Baby, It's Cold Outside

  

So much for the Flu Shot ... or ... maybe ... Kylor and Kason received
defective shots. In the month of December, Kason had the stomach flu twice
and Kylor had it once! I have no idea how Damon and I steered clear of the
yuck!

Kason had his 2-year well-child exam ... and he's right on Target! Our
little 'moose' is right where he should be!

December brought two of my favorite people home ... Brittney and Kylee!
Couldn't be happier than to spend the holidays with all of my favorite
people around!

One proud mama ... Kylor overcame his Santa fear ... after a Santa visit at
Auntie Kristie's house! The visited started with a freak-out, but by the
end of the visit, Kylor was corresponding back and forth with Santa and
even gave the Jolly fella a hug!

Christmas was a hectic but magical day for the Heck family! The boys LOVED
everything about the day ... after a plethora of gift opening, visits to
the whole family, the evening ended with a quite family dinner at Grandpa
Don and Grandma Denise's house.

Merry Christmas!

Jingle Bells

In November, Kylor participated in his second Learn to Play Hockey session! He was such a rock star! Within a couple nights, he was skating without assistance, learning to get up from the ice on his own, using a stick and attempting to hit the puck! The improvement he has made since early in the year is amazing! While Ky's skill, confidence and enjoyment has grown on the ice, his love for Santa has not changed during the past year - the following photo says it all ...

Kason turned 2 in November! Santa didn't phase Kason, but the guests at his birthday party did - he really didn't know what to think. Or maybe he did - Why are all of these people here? Why are they all lolly-gagging over me? What's with all the presents? Why are these 'out of tune' people singing to me? And Why on Earth are they all starring at me??? So different than his older brother (who loves to be the center of attention).

I took my annual 'after Thanksgiving vacation' to shop until I dropped withAunt Sharon! It's an annual tradition and I'm happy to report, after 3-full days of shopping, all I have to do is wait for Christmas day to arrive!

Tis the Season!

Nothing Like People Watching ...

Our dear, dear Kylee welcomed a new baby girl on October 6th - McKynleigh Anne-Marie - making me an 'Auntie' again! What a blessing!

Overall, October was a pretty low-key month for the Heck household! Other than our boys who keep us on our toes and grow like weeds!

Kylor continues to do well with his counselor. He enjoys their visits and the visits are sure paying off. Kylor will catch himself as he starts to get angry and will use words instead of actions. While there is still work that needs to be done, it's an improvement! Kylor sure wants another baby around the house. Not just any baby, though - he wants a baby sister. He's continuously reminding us that he wants a baby sister. One evening while getting out of the bath, Kylor says to me, 'Mom, I need to go talk to Dad.' When I asked him why and if everything was okay, he said to me, 'I just really want a baby sister and you always tell me that I need to talk to my Dad about that.' The pressure is on! Sure wish I could snap my fingers and guarantee him a baby sister, however we all know it isn't that easy. Sometimes I remind him that we don't have any control over baby girls or baby boys - that God picks for us. He usually responds with, 'I don't want another brother, I already have one of those.' While we want more children, it's going to be some time before we get to that point -kiddos are expensive!

Our musical Kason loves to sing and chant around the house. A favorite is'Go, Go, Go, Go On An Adventure' from The Cat In The Hat. Another favorite is 'La-La-Lullaby' from the Pajanimals. He loves to sing ... But watch out! He likes to sing by himself. When someone joins in, he'll say, 'Stop it!' Boy, oh boy! Stubborn little fella! A bonus ... Kason will finally say, 'I love you.' Mom and Dad have been waiting and waiting for that! Sure feels good.

Halloween was sure a nice time ... We went trick-or-treating at Grandpa Donand Grandma Denise's, Auntie's, Grandma Julie's and Papa Jule's house. Kylor had the opportunity to trick-or-treat the neighborhood with his cousins, Caprianna and Carter, but choose not to. Kylor dressed up as a Green Dragon (his choice) and our little Monkey, Kason dressed up as a Monkey (very fitting). They sure had a good time and were cute as ever!

As October wraps up, we prepare ourselves for the busy holiday season to come ...

Up-Up You Go-Go

Aaron Tippin & Eric Church ... started August out with a BANG! Kristie and I ventured out for our annual fair night shows ... while we only attended two this year (rather than the whole week), in my opinion, we picked the two best shows of the week to go to!!! Looking forward to what 2012 might bring for us!

Kylor (and Kason) had his very first SUCCESSFUL dentist appointment - thank goodness for Kalmore Dental (and the new 'remote' office in Great Falls)! While Kylor was a little timid and nervous, he pulled thru with flying colors. It was 'no big thing' for Kason - go figure.

We had a family night at the Montana State Fair - a night to eat junk food, visit the farm animals ... and this year, we even took in a fair ride -Kylor's choice. We told Kylor that he could ride as many rides as he wanted - completely up to him. He chose to ride the 'kiddy' train ... with mom ... and Kason - and that was it. One was enough for Ky-Man.

Roo-Bear (Kason) had surgery - for tubes in his ears. He did GREAT - a ROCK STAR! In and out of surgery with not a single whimper! That's our boy - he amazes us every day. Thank goodness for our wonderful doctor -Dr. Santin.

Mid-August, we headed to Fort Peck for a long weekend ... and for Damon's cousin's wedding. The boys had a great time at the hotel pool / hot tub. The wedding was beautiful - we sure enjoyed ourselves!

Kylor - he's a smart cookie - nothing gets past him. He's eagerly anticipating the new school year - and 'preschool'. While he'll miss his school-age friends, he can't wait to get back to the 'book work'.

Kason John - he's a handful. So full of mischief - and he's so quite about everything! Turn your back for a single second and he's into something that he shouldn't be. Since his tubes, Kason's vocabulary has grown leaps and bounds - while not everything is 'perfect' ... kiddo language is the BEST! When we get up from any laying or sitting position, I'm always saying, 'Up you go!'. Kason's version is 'Up a Gup!'. LOVE IT! Reminds me of a couple of my favorite Kylor-isms: the standard version of a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich ... in our house it is a Peanut-Jelly sandwich. Or ... it's not a hamburger ... it's a hang-a-ber. Kason cracks me up ...he's not a 'yes' or 'no' child - he's a 'yep' and 'nope' child. Love those babies!

At the end of August, my sister Brittney came for a short visit ... just a 3-day visit, but we sure absorbed as much time with her as we possibly could. Can't wait until my BIB B little r makes the big move from TX to MT in 2012! While Brittney was in the Falls, we had a 'family' night out ...my Kristie along with my sister, Brittney, and my brother, Kelly, hit the town. This was a first, but hopefully the beginning of an annual tradition. We had a blast!

What in the World will September bring???

I Love To See You Smile

Kylor swam in June ... and Kason swam in July! Kason was quite the little fish! My babe has NO fear! Loved jumping of the edge, dunking under water - if I would have let him, he probably would have attempted to take off on his own! Needless to say, after 3-weeks of swimming with my little man, I was in need of a break from the water. I look forward to what Kason has to bring to lessons next year!

Our sitter, Cheryl, had vacation early in July ... which meant a 'stay-cation' for Kylor and Kason as they got to go and spend the week with their buddies: Kassie and Kaitlyn - the boys LOVED their time with their buds! Thank goodness for friends with baby-sitting children - what lifesavers!

After a consultation mid-July, we've determined there is a need for Kason to follow in his big brother's footsteps and get ear tubes ... we've got to put an end to these infections! Surgery will take place in August.

Kason - our fearless child - decorated himself with his first black eye ... He climbs ... and climbs ... and climbs. Sooner or later, it was bound to catch up with him - it came in the form of a black eye. Really didn't slow him down much!

July brings ... SEELEY LAKE, MT!!! We sure enjoyed our annual vacation at the Lake! It was nice to kick back, relax and have very little responsibility! The boys sure enjoyed their 'free for all' - they would come and go as they pleased, snack ALL DAY long, swim until their hearts content (come overcast and cool or sunny and warm) ... and bedtime ... what bedtime? I don't think there was a night that Kylor and Kason were in bed before midnight. A great time was had by all! Getting everyone back into our regular schedule and routine was sure a struggle.

Sing & Dance ... for August ...

You Make Me Smile Like The Sun

June brought the Fifth Annual Richard J Heck Memorial Golf Tournament - a fund-raiser for the Great Falls Community Ice Foundation - in honor of Damon's late father, Rick. Once again we were blessed with beautiful weather, loving friends and a fantastic turnout! We are so lucky to have such a great circle of family and friends.

Mid-June, we ventured to Coeur d' Alene for a small family vacation and to see Damon's cousin, Briget, get married. The weather was cold and wet, but we made the best of it! The boys spent a lot of time utilizing the hotel pool and hot tub. Fortunately, we were able to spend a day at Silverwood Theme Park. We had a GREAT time. Kylor was a little skeptical of the rides - even opting to ride on the bench on the carousel. Kason LOVED all the rides! The difference in personalities is black and white / night and day. The wedding was beautiful - such a special occasion.

Kylor...Kylor...Kylor...Ky-Man took Level 1 swimming lessons! All...by...himself! (Kylor didn't have much water exposure when he was smaller due to all of his ear problems.) I was so proud of my little man! His water confidence has really excelled! We can't wait to see what he plans to impress us with when we go on our annual Seeley Lake vacation in July! Kylor has been so excited to see all of his friends this summer at Cheryl's house - he sure missed them during the school year. Every night he has stories of his adventures of tree-house climbing, etc. with his friends. Ky is such a social little guy!

I'm sure that Kason can hardly wait for his swimming lessons come July -he's such a little 'go-getter'! In our home, we've always called the pacifier a 'nummie' - Kason's new name for it is a 'num-num' - he's so stinking cute. The little bugger is so attached to his 'num-num' he may be a much more difficult child to break of it than his older brother was. Kason loves to jibber-jabber to our kitty - Bella. He chases her around the house chanting, 'meow...meow...meow'. Once in a great while, I'll catch her for the boys - so that they can pet her and love on her. Kason is still learning to be gentle so as he pets Bella, I'll have to remind him to be 'nice'. In Kason's world, her name has gone from Bella to 'Nice'. 'Kason, what's your kitty's name?' Kason, 'Nice'.

Knocking on the door to July...

I Don't Want To Be Anything Other Than...

Traditionally, In May we 'March for Babies' and raise funds for the March of Dimes! This event / fund-raiser is very important to us as we have been personally affected by March of Dimes: Kylor was born 6-weeks premature (4lbs 12.5 oz / 17-1/2 inches) and spent 16-days in the NICU. Given the current weight / height of our Ky-Man, it's hard to believe that he started his journey in this World so SMALL! Kylor has grown leaps and bounds!



Kason...Kason is also growing like a weed! Growing, running and jabbering! Some of mama's vocabulary favorites would include: 'night-night', 'ubbyou' (aka 'love you'), 'eeease' (aka 'please')...and...mom's MOST favorite: 'Kyga' (aka 'Kylor').

Of course, I wouldn't want to forget about mom's most favorite word in Kylor's vocabulary ... Drum roll, please ... 'LAME'. I have NO idea where this word came from, but Kylor loves to use the word during his conversations with his Dad. Damon will be telling Kylor a story and when finished, Kylor will look at Damon with the most serious look on his face and simply say, 'Lame.' Funny to mom - because he doesn't say it to mom!

Stand by...for June...