Getting out of the Deep South...

... and heading up to MD and VA. We leave out tomorrow morning and we are very much looking forward to visiting the Hecks in Baltimore for a few days. By late week we will head down to Northern VA and visit with the Sullivans (including a special visit with my 95 year old Grandmother). Most excited. Won't be blogging while I'm vacation but you know that I will have a gazillion pictures and stories for you when we return at the end of next weekend.

Indoor Sand Pit

These kind of things only seem to happen at Grannie's house. Maybe because she is creative; maybe because anything goes at Grannie's; maybe because he asked... either way... only at Grannie's house would there be an indoor Sand Pit in the garage so that Thomas can play with all of his construction trucks. Take a peek... the boy is having a blast and is clearly in his own world. Pure Bliss for a little boy.

Thomas spent the night over at Grannie & Grandpop's house on Saturday night - these pictures were taken this morning as he played in his 'jammies. Just like Abby got to enjoy being an "only child" with us - Thomas got to be the spoiled grandchild and had them all to his self. It's funny because when I drop him off there, I hardly can get a hug and kiss goodbye - he is usually running to get his hands on all the fun things to do over there. But, my saving grace is when he does return home... he is always very lovey & is sure to tell me how much he missed me. It usually goes like this:

• T - "Mommy, you miss me while I was gone?"
• M - "Yes, Yes I missed you very much."
• T - "Good, I'm so proud of you Mommy." (he uses this phrase a bit... he picked it up from me when I would tell him that through the potty training phase.)
• M - "Thomas, do you mean to say that you are "happy to see me, Mommy?"
• T - "No... I said I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you for making it with out me."

*Sigh* He is right ... I made it without him, but I sure do like it when he is home. It is surely too quiet with him gone.

Woody & Buzz

We have been promising Thomas that we would take him to see Toy Story 3 ever since it came out on June 18... today was our movie date. What a hilarious movie! Thomas has only been to one other movie (Ice Age 3), but he clearly enjoyed himself as if it was his first time. Daddy ordered the works for us to enjoy... popcorn, nachos and drinks. So much for Mommy trying to be conservative and pack our own snacks? Oh well. It was really nice to just have some alone (and special) time with Thomas & give him our undivided attention. Definately a good day.

Slow but steady... finally!

Video Clip - Finally... I have captured her on film walking slow, but steady. Granted it is only a few steps but she is doing it and she is only 10.5 months old.

Who would have known...

... that a bag of 100 plastic balls could be so much fun as an indoor game on a HOT afternoon. At first Thomas & Abbigail didn't know what to make of it, but they quickly figured out that there was a lot of FUN to be had with all of these balls. See below for examples:

Abby played in the Tub O'balls and Thomas continued to dig and cover her with as many as he could.

Once out of the ball pit, Abby figured out that she could throw them, put them in other containers and of course, put them in her mouth.

The funniest was when he figured out that he could stuff his shirt with at least 13 balls.

OH, fun times in the Heck household as we amuze ourselves & make each other laugh hysterically.

Figuring us out

I'm sure in her head Abby is sizing all of us up & down. She is figuring out how Thomas, Daddy and Mommy act, react and handle the daily situations in the house... especially the ones involving her. She knows full and well that Thomas loves to make her laugh, show & teach her all kinds of things. She watches him like a hawk & then is determined to move in on his space to try her hand at whatever it is he is doing. She has also figured out that certain toys of his are "his" and he doesn't want her to play with them... which intrigues her all the more. She can't wait to see his smile in the morning, she laughs and giggles when he does and she begins to cry when he does. She takes most of her cues from him. Apparently her big brother matters to her.

Abbigail has also figured out her Daddy. Remember, when he returned in the middle of April, she didn't know him. Yes, we had done Skype, posted pictures of him & her in her room so he was always visible, and of course we talked about Daddy. But the truth of the matter is Daddy left when she was 3 weeks old and came home when she was 8.5 months old... this was a something quite new. Since Daddy's homecoming, she has become quite the Daddy's girl. She knows his voice. Not just the voice, but rather the tone, if he is talking with her or someone else in the room, and if he is upset or happy. She laughs & giggles at the feel of his wiskers on his face, she loves to climb on him and snuggle into his arms. At first, she followed hesitantly behind Thomas when it came to Daddy; now, she is crawling & walking to him just to have his attention & love.

Abbigail spends the most time with me. She naturally feels the most comfortable with me simply because of the nature of our relationship. She knows when I am using my "firm mommy" voice or my lovey voice. She knows what to do to be scooped up from the ground and she also knows when I'm calling her bluff because she is faking with the drama cry & whine. We "talk" all of the time... more and more it is becoming a two way streak with her babbling a lot more. She knows that I'm 95% of the time going to be the one to see her 1st in the AM, pick her up from daycare in the afternoons (when school is going on) and she knows that I'm going to be the one giving her a bath. She knows me well. She knows the best cry to use, the smile that melts my heart and the laugh I'm hoping to hear from her.

Flashbacks

One of my friends did a "Flashback" blog post the other day and it got me thinking about how much Thomas has changed over the last 3 years. My #1 baby is not a baby anymore. Wow... three years old.

Yesterday

This time last year
Two years ago this month

Three years ago.

Brian and I are quite blessed with a handsome, smart, funny, sweet & sensitive little boy.

Just trying to stay cool

Everyday in Florida during the summer months is hot. H-O-T. On Friday, the kids and I just tried to find a little relief in the pool. Here is a glimpse at the silliness...

Thomas with his new Super Squirter... watch out to all innocent bystanders...

he is deadly with it.

Thanks Grandpop for a great morning swim!

Classics

Had another early morning run today but decided to make it a solo run without Ziggy. Some mornings I just don't feel like handling the "crazy" dog for the first 3/4 miles. He gets into his running routine after that, but still. Instead, it was just me and my tunes for 3.5 miles. Good start to a Friday.

On a total unrelated note, Disney Classic movies. Thomas is a HUGE fan of movies like Cars, Toy Story, Shrek, Finding Nemo and Lion King. However, up until recently, I have discounted showing him any of the classic hits like Dumbo and Jungle Book (to just name a few). Not sure why. Between my MIL & my mom, they each have tons of these movies at their house. Only problem is they are all VHS. The reason that is a problem is I do not have a VHS player anymore. They each do, but the Heck household is strickly DVD only. Like I said, recently he has seen some of the Disney favorites and seems to like them just as much, MAYBE even more than his tried & true Cars, Toy Story, etc ones.

My MIL had a friend keep their eyes peeled for Dumbo on DVD. We are talking yard sales, thrift stores, online stores, etc. Low & behold - they tracked down a DVD copy for just $5. What a deal. So... this movie might be making the trip with us up to Baltimore/DC next week with our portable DVD player for the airplane.
Yesterday, while visiting Grannie & Grandpop, he got a sneek peek preview of The Jungle Book and loved the songs, animals and adventure the "boy-cub" was on. I can't wait to see his expression as he enjoys the entire Disney classic. I guess I'm going to have to start searching for these great movies on DVD. Because I'm not getting a VHS player. I'm too spoiled with DVDs.

Real Running - 13.1 miles

We did it. We are registered & paid in full to be runners in the 2010 Pensacola Marathon & Half Marathon. Brian and I will be running the 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles) portion of the race on November 14th! Wow... there is nothing like setting a goal and saying, "Holy S%*t", I really am going to do it. Neither one of us has ever run this kind of race, but we are both up for the challenge of training and running in it together and are super excited that we have no excuses now. Of course, I say this now. Let's see how I'm doing in 5 months as I am preparing to make this happen.

To all of my friends (especially Kari, Kendra, Jordan and Abbey) who have done this already (and some of those crazy girls have done it more than once) - you inspire me and I really am looking forward to "Real Running!"

Grill'in & Drink'in

This is now a normal scene in the early evenings at our house. No - I'm not referring to the big grill (notice Abby helping Daddy); instead, I'm talking about Thomas LOVING his grill. He tells me numerous times a day that he is cook'in up some McDonalds hamburgers and hotdogs. It is too funny. I should probably go and buy a shopping carry cart with some other foods. At least for diversity so there is more on his "menu" than beef products! :)

Here he is kick'in back in his new FROG table & chair set he got for his birthday from Aunt Jen.

The kid can make record time slurping down a juice box like its nobody's business.

See what I mean...

DONE!

USA! USA! USA!

What a game!  The USA definately came to play today despite not scoring the lone goal until the 91st minute (injury time)!  Landon Donovan came through for Team USA and pushes us onto the 2nd round of the World Cup which is just 16 teams.  It is the first time for the Americans since 1930 that we have come out of Group play!  What a game!

Early bird gets the worm

At least that is how the old saying goes. I think this morning holds true. This morning started at 4:30 AM when my alarm went off and I quickly dressed for my early morning run.  I also grabbed the leash and took Ziggy with me so he could enjoy some heart-pumping exercise all before the sun came up.  Upon my return, my hubby was finishing getting ready for work and already had the coffee brewed.  Between gulping water and enjoying my coffee while we chatted before he left - it was such a good feeling to know that I had already gotten my run out of the way for the day.

Usually my two munchkins get about around 6AM, so I knew that I only had about 30 minutes before the day was in full swing.  I figured I would be productive and get the laundry started and bake some banana bread.  I know... don't I sound like Holly Homemaker?  I did all this by 6:10am when Thomas came strolling out of his room.  When he peered into the oven and asked what I was cooking - he was so excited to learn it was one of his favorites.  Hey... another good start to the early morning.

Abby followed suit shortly after Thomas, but by then I had already enjoyed my 2nd cup of uninterrupted coffee.  Wow!  I'd say this was a good start to the day.  And the bonus?  It really wasn't that hard to get out of bed at the early hour.  Maybe that is because I knew deep down that it was going to feel really good to hit the pavement and get a good sweat.