a change

I finally took the initiative and made a change. I have been considering doing this for a while, and I'm so glad that I did!!

I've only made such a drastic change in my hair once before, as a missionary. I donated 14 inches to "Locks for Love" while in Colorado. And this time, I have 10 inches. All packaged up and ready to go.

It's wonderful. I look like I planned to look like this, instead of just being overgrown and tired. What a nice change.

Caleb is 6 weeks:

A gal in my ward took some pictures, and I can't begin to describe how excited about the pictures I am. She did a fabulous job!!! If you are looking for a photographer for a great price, let me know, I'll share her info!

Caleb is 6 weeks old, and was nearly 12 lbs at his one month appointment. He is continuing to round out and is still a cuddly little boy. I've carried him a few times in the baby sling, and he is quite content to sleep against my front for a few hours at a time. He eats well, and is getting better about sleeping when I want to sleep. I'm generally getting up once to feed him during the night, although there are often exceptions to that. It may also help that Caleb likes to be very awake and alert until midnight, so our nights start later than I'd prefer.

Caleb is starting to smile at us more often when we interact with him. He also is getting stronger as he lifts his head off my shoulder.

Joshua is settling into a routine with having a baby brother at home. He is a big help and is always getting better.

Who needs sleep?

Remember that song by the Barenaked Ladies? I find myself singing it in my head pretty often these days:

"Who needs sleep?

Well you're never gonna get it!

Who needs sleep?

Tell me what's that for?

Who needs sleep?

Be happy with what you're getting...."

Sometimes I feel like a zombie. Sometimes I even act like one...I'm so hopeful that Joshua will forget how short my temper is if I keep trying every day to be better. Someday, I'll get enough sleep again...

On a similar note, Joshua has been testing his sleeping boundaries, too. He's moved into his new room, and often elects to play with his toys rather than sleeping at nap time. Which is ok, he is still having quiet time. But while dinner is being prepared, it is always apparent that little Joshua still needs to have a nap. I am trying to brainstorm ways to achieve a nap from where we are now. I think if I were to put him into his crib or into a pack'n'play, he would climb out, and start climbing in other ways, too. But in the meantime, I have a growing collection of crazy positions I find Joshua in when he does happen to nap. Please enjoy, and give advice if you have any.

Welcome Home!

Our family was blessed with the happy and healthy arrival of Caleb Riley Heaton last week.

He arrived 7.5 hours after parents were admitted into the hospital.

Caleb weighed in at 8 lbs 8 oz. and 20.5 inches long. He has dark hair and dark eyes and is eating well.

A top priority for Benjamin is to play hard with Joshua and to help Emily rest. Joshua's new job is to have gentle hands with baby, and to give his mom hugs. Emily's number one is to keep Joshua and Caleb filled with food during the day and to rest when all is quiet.

By popular demand:

Not too different from usual, right?

WRONG!!

Ever feel like you have an inflated beach ball strapped to your middle? That's what I feel like. Not much obvious growth anywhere, except right in the middle.

Twos so soon?

Update on Joshua, the newly 2 year old:

• love of all things that "go" (trains, trucks, cars, planes, school buses, etc.)
• has finally passed 20 lbs on the growth chart!!
• has a very toothy grin
• likes to bound down stairs
• jumps into the pool if he can hold at least one of your hands
• play parroting games with his peers (or "do as I'm doing" mode)
  
• help me wipe up spills and move laundry from the wash to the dryer
• playing with the idea of using the potty
• will eat all fruits (seeds and all)
• gives goodnight hugs and kisses
• LOVES tomatoes, baths, and being outside
• will point out automobiles on the road around us with awe and wonder
• has discovered magical powers of band-aids
• plays well in nursery at church
• is always adding new words to his vocabulary
• lights up when his Dad comes home

We love him, and have loved watching him grow.

38.5 weeks

We're still here and we're still pregnant, too. Every time I see my doctor, she feels confident in saying she'll see me in the hospital before our next appointment. But that has yet to unfold. Things are progressing and my body is "ripening" to deliver this baby.

Joshua is getting ready for his new baby brother by helping to get his new room ready (Thank you Ginger for helping me get the fabulous paint on the walls, and Sarah, none of this would have happened without your drive to conquer the unbeatable!):

After some solid work and creative decorating:

We got to working in the nursery, too, with moving Joshua's "little boy" things out, and revisiting the "baby" theme, but I do not have pictures of that yet.

We've also celebrated Joshua's second birthday recently, and had a wonderful time with friends and family. Joshua got very spoiled with cars and trains and leggos and related books and puzzles. We have been playing nonstop with our new favorite toys since he received them. We are so blessed to have such good friends and family so close.

Heaton Beach Reunion

This summer, we've had a couple of great road trips. In June we went to Destin, FL area with all of the Heatons for the first Terry Heaton reunion. We loved being at the beach. Joshua enjoyed the sand and all the buckets and sand cars/trucks. It may be safe to say that Joshua took the very serious job of emptying the Gulf Coast one bucketful at a time, as he would fill a bucket, run 10 feet onto the sand and dump the water out. He would then return to the water to fill his bucket again.

While there, we got to spend time with Amber and Tim, with their girls. Brooklyn celebrated her 3rd birthday, and we got to play lots of games. One of the evenings consisted of a Glowstick Dance. I am excited to see how that tradition will grow in the years to come.

It was a terrific trip, and we loved everything about it. Plenty of good food, fun games, and family memories.

24 weeks pregnant

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! I woke up and had the entire kitchen and family room cleaned. It was a wonderful surprise and just what I needed. Benjamin knew just what I needed and would appreciate the most.

Other news, Joshua is suddenly interested in looking at pictures of our family and cousins, and pointing to the paper, then to the person. It is very fun to watch him recognize us when we are not there.

Pregnancy is starting to feel a little uncomfortable. I'm feeling like I'm leaning around something I'm holding on my lap. Joshua is noticing it's in his way when he sits with me. At times I think I need to grab Joshua's leg to pull him closer to the wall of his crib before I lean over and scoop him up. And the heartburn started last week. But there's still plenty of fun things to discover for the next few months as I continue to swell in different ways. But things are wonderful.

Just 2.5 more weeks of school for this school year. But who's counting!

Oh BOY!

Joshua will have a little brother.

Benjamin and I are thrilled to have another boy on the way! I can't wait to meet him and to watch Joshua be a good example. As I watch my sisters' sets of boys playing together, I think about how much fun we are going to have. Boys are wonderful, and I couldn't be happier.

We are bouncing around a few names, but nothing is decided yet. We are still open to suggestions, too.

Patience?

Have you ever just been too impatient to wait for the best thing EVER, and you know it's right there? What do you do about it? Sometimes, I take a nap to pass the time. Other times, I go for a walk. I might even try to clean my room a little bit. But this is what Joshua does:

Doesn't that face just say, "I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it, and I wanted it so bad, and there was nobody here to take my clothes off..."

I love to see the Temple

The Atlanta Temple has been closed for remodeling for the past 24+ months, and we got to attend the openhouse this past week! The dedication is scheduled for May 1, and we are thrilled for the opportunity to have the temple so close to home again! I have not attended a session in Atlanta since before Joshua was born...or before we left Provo...you get the picture. We are lucky that there are two other temples close enough to attend with a day's time: Columbia South Carolina, and Birmingham Alabama. But Atlanta is easier to accomplish with a babysitting schedule.

We also got to walk through the temple with Joshua. He enjoyed pointing at all the beautiful lights and naming Jesus in each of the paintings we saw in hallways and different rooms. Everything felt so bright and light in each of the rooms, and it really made me all the more excited for the temple to be dedicated so I can start participating in the work to be done, and feeling the blessings that are available within.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I know that families can be sealed together as families throughout eternity, even past mortal death. It is in Latter-day Saint Temples those ordinances (such as baptism and eternal marriage) are performed in behalf of those who did not have the chance to be baptized during their lives upon the earth. The Gospel is available to each of God's sons and daughters.

In temples, we can focus our attention on our relationship with the Savior without the distractions of the world around us. It is in the temple that I have felt the closest with Jesus Christ, as I reflect on the sacrifices that He made so that I can return to live with my Father in Heaven. I hope that I can teach my children to rely on the Savior, as well. I know that it is only through Jesus Christ that we can be found clean and pure in God's eyes.

I am thankful that I could show Joshua what different rooms look like inside the temple. Someday we'll be together inside again.

Do you have a monkey?

We took Joshua for a walk last night to get out some energy before bedtime. He kept up with us for a almost the whole lap in the neighborhood, but landed a ride on his Dad's shoulders for the last stretch. He quickly determined the best handholds, and placed both his little hands on either side of Benjamin's forehead to keep his center of gravity where he wanted it.

Joshua is still a little climber, and sometimes uses his toes as tools. Other times, he sees the benefit of having shoes at his disposal. A couple weeks ago during church, Joshua started to climb up the back of the pew in front of us. He would grip the top of the bench, and somehow find a place to have a good toehold and raise himself up 18 inches from the ground. I leaned over and told Benjamin that the climbing wasn't being very respectful in the chapel, and Benjamin quickly interrupted Joshua's climb. After the meeting, Benjamin admitted that he was in such awe that Joshua had accomplished such a hold, and was calculating the boy's strength in his toes and scrawny biceps to be able to accomplish such a feat. He may have been a little embarrassed that all he thought was: "Check out what my kid can do!" Oh yeah, we are in church, and that isn't something we want to encourage....I guess in the end it's all about working as a team.

If you didn't know...

It's time to vote again!!! Please, cast your vote on baby boy or baby girl to be joining the Heaton Bunch in early September 2011! (to the left)

We will see the doctor in the next couple weeks and have the official information to share.

(for those of you still curious, there are currently 14 Mullins grandsons arrived/in the making, with ZERO granddaughters to date! The Heatons have 2 granddaughters in addition to Joshua, so the pressure is a little uneven at times.)

(oh, and pictures to come soon).

Lesson learned...

A few of you may remember a few years ago, as missionaries in Nauvoo, that we discovered how difficulty it is to clean up after using oil-based paint products. While a full-time missionary in Nauvoo Illinois, we had the opportunity to scrape and repaint the black fencing surrounding the Nauvoo Temple. I remember it being long and hot days with no shade in August, but we had a good time, and enjoyed working with our hands and wearing pants for a while.

Curtis, Waldvogel, Rich, Tjarks, Martin, Roundy, Price

Sanders, Mullins

Mullins, Bailey

I was thinking about those fun days with a my sisters that I will never forget spending my summers with. I always think of the Sisters when I watch General Conference. But I had a different reason to reflect on those days today. I was trying to get a project done, and realized while trying to tidy up for a break that I had been using an oil-based product. Trying to wash up, I asked myself "I didn't expect this to take so much time to clean up. I doubt that in Nauvoo we just let our hands be black in the Visitor's Center. I must be forgetting a step." I dug out old photos, and sure enough, I did miss a BIG step...We used latex gloves while painting the fence. It was a good thing, or else we would have looked like this:

I wonder how long my hand will look like this. Oh well, I might as well finish my project tonight so I only have to clean up once...Next time, I'll remember the gloves.

Remember When...?

Hello, life!

I'll be the first to admit that our family has just concluded a 5 month disappearing act. But now it's time to become reaquainted with keeping a public record! Aren't we all excited?!?

In a nutshell, this is us:

-Benjamin is working for Acuity Lighting, and enjoying his responsibilities and making business connections across the country. He will travel for 3-4 days every couple of weeks, but we're getting used to the new routines.

-Emily is still working 3 days a week for a school district as a speech-language pathologist working with preschool-aged students. This week is spring break, and I am getting excited to get the house in order after winter, and in getting some decorating projects rolling before long. Perhaps they will even be shared with you (knock on wood, I'll prove that we're back up and running).

-Joshua is nearly 20 months old, attending nursery at church, and not slowing down one bit. He is still climbing on everything, and has rediscovered electrical outlets. He likes to move chairs so that he can play with various light switches, and has mastered opening and closing doors around the house. He is getting taller, but no heavier. Still barely 19 lbs, but he's getting all sorts of treats in an attempt in increase his calorie intake. We love to be outside, and take walks. Joshua is even saying a few words (shoe, ball) in addition to the long-time "mama, dada, papa, more, please, no," etc. He is keeping us busy and happy.