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...

Something More...

In April, Kylor went for a preschool screening. It took him a few minutes to warm up to the idea once we got there, but once he let his guard down, he had a great time and really enjoyed himself. They had lots of fun 'activities' to help measure his abilities. For the most part, he scored right in line at a 4-year old level, but there were a handful of areas he scored at a 6-year old level! The higher scoring areas were the areas that were most complex: cause and effect / problem solving / etc. Kylor's most favorite 'activity' ... the vision screening! Go figure, that our child would have the most fun at a vision screening!

It was due time for a night away...so, Damon and I took advantage of going with a few other couples from Mountain West Bank to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation dinner and benefit - right up Damon's alley :)

Easter brought some loneliness to the Heck household as Damon went to Spokane for an annual Easter weekend Hockey Tournament that is hosted there. It had been a few years since Damon had taken the trip for the tournament and we were sad to see him go. Fortunately, he did make it home by early afternoon on Easter Sunday. Kylor and Kason had a great time with Easter - they enjoyed all of the treats that the Easter Bunny left behind.

Kason - our big guy - is getting bigger and bigger. He's putting more words together - into 2-3 word phrases! It's so fun watching and listening to him try out new words. His favorite is 'ready...set...go' - he loves to play this game with Kylor. They laugh and giggle, giggle, giggle! Kason is a little dare devil! He climbs and falls - higher and higher. Makes mom and dad nervous, but it doesn't seem to shake him at all.

Looking forward to our May days!

One Step At A Time

The snow melted...and it took March away with it!

Great news - I got to take a mini-vacation and a weekend away...to Fairmont Hot Springs...with my girl Kylee! It was a much needed break - a chance to get away, have some girl talk, get a nice massage, stuff my self with wonderful food and top it off with a fantastic bottle of champagne! We had lots of laughs - some until we cried! Boy - I'm going to miss my girl when she is away in Guam.

It's Getting Hot In Here - Nelly's trademark lyrics! I got to cross something off of the 'bucket list' when I was fortunate enough to be able to see Nelly in concert! He - was amazing - not that I would expect anything less from my 'other boyfriend' ('other' meaning besides Tim McGraw). The concert was in Helena...which meant a quick trip over and back, just for the concert. The valuable lesson that I learned: the next-day-effects of 2a to a 31-year old is A LOT different than the next-day-effects of 2a to a 21-year old! Boy - what have the years done to me?

I was sure to get in as much Kylee time as possible before she took off on a jet plane - Jaker's night, lunches and 'see you laters' at the Sting.

Damon continues to wait for the weather to change so that he can get back to work. The winter has been very trying - financially. As the hockey season wraps up, I'll enjoy my time with Damon at home before I become a softball / golf widow.

Kylor - out little-loveable-spitfire - continues to keep us on our toes. His curiosity keeps me stumped on a regular basis. Thank goodness for his knowledgeable daddy. It's a little embarrassing when I have to refer him to Damon to get an answer to one of his intriguing questions, but it's also a good learning opportunity for me - it's nice to expand my 'education' so that one day when Kason asks the same questions, I'll be able to help with the answers.

All of our hard work has paid off - Kason will finally say 'please'!!! Or in his own words, 'eeeaase' - he's such a cute little stinker. His vocabulary continues to grow almost as fast as he does. It's so fun towatch him grow, change and learn new things.

April showers bring...

Love Takes Time

February was filled with lots...lots of Hockey. Kylor participated in a Hockey - Learn to Play program - he skated twice a week for four weeks. The first couple nights on the ice were a little...'sketchy'...to say the least. Picture extreme 4-year old meltdown! The third night of skating, Kylor was paired up with a mentor - Cole. Cole is a high school student who is an avid Hockey player - a Goalie, in fact. Kylor looked up to and adored Cole. We are so very thankful that Cole was brought into our World. Such a blessing it was to have such a positive role model for Kylor.

Mid-February, Damon and Kylor ventured to Wolf Point for Damon's cousin's wedding. They left on a Friday and returned on Monday. While, I know that Ky-Man had a great time dancing and playing, his mama sure missed him.

My dear friend Kylee returned home - she'll spend a few weeks in the Falls before her journey to Guam for THREE-WHOLE-YEARS! Sure going to miss my girl while she is gone!

The 'flu bug' hit half of our house in February. Damon and Kylor were down and out for a good couple of days until it passed. Blek!

Kason turned 15-Months old on the 23rd. 15-Months! Wow! What a Love he is! We've been trying to work on 'please'. He has 'thank you' down pat (has for some time). 'Please' is like pulling teeth. He is certainly not a child who speaks on demand. We'll get there. I'm confident!

I will be catching up again...soon. Until then - God Speed!