaki (3 walls) with the back wall navy. Here is a view of our farthest wall with the changing table, super comfy new chair, and an adorable big sister who snuck into my picture.

Up close of the changing table. We had to do away with everything pink. I even dyed our basket liners. It looks much different now.

The Back Wall

This is just to right of the door. The only thing we knew, for sure, we wanted in the nursery, was antique tennis rackets....and it was the last thing added to the nursery, but I love it. Clee is an avid tennis player, and it is fun to be able to incorporate this into Cooper's room.

This is an upclose picture of the children's chair. I bought this at a garage sale when Payton was still an infant for $3. It was wood and very beat up. Luckily, I have the most talented in laws out there, and they completely restored it to this. Isn't it wonderful?

More fun with Cousins

2010-04-20T17:17:00.004-05:00

Well..one last post full of fun. We really did have the best time this weekend with my family in town. We sure missed Aunt DeeDee and skyped with her as much as possible. Payton has not stopped talking about Reagan and Reese since they left. It makes me sad that we can't live closer together, but at least the time we do have is always special!

Cooper's Baby Shower

2010-04-18T18:00:00.003-05:00

This weekend was Cooper's baby shower, and it was wonderful. 3 of my favorite people threw the shower for me, and they really did go above and beyond. Cooper couldn't have had a better shower. It was so much fun getting to have family, my closest friends from church, and some of my friends from our old church. It was such a special morning. I felt very loved!!!!

Here I am with my hostesses, Jessie, Erin, and Kim

My mom and I enjoying the delicious food

The only sad part of the shower was that my little sister, Danielle, couldn't be there in person, but she is so wonderful. It was midnight in Taiwan, and she stayed up so she could skype in and be a part of the whole thing. I wish I could have hugged her, but she sat right next to me as I opened each gift, so it was like she was right there with me.

I also had a little helper to help me open each present!

2 of Payton's cousins, Reese and Katelyn, are right at the same age, and they are so similar. They, however, are not related, except that they share a cousin, but Payton early on, had the hardest time separating them. It was fun to let them play together. They were very sweet to each other.

Me and my sweet girl!!

My helpers: Payton with my 3 nieces, Katelyn, Reagan, and Reese

The family - Left to Right - My sister, Layla, with her daughter, Reese, my mom, holding Layla's other daughter, Reagan, Me, Payton, Katelyn (Erin's daughter), Clee's mom, Angie, Clee's sister, Erin, and our soon to be new cousin in Erin's tummy

A look back: This was from Payton's shower.....We sure have grown!! Reagan was the only little one at hat point.

Fun at the Beach

2010-04-18T17:50:00.002-05:00

While my family was here, we made a trip to the beach in Galveston. Reagan and Reese had never been to the beach and we thought it would be a fun adventure. The wind was too strong, so we weren't able to swim, but we still had a great time playing in the sand, building sand castles, getting our feet wet in the water, and burying Pops in the sand.

Treats from Taiwan

2010-04-17T21:26:00.002-05:00

We miss our DeeDee!!!! But we got to have a little piece of her a few days ago. Layla, her girls, and my parents have been visiting and we have had the best time. When my parents got here, they brought lots of treasures from Aunt DeeDee. It was so much fun getting to go through everything. The girls loved seeing their new toys and fun snacks, and they even got loaded up with $100 in Taiwanese money.

Layla and Reagan looking through their goodies

Layla modeling her new treasures
Showing off my 8 month belly in my new scarf

Reagan and Reese enjoying their Taiwanese dancing toys

Reese loves this toy!

Payton playing with it as well!

Look at all that money!!

Eating our yummy Taiwanese fruit snacks!!

THanks DeeDee!!! We love you and miss you so much!!!

How to Lock Your Kids in the Car

2010-04-15T21:28:00.002-05:00

My sister and her girls are here visiting and we are having the best time so far. Their trip started out with quite the adventure.

Layla, Reagan, and Reese arrived yesterday and Payton and I were so excited to see them. Payton and Reagan walked the whole way from baggage claim to the car holding hands and smiling at each other. They are such sweet cousins.

While Layla and I were putting 3 carseats in the backseat, the girls were sitting in the front seat playing. We figured it was the safest place for them in the middle of a parking garage. Well....we got the seats all in, the girls climbed to the back and we got them strapped in. Layla laughed at me, because I almost left my purse on the top of the car. Good thing I didn't. She put my purse in the floor, and through my keys on the console. We then closed the doors and went to open the front seat.....only to find that the doors were locked. The doors were locked, our 3 kids (ages 3,2, and 1) were safely strapped in their carseats in the back seat, and my keys were sitting nicely waiting for me on the console.

Layla and I just look at each other and start cracking up. What on earth were we supposed to do. Layla was like, "We'll just get Reagan to unlock the door." Then we realized Reagan was in the middle, and in a carseat she couldn't operate. She could not unhook this seat and she was too far from the door to be able to unlock it. We then spent the next 20 minutes trying to teach my 2 year old daughter how to unlock the door with her toes. This was not a successful attempt.

Finally, someone walked by, and we asked them to tell someone when they were paying to leave the garage that we were stuck up here and needed some help....and another man told us there was an emergency box by the elevators. We called it, which called 911, and they told us the fire department would be able to help.

Within 5 minutes, we had a few security guards and a few police officers at our car, again trying to teach my 2 year old how to unlock the door with her toes. At this point, Reagan is freaking out, crying, Payton thinks this is an awesome adventure and is just laughing, singing, and eating her fruit snacks, and Reese just seems a little confused, but not really worried.

Then.....the fire department shows up, 6 men, 3 of which are pulling a stretcher and one man who has an axe thrown over the shoulder. I wasn't sure all that was necessary, but we had to do something, right. Luckily, they opened their handy dandy bag of tools, were able to pry the door open just a little, slide in a metal rod, and hit the unlock button. We took the girls out and they were shaken up, a little sweaty, but all in all, fine!

They had mentioned having to check all their vital signs since they were stuck in a locked car for 45 minutes. LUckily, it was pretty cool in the garage, and the firemen felt the girls had been through enough. Their wasn't any need to do anymore. At this point, we decided to count all the people who had shown up to help......11 total.......security guards, police officers, paramedics, and firemen. This was our tax dollars hard at work!!!

Everything turned out fine, and Layla and I were amazed at our calmness through everything. I think the men were more worried about the 8 months pregnant woman getting too stressed out than the kids. I even had 2 of them ask me if they were all mine. Can you imagine, a 3 year old, a 2 year old, a 1 year old, and one about to pop out. No thank you!!

Payton's First Concert!

2010-04-13T17:37:00.003-05:00

Enjoy!!!!

Our Exciting Weekend

2010-04-11T20:49:00.006-05:00

We have had such a fun weekend....fully packed and super fun! It started with a playdate on Friday morning with our good friends, the Doroughs. Lacy is 4 and Carley is 3 months older than Payton. Jessica and I decided a long time ago that Payton and Carley would be best friends, and it has been a pretty successful matchup. They are really sweet together!

Lacy is such a great big sister. She was even willing to push the little ones on the swings!

Friday night, we had kids night out, and Payton had the privelege of being turned into a puppy....but I didn't have my camera, so sorry....no visuals. Saturday morning, we were able to be able to hang out with one of Clee's good friends from high school....(again no pictures.....sorry)

Saturday night, we went over to some of our great new friends house, Josh, Kelley, and their sweet boys, Jack and Kellan Polanskey's house. Jack has the best toys, and Payton was in heaven. She got to ride on a motorcycle and a roller coaster. It doesn't get better than that.

Then today, we had the semi-annual church picnic. Payton had the best time. They had a dj and Payton got to spend most of the evening dancing. What could be more fun to her?

Check out the moves on Payton and her sweet friend, Logan

She also had fun buggying down with Mark

She helped daddy come in second place in a scavenger hunt

This picture is hilarious. We were doing the hokey pokey, and Payton found her way to the center of the circle, and started showing off her hokey pokey to everyone. She prefers to be the center of attention, and tonight was no different!

And....she finished off the night doing the conga with Daddy!

And to prove I was there, as well!!!!

Our New Camera

2010-04-11T20:25:00.002-05:00

Clee and I got a new camera this week, and we love it. It is our first fancy camera. We have had a regular digital camera for awhile, but having a toddler has made it almost impossible to catch any smiles on Payton. I would press the button, and wait like 3 seconds, before we could get the actual picture. So....when Payton dropped our digital camera and the side broke off, we weren't too sad. We decided it was time to invest in a camera that was a little nicer. We talked to our favorite photographer, Erin, and she suggested a basic Digital SLR, nothing fancy, because I didn't want to learn that. So....it came in and I took it out and was practicing on Payton, and we have already been able to catch so much. Here are some of the first few pictures we have taken. See.....our child is a happy girl. Now, we have the pictures to prove it!

Our New Patio/Yard

2010-04-08T18:02:00.003-05:00

In November, we extended our patio. This was really exciting to us, because we love to eat outside, but didn't have room for a table originally. In November, however, winter was just beginning, and you can't buy any patio furniture until the spring. So....we waited. Finally, a few weeks ago, we found a patio set we loved and have already used it several times. We wanted to share it with you guys.

This is our original patio with our original furniture. Now we have a place to lounge and a place to eat.

Also, this past weekend, we finally worked in our flower beds. The winter was tough on our plants, and we lost a lot, but we are happy with the final product. This is the back yard.

These are our front flower beds, and with a little help from Payton, we chose purple flowers....for those of you familiar with Payton's obsession with purple, it was an easy choice!

Meeting Abby Cadabby

2010-04-07T17:29:00.002-05:00

Today at Chick Fil A', Abby Cadabby came to visit. My friend, Megan, had told me about it, and I knew Payton would love to see her. This Abby Cadabby was kind of an imposter, a little different than the original....but Payton didn't seem to be too bothered by her. It was so sweet. I told her we were going to meet Abby Cadabby, and she asked if Elmo was going to be there. I told her no and she wanted to know where he was, so I told her that he was at work. She then proceeded to tell me that we needed to go see Elmo at his office. Later we were talking to Layla on Skype and she asked me where Jason was, and I said, "work", and she said "Just like Elmo". It is so funny the things she remembers.

Here we are getting to see Abby do some of her famous magic tricks.

Payton with her good friend, Logan.

Here she is meeting Abby. She even asked Abby to come to our house to play afterward. It was really sweet. It made for a fun, super cheap, exciting morning!

Easter

2010-04-06T17:12:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter. We started off the day with church at the Pavillion. It was a wonderful service and a great reminder of the amazing sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross and His resurrection!! We tried to teach Payton to say, "He is risen," but settled for "Yay, Jesus!"

We then spent the rest of the day at Gigi and Popi's house with lots of family and friends. It was a wonderful day.

Here is Payton showing off her pretty new Easter dress Nana got for her.

This is Payton's favorite new expression. She will say, "Look at my eyes," and when we look she is making this adorable face. I had to include it in the blog.

And here are a few pictures from the rest of the day (Thanks, Kim. I forgot my camera) Payton with her friend, Owen Stroh.

Here are all the kiddos.....Blake and Owen Stroh, Katelyn Anderson, and Payton. Its crazy to think next Easter, we will have two more kids there. (With Cooper coming in May, and Erin due in September).
Payton loves her cousin, and Gigi loves this moment!

Cooper's First Portraits

2010-03-31T12:00:00.003-05:00

This morning, we got to have 4D pictures of Cooper taken, and it was amazing. He looks like a real baby. It is so amazing to see how big he is and what his little face looks like. We didn't have any of these taken with Payton, so I was blown away by it. Clee and Payton got to watch as well, and they were impressed. After about 10 minutes, though, Payton was ready for me to be sitting up and holding her again. I think we are in for it with her having to share her mommy.

Also.....Cooper officially has a middle name. As many of you know, we have gone back and forth trying to determine what Cooper's middle name would be....but after much persistence on my part, and my husband finally coming around, I am happy to introduce you to....

Cooper Clee Heston

I love this picture. It looks like he is praying. He would not move his hands. He kept them right next to his face the whole time.

Our Diaper Debacle

2010-03-30T14:56:00.004-05:00

You may remember a couple of posts before this one, where I told you how I had slept in Payton's pee.....well, our diaper problems have escalated since then. She takes her diaper off almost everytime. For a week or so, I was washing her sheets twice a day, in the morning and after naptime. It has been so confusing trying to figure out why she does it and how to help her. We tried telling her over and over not to, spanking her when she would take it off, and nothing was helping. We decided to get a little more creative. We were given the idea of taping her diaper on, so she couldn't get it off. We decided to go with packing tape, not as strong at duct tape, but much stronger than scotch. This, however, wasn't strong enough for Payton. She got that off, no problem.

We have let her sleep in a leotard, which works, but is a little bit of a pain to mess with during naptime and at bedtime, and it just isn't as warm as pajamas. Last night, Clee had a grand idea. He suggested we do a couple of things, making it even more difficult. We also decided that the world deserved to see our adventure. I'm sure these videos will be great blackmail as she gets older. Enjoy what we have been experiencing the last few days.

The Night Before

The Morning After

THe Words of a Precious Girl

2010-03-30T14:47:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while, Payton catches me off guard with just how precious, sweet, and loving she is.

As you all know, I am eight months pregnant. I feel huge, achy, ugly, and exhausted pretty much all of the time! I have 6 weeks left until Cooper gets here, and I can't wait to meet him. In the mean time, I just keep getting bigger and more tired and more achy and I'm getting less sleep. Sunday night, I was laying on the couch, Clee was doing some work and watching basketball, and Payton was playing. She, out of the blue, came over to me, with a giant smile, started rubbing my cheek, and said "Mommy, you are so beautiful!" I just looked at her, with watery eyes, and a full heart, and said "Thank you, sweetheart! That means so much to me." Since that time, she has told me this probably 20 times, always rubbing my cheek as she says it, and everytime, it is like she is saying the absolute perfect thing. I can get through 6 more weeks. I may be exhausted, and my house a disaster most of the time, and I may not be able to play with Payton quite like I could a few months back, but I am so blessed to have such a precious little girl who loves me and thinks I'm beautiful.....and a husband who adores me and gives into my wacky cravings, even when our budget says we shouldn't. (Thank you for the Double Dave's, honey!)

For all you ladies who need a little pick me up, just picture my precious little girl reaching up to you, rubbing your cheek, and saying "You are so beautiful!"

Payton's First Princess Party

2010-03-25T16:42:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, Payton got to go to her sweet friend Sydney's birthday party. They got to become princesses, which my little princess loved. She got her nails painted, her makeup done, and her hair fixed. She thought it was awesome, and has been calling herself Princess Payton all week. Here are a few pictures of her fun time.

This video shows just how much fun the girls had. It really was precious!

For a party favor, she got an Ariel necklace that plays a song when you push the button. Payton loves it and now sings to it...all the time. I think it is because she knows all the words!

Quite the Night

2010-03-19T08:17:00.003-05:00

Payton and I got home yesterday from our fun trip to Littlefield. I knew that it might be a little bit of a rough night transitioning back, since she had been waking up so early and getting in bed with me most nights in Littlefield. We were prepared.

Well....around 5:30, Payton woke up screaming, and my husband was so sweet. He popped up and jumped out of bed before I could barely start sturring. He came back about 5 minutes later and I said "Thank you", and we went back to sleep.

Around 6:15, she woke up again, and I knew it was my turn. I wasn't ready for her to get up, so I knew if i just crawled in bed with her, she would probably go back to sleep. She asked her her cup of water, and I found it on my side, but it had leaked quite a bit, so I grabbed a blanket, laid it down and then just laid right on top of the wet spot. We both went back to sleep until 7:30, and then we moved the party to mommy and daddy's room so we could visit with daddy.

That is when Clee told me about his experience that morning. He said he went in, found her, no pants, no diaper, and a wet bed. She had peed all over herself. He changed her diaper, put on some new shorts, and then placed her on the dry side of the bed. I think you have all realized what that meant for where I slept.....right on my daughter's pee. Gross, right? Then I started realizing why I smelled a little funny. I went to go take all the covers and sheets off the bed, and it was bad.....all the way to the mattress.

The things you do for your children!!!

Fun with Nana and Pops

2010-03-18T08:02:00.002-05:00

We have been in Littlefield the last few days visiting my parents. Payton has been having the best time. Nana and Pops are so much fun. We have gotten to play a lot, go shopping, watch movies, and dress up with Nana's awesome dress up clothes. Payton is sad to head home today, but very excited, because she misses her daddy.

Mommy and Nana got pedicures one afternoon and Payton wanted to join in the fun, so we painted her fingers and toes. The fingers are already pretty much back to normal, but she has enjoyed them.

One of Payton's favorite things to do everytime she comes to Littlefield is play the guitar with Pops. She found his box of picks and that has been one of her favorite toys. She goes through them and tests them out. She loves Pops and his guitar.

Fun Times at the Houston Rodeo

2010-03-08T18:47:00.008-06:00

We had the privilege of going to the rodeo twice this year. We went Wednesday night with some great friends to see Dierks Bentley, and then we took Payton on Saturday with our best friends, Kim and Nate Stroh and their two boys, Blake and Owen.

We had the best time....eating lots of yummy, fatty food, getting to see lots and lots of animals, and enjoying some great friends. Payton loved all the animals. She would say, "Hi Cow! Mooooooo! Hi Pig! Oink! Hi Sheep! Baaahhh!" Her favorite animal was the pink pig. Fitting, right? It is a "pink" animal, after all. She also had the best time chasing around her friends, Blake and Owen. They have been friends their whole lives, and Payton does pretty good with distinguishing between the two. But "Aunt Tim" (as Payton calls her) started the boys off with Blake in blue and Owen in orange. Then when it got cold, she put a long sleeved orange shirt on Blake and a long sleeved blue shirt on Owen. It threw Payton off the rest of the night. She kept correcting Kim when she would be talking to one of the boys. Payton was 100% sure she was right, and Kim was wrong. You can even hear her correcting Kim in part of the video. It's pretty cute.

Here are a few cute pictures from the night and a video of all the fun that was had!

For more pictures and a cute video of the boys being afraid of the pig, go to: Kim's Blog.

My Little Princess

2010-02-26T17:41:00.003-06:00

Payton got a lot of dress up clothes for Christmas, and not a day goes by, where we aren't wearing something. It's quite humorous, too, because she doesn't match things. She just picks a shirt, skirt, and a bunch of accessories. She already has such style! Here are a few of my favorite pictures!

Fun Times with Daddy

2010-02-18T13:32:00.004-06:00

I have not been the best about updating my blog, and I apologize. Our camera is broken, and I just haven't pulled it out very much. I have, however, taken a few super cute new videos of Payton and Clee. Here is my newest compilations of my favorite videos.

Things to notice:

The first clip, Payton is saying, "Up High, Down Low, Too Slow". Clee plays this game with her all the time, and she now does it back. It's super cute.

The second clip, Payton is using her new favorite toy, (Thanks, Blake and Owen), she is able to use this little toy to color on and it plays music. She can dance and draw at the same time. She's in heaven. Sometimes, she only uses the music part, though and this shows that.

THe third clip is Payton singing the ABC's with Abby Cadabby on Sesame Street. She leaves out a bunch of letters and always wants to jump to "I know my ABC's" but it is fun to watch.

And because every blog needs a cute picture....here is our little princess. She dresses up like a princess every day. I love her combinations. She is quite the stylish little princess!!

Sesame Street Live

2010-02-08T16:24:00.003-06:00

We were so excited when we found out our church was taking a group to see Sesame Street Live. For those of you who have spent any time at all with my daughter, you understand just how much she loves Sesame Street. She was mesmerized, from beginning to end. We got there really early, so, keeping her busy the hour before the show started was quite difficult, but once it started, she loved every minute of it.

Here is our group before everyone else got there....As you can see, we are the only ones in the whole theatrer at this point!

Payton and Sydney anxiously awaiting all the action!

This is what I saw the majority of the show. She loved it!

Payton and Mommy

Here is another sweet picture of Payton and Sydney!

Herer is a video compiling my videos from that morning. It was a great morning!

23 Weeks

2010-01-25T17:17:00.004-06:00

I haven't really taken any pregnancy pictures yet, so I thought it was about time. Here I am at 23 weeks. Over half way done.....woohoo!!

Payton giving her baby brother (or just mommy) a big hug!!

Super Duper Cooper

2010-01-24T13:54:00.004-06:00

Well....we have finalized our son's name. It will be Cooper. Clee and I have always really liked that name, and it would have been Payton's name had she been a boy. We gave thought to many, many other options, but in the end, Clee and I just both love the name, Cooper, and are really excited about it.

However, deciding on a middle name has been a little more difficult. We haven't finalized anything yet. I want to his name to be Cooper Clee, but his daddy is a little unsure of wanting to use his name for the middle name. I've told him I'm open to other names, but it is goign to have to be a pretty stinkin' special name for me to want to choose something other than my hubby's name. We'll see what happens and keep everyone posted.

As to the title, we have been saying this, and we think it is such a cute nickname. What about you guys? Would you call him, "Super Duper Cooper"?

And here is my first addition to his nursery. I found a print that I liked, and we almost bought it, but I opted to paint it myself. It was one of those "I could do that" moments....except this time, I actually followed through. It is painted on a 16X20 canvas, and I can't wait to get it put in his nursery.

2 Peas in a Pod

2010-01-20T12:17:00.006-06:00

Payton loves her friend, Sydney. She is quite enamored with her. I think, partially, it is because they are pretty much the same little girl....Sydney is just 9 months older. When we pray at night, we ask Payton who she wants to pray for, and she almost always says Sydney first....followed by Sydney's mommy and daddy, and then us. They really are so sweet together. If girls this age could really have a best friend, Sydney would probably be Payton's.

Payton has started to love Cinderella, because Sydney does. I'm not sure she even knew who Cinderella was before she dressed up as her with Sydney. This is from a playdate this morning.

This video was from a playdate last month, but once again, they are both dressed as Cinderella. Such sweet girls!!

Happy Birthday to Gigi

2010-01-18T12:01:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Gigi's birthday. Payton has become quite the expert with birthdays. In just December and January, she has celebrated Pop(my dad), Clee, herself, me, Aunt Erin, AUnt DeeDee, and now, Gigi. We told her it was GIgi's birthday, and she started singing for her. Here is a sweet video of Payton singing Happy Birthday to Gigi!

Sweet Friends!

2010-01-12T20:08:00.003-06:00

I love that my 2 of my very best friends in the world live so close by. This is from Erin's birthday lunch earlier in the week. I hope that our children will be just as close as we are.

Blake (18 months), Payton (24 months), Katelyn (11 months), and Owen (18 months)

The Official Big Girl Room

2010-01-12T19:56:00.002-06:00

We made the switch completely today. We have spent the last week letting her choose which bed she wants to sleep in, and every time, it ends up in tears. Her room was in such disarray. It isn't very big, and we thought putting a twin mattress in the corner with a baby bed in the center wouldn't be confusing. Well.....after switching from bed to bed 5 times last night, I decided I was done. Maybe she is like the rest of us. When things are disorganized and messy, I don't like it very much either. So.....I took the baby bed out of her room. It is no longer her bed. It is Cooper's bed....and Payton sleeps in a big bed, just like Reagan and Sydney (her big cousin and her sweet friend). I made the bed taller by adding the box springs and brought in some of her big girl toys to complete it. We spent a lot of the afternoon in here playing. She loves the room....loves the bed....just not sleeping in the bed. Nap and bedtime was spent with her coming out of the room at least 5 times, then screaming from bed "I want my baby bed", me trying to lay down with her during nap time, and finally at least 30 minutes after the beginning, she finally gives in and goes to sleep. I'm guessing this is normal. Any advice from my seasoned moms out there?

Payton's new big birl bed

We brought her dress up clothes and fun mirror into her room and hereshe is testing it out.

I wish you could see the grin on her face. She really does love her room. Hopefully, it won't take to long to make sleeping in her big bed the routine.

Night Number 2 was a Success!!!

2010-01-08T08:38:00.003-06:00

Well....we continued to talk to Payton all day yesterday about her big bed, and she continued to tell us that she wanted to sleep in her baby bed....so that was the plan. Last night, though, we sat on her new bed during story time and when we asked her where she wanted to sleep, she said her big bed. We put her in the big bed fully expecting to see her again a few minutes later. 20 minutes after this, I went in to check on her and she was completely asleep in her new big bed. To prepare ourselves for the possibility of her waking up in the middle of the night and then wanting to get out of her bed, we left a few lights on in the house and the door to our room open.

We didn't see her again until 6:45 this morning when she came into our room and crawled in bed with us. It wasn't a complete success as she doesn't get the fact that she cannot leave the room, yet...but night 2 was such a conrast from night one. We are so proud of her.

Our Little Girl isn't Quite Ready to be Big

2010-01-06T20:12:00.003-06:00

Ever since Christmas when Payton shared a room with her big cousin, Reagan, Payton has been fascinated with big girl beds. Payton slept in a pack-n-play and Reagan got to sleep in a big bed. She would say, "I sleep here." and she would always play like she was going to go to sleep in Reagan's bed. We knew we were going to move her into a big bed before the baby comes, so he can have the bed. We started talking to her about big beds and we picked out an adorable quilt for her new bed. She has been so excited. Well....this morning, she played with her friend, Sydney, who also has a big bed. She loved it and when we went to take a nap this afternoon in her crib, we had a major meltdown. Tonight would be the night. Clee and I brought in the twin mattress and put her new bedding on it. We decided to leave the crib in there, as well, just in case.

Everything started out great. We read a book and she was so excited to be in her new bed. We prayed, gave her kisses, and left the room. About ten minutes later, I'm cleaning the kitchen, and I look up to find a sad little girl walking into the kitchen. (This is funny, because up until then, she had never even opened any door on her own) We went and got dada and took her back to the room. We told her that you can't get out of big beds. You have to stay in your bed. We stood outside the door for a few minutes and here she comes again. Clee wanted to give it a try this time. She started talking about her baby, so Clee was looking for her baby doll.....he then realized she was saying she wanted her baby bed. He asked her if she would rather sleep in her crib and she said, "yes". That was 30 minutes ago. Not a peep since then. Clee said that she just seemed so sad, almost like she was disappointed in herself.

I think the idea of the big bed was fun to her, but I think just maybe she needs a little more time.

Here is a picture of Clee and Payton practicing for her big girl bed.

In her new bed

Reading a story in her new bed
We don't have any pictures of her back in her baby bed, but you get the picture!

One Very Merry Christmas

2009-12-29T16:08:00.004-06:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year. Payton is getting bigger and starting to understand a little more. She loved opening presents, singing songs, playing with her Little People Nativity and looking at Christmas lights on houses, to which she would always say, "Mommy, Dada, Yook(Look)!!!! The yights(lights) are so peeeetty(pretty)! I see some more!"

The only sad part of Christmas was Danielle not getting to be with us. We did, however, spend lots and lots of time at the computer talking to Aunt DeeDee. She was definitely missed.

Here are the girls on Christmas (Reagan-3, Payton-2, and Reese-1) These girls love each other so much. It is such a special thing to be able to watch them play together. It was hard to say goodbye.

Payton ripping into her first present, Christmas eve.
Sporting her new backpack

Opening her gift from Daddy, her very own tennis racket

Testing out her new racket with Daddy.

Skyping DeeDee. She was with us, maybe not physically, but Payton sure did love showing off her new fun toys with DeeDee.

Here is a sweet video of Payton Christmas morning, when she came out to find her surprises from Santa. I'm not sure if you guys are aware of my child's love for Tinkerbell (note the pajamas and the 2 new dolls). Well...I wish you could see our Tinkerbell dolls now. They are quite loved. It is amazing how old a doll can look after being a loved by a toddler for a day!

The boys snow man. Impressive, right?

Coloring pictures for DeeDee.....Sorry, Danielle, you will just have to wait for these.

And on our way home, we made one last stop to see my grandmother, who got stuck at her house for Christmas day. She came out to get in her car only to find a dead battery and terrible snow weather. Poor thing....she ended up having a chicken pot pie for Christmas dinner. We were so happy to be able to have breakfast with her the next morning and bring her leftover Christmas dinner and presents. We love you, Grandmommy!!!

SNOW

2009-12-24T12:07:00.004-06:00

This morning, we woke up to a white Christmas eve. It was beautiful....so untainted, thick, and white! Payton couldn't wait to go play in it. I, on the other hand, was looking forward to enjoying the weather from inside. Clee....was happy to take her outside though. They had so much fun playing in the snow.

The view in front of my parent's house

Our car

Payton and Daddy in the snow

stomping in the snow

Payton fell in the snow. She was completely soaked. You can't tell from the picture, but her pants are covered in snow.

Payton and her daddy dancing in the snow

Our Detour to Arkansas

2009-12-24T11:37:00.005-06:00

On our way to visit my parents in Littlefield, TX, for Christmas, we made a little detour. We went to Arkansas to visit some of our very best friends, Larry and Bethany Walker. They were some of our very first friends that we made when we got married, and we were so sad when they moved home to Russellville, Arkansas, last summer. This August, they welcomed little Carson Jack into the world, and it made us so sad to not get to share that with them, like they did with us when Payton was born. We had the best time. Payton fell in love with little Carson, and enjoyed entertaining him the whole weekend.

Here is the whole gang.

Payton holding Carson. She felt like such a big girl. She is going to be such a good big sister.

Snuggling up with her new buddy

We went to meet Santa. She likes big cartoon and blow up Santa, but she did not like real man in a big red suit Santa.

Bethany was so sweet. She had a cake for Payton and I made. We were so sad to have to leave.

After we let Russellville, we went to Little Rock for a day to see my sister and her girls. Payton has had the best time with Reagan and Reese. Here is Clee with his girls.

On Sunday night, we went to a church that had iceskating. Payton really wanted to try and her daddy was sweet enough to take her. They didn't get too far, and it didn't last too long, but they still had so much fun!

Then, on Tuesday morning, we squeezed 3 carseats in the back of Layla's camry, and made the 12 hour trek to Littlefield. Jason and Clee came a few hours behind us. The girls were great.....It was a long day, but they had so much fun.

Happy Birthday Payton!!!

2009-12-19T09:15:00.004-06:00

Today, my baby girl turns 2 years old!! The time has gone so fast, yet I can hardly remember life before her. She continues to fill my life with so much joy and laughter everyday. We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Her birthday has already been so special. We are spending the weekend with some of our very best friends, who live in Arkansas....and she has already received a special message from the other side of the world, and we were able to talk to Aunt DeeDee on skype. I love technology.

Here are some picture of our sweet girl. Oh, how she has changed.

Payton as a newborn

Payton at 1 year

Payton at 2 years

Payton's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-12-13T15:40:00.003-06:00

Payton turns 2 next Saturday, but since we will be out of town then, we celebrated her birthday Saturday morning. It was so much fun. THe whole Heston/Anderson crew spent the night Friday night after celebrating Christmas, so I had tons of help. She had a Minnie Mouse birthday party, and Payton loved being the center of attention.

She even got to help put sprinkles on the cupcakes.

She got a kitchen from Clee and I, and hasn't stopped playing with it since then.
Everyone wore Minnie and Mickey ears for the party.

Payton, blowing out the candles on her cupcake!

Chowing down on her cupcake. She saw me making these on Friday, and had been asking for one for 2 days straight. She loved it....well, the icing anyway!

Opening presents

This is what it looked like most of the time. I think Payton's friends enjoyed the presents just as much as Payton.

One of Payton's gifts was a sweet mirror decorated with boas and ribbons. She would just kiss it and talk to herself. Sooooo sweet!

Payton' and Katelyn, post party, playing with some of her new play food. I don't know if you can tell or not from this picture, but Katelyn is quite enamored with Payton. It is really sweet. She just watches her and smiles so big everytime she is around. They are such sweet cousins!

Heston Family Christmas

2009-12-13T15:24:00.004-06:00

This weekend has been super busy, but so much fun. Friday night, we celebrated Christmas with Clee's side of the family, since we will be traveling to Littlefield for CHristmas day. It was so much fun watching Payton and Katelyn open presents. Payton would get so excited about every prestent, and Katelyn loved every piece of tissue paper. Here are a few pictures from our fun evening.

Payton modeling her new Christmas PJ's. Payton especially loved that her pajamas came with a tutu.

Payton started sharing her tissue paper with Katelyn. She knew that was Katelyn's favorite part.

Here we are opening one of her presents.

Family Picture (getting her to look is quite impossible)

Payton got a baby that night that has all the baby things with it, a bottle, blanket, bear, amongst many others. Once she opened it, nothing else mattered. She became Mommy Payton. It was so sweet.

Here she is shwoing Jessie how to take care of the baby.

Now, she is showing Uncle Jens. This baby is very well taken care of.

Payton and Katelyn are both showing off their babies.

Payton's New Talent

2009-12-02T19:11:00.003-06:00

Payton has recently taken up singing. SHe loves it and sings all the time. The other day, Clee and I decided to teach her "Jingle Bells" because the words were really repetitive, and we thought it would be an easy one for her to learn. When we were finished singing it, she looked at us with a very serious face and said, "No Jingle Bells, Tinkerbells." For those of you who are unaward of our daughters love of Tinkerbell, she is actually a little obsessed. We watch the movie every day. So, we have officially changed several Christmas songs at our house. We now sing "Tinker Bells", "Tinker Bell Rock", and we sing "Silver Bells" and Tinkerbells. Here is a video of her singing. At the end of the song, she changes the words a little. THat is the first time she's done that, but she was quite proud of her creativity!

Decorating for Christmas

2009-11-30T11:14:00.003-06:00

We decorated for Christmas last weekend and had so much fun. Payton loves all the decorations and the fancy tree. She enjoyed putting the ornaments on the tree, but I think she enjoyed taking them off even more. We've even had to repair a few broken ornaments. Clee tries really hard to keep her away from the tree, but I tried to explain to him. "How do you expect us to put up a fancy tree with toys and lights all over it and not expect her to touch it?"

Here are a few pictures of our fun day!

Payton getting excited for the fun to come

Checking out the tree and standing on her stage (aka, the tree platform)

Helping daddy with the ornaments

This was cute. Daddy was standing on a chair putting the tree topper on, and Payton went and got her "ta-da" (stepstool) and came over to help.

For those who have been dying to see a new dance video. We have our tree on a little stand, and she thought it was her personal stage.

My Unfortunate Accident

2009-11-19T19:48:00.003-06:00

So....this morning, as I was walking from my car to the church at MOPS, I slipped in a small puddle. I didn't even fall all the way to the ground, I just slipped. I immediately felt a little pain, and thought I must have twisted my ankle. I then, just went about the rest of the morning, getting off and on the stage for MOPS, walking around like it was no big deal....just limping a little. I had decided that when Payton took a nap, then I could rest my foot. I elevated it and used ice, and it started to hurt worse. After a couple of hours of taking it easy, I decided to try and walk. Big mistake.....I could put no pressure on my foot. I was in excruciating pain. I needed my sisters. I don't know if it was the pain or the pregnancy hormones, but Layla and Danielle got to experience the blubbering mess that I was. I did, however, get to have some great advice from my favorite orthopedist, my brother in law, who told me that I should get an x-ray. When Clee got home, we went to the minor emergency room, and I discovered I have a broken foot. It is just a really small break, and I don't have to wear a cast or anything, but I do have to wear a super fashionable boot and walk on crutches for 2 to 3 weeks. Trying to figure out how to take care of a 2 year old when you can't carry them or hold their hand is going to be tricky, but luckily, it will be thanksgiving next week, and I will have some help, and I have a super sweet husband who has already started taking wonderful care of me. Payton just kept looking at me and saying, "Mommy booboo" in a really sad voice. She even gave it kisses.

Here is my new look. What do you think? 13 weeks pregant on crutches. I highly recommend it!

It's a......BOY!!!

2009-11-16T13:37:00.002-06:00

We found out this morning that baby Number 2 is going to be a boy, and we are so excited. I know Clee was really hoping for a boy, but we just didn't really think it was in the cards for us. I have 2 sisters, and 3 nieces....no little boys anywhere in the Heston or Harrell family.....so we were both so shocked, to say the least. I'm excited about getting to have a little boy....but I'm really nervous. I don't know anything about boys. I've been learning a little over the last year, thanks to Blake and Owen, and Payton's little friends at church, so maybe when May rolls around, I will feel a little more prepared.

We can't wait to meet little baby boy Heston (We aren't 100% sure about the name yet, but we will let everyone know when we decide)

Unexpected Visit from Aunt DeeDee

2009-11-13T08:20:00.002-06:00

As you all know, my sister should be in Taiwan by now....but she has been having some issues getting her visa in a very timely manner. When she called and told us she wanted to come visit for a few days, because she was going a little stir crazy just waiting, we were so excited. We had already been through the really sad goodbyes and weren't expecting to get to see her again until July, 2011, so this was a fun, and very sweet treat for us....especially for Payton. They have such a sweet bond. When it came time for Danielle to leave, Payton told us, "I go too, DeeDee. I go too." It was precious. Here are a few pictures from our fun week.

Snuggling with DeeDee after naptime

I wish you could see the adorable pigtails Danielle put Payton's hair in, in this picture...she is a little covered up.

Helping DeeDee with her make-up

One last good snuggle time

Saying goodbye.....for real, this time!

We love you, Danielle.....and can't wait for you to begin your journey. It is going to happen soon, I promise!

What will baby number 2 be?

2009-11-10T17:08:00.004-06:00

Clee and I had our big 12 week ultrasound/blood test yesterday, and we are going to be able to find out what the sex of baby number 2 will be early next week. We thought it would be fun to see what everyone else thinks as well.

Pre-emptive Love Coalition

2009-11-07T08:46:00.003-06:00

2 of our dearest friends from college, Jeremy and Jessica Courtney are currently living in Iraq., They started an organization there that is forever amazing me and astonishing me. They raise money to pay for children in Iraq to receive life-saving heart surgeries through an organization called the Pre-emptive Love Coalition. God is using them in amazing ways, and I am honored to know them and to be able to hear about the amazing, amazing things God is doing through their ministry in such a war-torn country.

Please take a minute to look through their website, http://preemptivelove.org/ Read through some of the amazing stories of the children who have been saved and the way God is moving there.

This video is amazing. It is a look into an actual heart surgery performed on one of the children. If you get queesy at all....I would skip this one. But please still check out the website. Seeing it all reminds us just how much God is able and desires to use us all to grow His kingdom!! Thank you, Jeremy and Jessica, for your obedience. It is motivating!!

Please watch the video through the following link. I attempted to post the video on the blog, but it kept cutting off half of it.

http://preemptivelove.org/2009/11/07/new-embed-able-share-able-tweetable-facebookable-video-of-life-saving-game-changing-heart-surgery/

Our Stories

2009-11-04T17:06:00.002-06:00

Clee and I have been going through a study at church that encourages us to share our story about how God has changed our lives. After Clee and I took the time to write our stories and share them with our bible study, I felt the Lord leading me to share with a bigger audience. I know most of you know us personally and what the Lord means to our lives, but for those who don't, or who have happened on our blog some other way, here is each of our stories.

Holly's Story

I grew up, like so many others, in a loving family. I couldn’t have asked for more. We attended church most weeks, but we were more Sunday School only, get home sooner kind of people. My parents both grew up going to church, but I think they saw it more as “the right thing to do.”, not as an outpouring or expression of their relationship with God. I have two sisters. They are my very best friends, and have played a huge role in who I am as a person. My older sister, Layla, could do no wrong in my eyes. I wanted to be just like her. I wanted to wear her clothes, hang out with her and her friends, listen to the music she liked, do anything I could to be just like her. The summer after I was in 6th grade, our church was going to church camp, and I was old enough to go. Layla would be there, too, a 9th grader, but I knew she was much “too cool” for me, and I wouldn’t get to see her much. Well….I was completely wrong. The entire week, she would seek me out and spend a lot of time with me. Watching her throughout the recent years before and during that week, God really began to show me how different she was, and how much I wanted to be different too. I became a Christian at church camp when I was 12 years old.

Over the next few years, my sisters and I were very plugged in at church and wanted to be there everytime the doors were open. I think in seeing how much God was teaching and changing us, this really caused a change in my parents, as well. They began to make their relationships with God just as important as we did. To this day, my parents are two of the most selfless, giving people I have ever known, and they love the Lord with their whole heart.

I attended a Christian university, Howard Payne, and loved my experiences there. I think the lesson I learned the most in college was to love myself and see that I was a treasure to God. As many college students do, I experienced my first and only real heartbreak. At the time, I had invested all my love, discipline, and trust into an earthly man who could not meet those needs. It took some serious breaking, molding, and growing from the Lord to bring me to a place where I could see that God loved me, and treasured me, and desired for me to love Him that way, not to love some boy that way. Little did I know that 2 years later, the same boy who caused me such heartbreak would become my husband. Only this time, we both had gone through complete transformations. We were stronger, more mature people who were capable of loving each other, only after we were capable of loving God the most.

Loving people and serving others has always come relatively easy to me. The one area where I continue to struggle is in the aspect of discipline and knowledge. This, however, is the opposite of my husband, Clee. He is a thinker, and a studier, and a perfectionist in everything he does, including his walk with the Lord. He spends great amounts of time studying the bible and spiritual books, so that he is very clear about what is the truth. I am thankful to have this in my life as a continued source of encouragement and accountability, and so thankful that my children will be able to experience this as well.

Looking at my life now, as a wife and a mother, my daily prayer is that others would see the love of Christ through me. I want to be a woman who desires nothing more than to be used by the Lord, in whatever ways He leads me. I desire to grow daily, and to be a source of strength and encouragement in the lives of my husband and my children. I know I have a long way to go, but I know with each step I take, I am never alone.

Clee's Story

Growing up a pastor’s son, Christianity was ingrained in me from a very early age. My parents were great examples of how to live for God and befriend the world around us with a genuine love. Another great influence was my youth pastor, John Durham. John took a special interest in me and invested many hours into a shy, insecure kid. Through his encouragement, I gained a lot of self-confidence and began to really grow in my walk with God. Every time I opened the Bible or heard a sermon, I felt God was talking directly to me!

After attending a Christian private college, I entered the “real world” and my faith was challenged. I was confronted with the following question: Was Christianity really any different than Islam and other religions or even simple humanitarian efforts? I began meeting individuals who deeply cared about people, who would selflessly sacrifice their life and time for others, who appeared to have great purpose and peace in their life, yet did not profess Christ as their savior. Did our lives look all that much different or our goals all that dissimilar? As a believer in Christ, this disturbed me. I wanted it to be cut and dry. Christians do good things. Everyone else does bad things.

During those next several years, I earnestly tried to reason my way to Christianity’s defense with moderate success. I discovered historical evidence of the validity of the Bible as well as historical evidence of the life of Christ. With those two comments in mind, everyone must ask the question, “Do we think Christ was who He said He was…the son of God?” Others have said, “Either Christ was a lying lunatic or he was indeed the Son of God.” I’ll take the latter.

As I continued to strengthen my faith through my intellect, God reminded me He can’t be completely understood through our limited minds. If He could, how small He would be! Perhaps no one has taught me the importance of the heart more than my wife, Holly. During our dating relationship, Holly loved with all her heart. She didn’t always know all the answers or know exactly where things were headed, but she loved nonetheless. As that relationship deepened into marriage, Holly’s unconditional love began to reveal to me how we’re supposed to love God and love others. She’s taught me that if we don’t possess a love that transforms our marriage and our relationship with God, our efforts are void. And I’m convinced from my experience with God that this transforming love only comes from his gift of grace.

Through this journey, my faith has become my own. I don’t believe in God simply because my dad is a minister. I don’t have faith in Christ simply because I live in America and it’s in line with popular opinion. My faith in the Lord is based on a relationship through which He has provided intellectual evidence but more importantly a love that has penetrated my heart giving me a sense of great worth, joy, and purpose. Christ has changed my life by rescuing me from the bondage of sin and given me the freedom to walk in a new and exciting life.

Colossians 1:28-29
“We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.”

Payton's Fun Halloween

2009-11-01T13:31:00.003-06:00

Payton had a very fun, very busy Halloween. She dressed up like a ballerina, and what a cute ballerina she was. She started out the day with a visit from Gigi, Katelyn, and Uncle Nat. Isn't Katelyn the cutest monkey you've ever seen?

Payton decided to perform a concert for. Enjoy her rendition of the "ABC's"

After Payton's nap, we got ready for a fun night of trick-or treating at our neighbors and going to a little fall festival at a church close to our house.

Here is our sweet litle ballerina

On her trek to Sip and Emma's to trick or treat.

Payton practiced her "trick-or-treat" then entire walk to Sip and Emma's house.

Sip and Emma are our next doorneighbors, and they love Payton. They even tell Payton to call them grandma Emma and grandpa Sip. They are sweet. Well....Payton showed up ready to practice her trick-or-treat. Little did she know, they would give her, like, half of all of their candy. They filled her "punkin head" as Payton called it. I don't think she quite understands that, "trick or treat" is only supposed to get you 1 piece of candy.

Here she is playing a game at the fall festival.

Payton was so proud of all of her "tandy". She wanted to eat it all right then. We limited her to 2 suckers and a small package of M&Ms (which was probably still to much. THe girl was definitely wired)

Payton's First Jack-O-Lantern

2009-10-29T16:02:00.004-05:00

Last night, we cut a jack-o-lantern. Payton thought it was fun, but quite messy. Everytime she would get pumpkin goo on her hands, she would wipe them off. Here are some pictures from our fun evening.

Payton and Daddy getting ready to have fun

Payton pulling out the goo. I think this was the only time she actually used her hands. She used a spoon the rest of the time.

Using the spoon to get the goo. Much cleaner.

Here, Payton is playing with her favorite part of the pumpkin, the "Pumpkin Hat" as she called it. She loved the fact that this pumpkin wore a hat, and carried it around most of the night.

Thie is proof that I actually was there
Payton showing off the final product.

Payton was checking out what was under the hat. What you can't see is Clee off to the side just waiting for Payton to reach in and grab the candle.

We also felt we needed to show off Payton's pumpkin that she decorated at church. She carries it around and it even gets to sit in her lap sometimes when she watches "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". She calls this one, "My punkin", and the other one "Mommy and Dada's punkin"