Wearing Mommy's "Shirt"

Okay, some of you might be offended by these photoes, but Grace asked me repeatedly to "wear Mommy's shirt" so I put it on her and she thought she was the most gorgeous, awesome, girl ever! Just look at the smile in the bottom picture. Could she be any more happy? I just couldn't resist posting it. Too cute!
Lately, that's all she wants to do. Put on makeup ( she has to use her plastic barbie set), put on my shoes, wear my headbands, do whatever I'm doing. She has become my little shadow and I LOVE it, most of the time. I hope to introduce her to soccer and sports here shortly though before she gets too prissy for my taste. I don't know about the whole princess thing. I was such a tomboy growing up that I wasn't really into barbies, or tea parties or dress-up. Oh well, if that's her thing, that's her thing right?

Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

We visited the Houston Zoo mid-February and had an absolute blast! The weather was in the low 70's....AHHHH! And the last time we were there, Andrew was a little 2 year old and I was pregnant with Grace. Just where does the time go? It was surreal seeing a couple of spots where we had taken Andrew's photo, a good three years ago. Honestly seems like yesterday.

This was Grace's FIRST trip to the zoo and she couldn't believe all the animals! Some of her favorites were the giraffes, elephants, and orangutans. I think we sat and watched the monkeys for a good 1/2 hour. What is it about those animals that is so intriguing? Is it the fact that they are an animal most similar to humans? Perhaps so, but this was definitely the highlight of our visit. Watching the baby monkeys cling to their blankets, or eat fruit with their hands. Just amazing animals!

Andrew loved playing at the kids zoo, sliding down the slides and pretending to be a prairie dog. The highlight of the zoo for him was seeing the monkeys and elephants. He couldn't believe how big those animals are in reality. And the way they use their trunks to eat and drink. Almost like an arm of sorts. Too cool!

Party On!

We hit a fun party last week at Pump-it-Up and the kids had a ball jumping on all the inflatable equipment. What is it about that place that brings out the kid in all of us? I mean, I can't wait to slide down the slide and jump around the circular jumper. And what a workout! The kids and I always have such a great time at this place. And in case you're wondering, the gentleman in the last pic is not Matt, it's a good friend of ours Ron Martere...all the boys were attacking him. Poor guy.

On another note, can I tell you how much I love living in Houston in the winter time? While both Matt and my families are shoveling out of their cold domains and bundling up to go anywhere, it is 75 degrees here and I'm sitting listening to my kids and the neighborhood kids laugh as they play hide-and-seek. The dads are sitting on my neighbor's driveway, somewhat monitoring things, having conversations about basketball and the upcoming Rodeo. I have my windows open and my house smells so fresh and clean. My neighbors over and behind us are swimming today and I can hear them splashing around in their pool as they listen to top 40 music. I'm just giddy inside. AAAHHH! As much as I am homesick in the fall and those months leading up to Christmas yearning for some cold, crisp air, it's in January-April that I just love this deep south weather. You can't beat 70 degrees in February. And to anyone who needs a winter get away, you're always welcome here.

It's cold in Kansas City

Let me start off by thanking my mom and dad for having us a couple weeks ago. The kids and I had such a great time visiting Kanas City and being able to spend time with my family. Andrew and Grace love Mima and Papa's house, especially their two dogs...yes, they do love their 14 year old schnauser mix, Rachel, who snaps at Grace on occasion and Shelby, well, who couldn't love Shelby (she's pictured with Grace above). I think that's all Grace cared about was those two dogs. Had they eaten, did they want a treat, did they need to go outside, sleep, etc. She followed them around like she was one of the two of them. That girl just loves animals and I see myself in her because that would have been me as well.

As for Andrew, he loves to play with Ryan and Kevin as often as possible. Usually Star Wars figures or wrestling figures. And skateboarding and basketball if it's nice outside. It was so funny though because my brother Ryan had over this cute girl one night and they ended up going downstairs into the basement to hang out. Well, here's my two kids opening up the laundry shoot every couple minutes asking Ryan if she was his girlfriend and asking them what they were doing down there. Oh, man, he took that for only so long before he came up to ask us to leave him alone. We were all laughing so hard. Are we immature or what?

I think what I love most about visiting my family is the time I get to spend with everyone and the time I get to do other things like playing with my kids, reading a book (which I almost finished while I was there), and just taking time to slow down. I don't have to do laundry, answer the phone, be anywhere, make dinner, etc. It's nice to just be out of my house and away from my day-to-day responsibilities. AAAAHHHH!

Another thing I love about visiting home is spending time with my mom. We always take a day (my dad watches the kids- THANKS DAD- YOUR WONDERFUL) and we head up to Atchison, KS to a boutique called Nell Hills. They have fabulous home furnishings and decorations. The only problem is that I wished I lived closer so that I could buy more and get it home. But we enjoy sharing ideas and my mom always pays for my purchases, no matter what. She's so generous to me and I really appreciate it. Then we mosey over to this cute, little cafe located in this old post office building, which is so unique and quant. We usually share a large order of fries (this time we added a pork tenderloin sandwich) and a piece of their homemade pie. Yum, Yum! It's just become our traditional fun day together. And I love it. Thanks so much mom for your friendship and company. I really miss you!

Just venting!

We were back to school last week, but we did get a long weekend this past weekend due to Martin Luther King Day. I just love having Andrew (and Grace) home and not having to be on any particular schedule as far as getting dressed, having to be somewhere at a certain time, etc. Sometimes, Andrew wants to be in his pajamas all day and I say, "Go for it!" And we make cookies, play games, and just veg out. And Grace is in such a better mood when I don't have to shuttle her in and out of the car all day.

You know, I really do consider myself lucky to be able to say home with my kids these first few years of their lives and watch them grow into little people. I love having the opportunity to take them to the parks, the museums, their music class, etc. and to just be able to enjoy the little things like rainy days and making brownies together. I know there will come a time when neither one of them will want to spend an evening with me cuddling, or be seen with me at the park or mall. I know they will get their advice from their friends and I'll have to twist their tongues to find out what's new in their lives. Right now, my kids would not want to be anywhere or with anyone other than with me, and that just makes me feel like a million bucks! Now this changes from week to week, liking my job that is. I mean, it's a hard job, unbeknown st to many. I think people think that as a mom I just stay home, watch TV, take a nap, etc. I do none of that. It is by far harder than any job I've ever had. At the same time, it's the most rewarding.

The reason I say this is because I live in a community where the majority of the women stay home with their children. And I was at the gym yesterday attending a kickboxing class and the instructor made some comment about kicking as hard as you can. She goes on to mention that the kids are home from school today (AAHHH) so kick like you mean it. And a bunch of the moms yell, "Yaaaaahhh". You know what, I hear that a lot. There are women who stay at home and would rather be anywhere than with their kids. Or they're constantly looking for an escape from their kids. We all have our bad days and we all want an escape at some point. But overall, I look at it that we only have one life and we all need to take advantage of every day, doing what makes us most happy. If you want to work, by all means get a job. And don't feel guilty about it. You shouldn't worry about what anyone else thinks. It is amazingly tough to have a career, be a mom, and run a household. Or, if you want to stay home with your kids, don't feel like you're not contributing to society because you are. You're raising those little ones to be strong, independent adults. And that's amazing work too!

I was applying for health insurance the other day and the application asked for my profession. Since not having a job, I have cringed at this question. AARRGGG! I'm scrolling down and I see chauffeur, housekeeper, manager, cook, sales, child care, medical assistant...all these jobs that I'm coming across, I do on a daily or weekly basis...Then I click "homemaker". Can't they come up with SOMETHING better than that?? ;)

HO! HO! HO!

Christmas here at the Heitz household was relaxing and fun. We decided to stick here in Houston so the kids could wake up in their own beds (we didn't have to answer questions about Santa finding us) and we could start some of our own traditions. It's such a special time and I love more than anything getting to share my excitement with Andrew and Grace. I want them to have memorable Christmas' like I did. And let me tell you, hearing Andrew's squeal that morning and the look on Grace's face when they saw that tree...ahhhh it's worth every minute of preparation. Which leads me to say, here's to all the women out there, and especially the moms, who work so hard to make sure that presents are bought and wrapped, shipped out if needed, food is planned/prepared, p.j.'s bought, house decorated, etc... The list could go on! And I want to let my mom know how much I appreciate everything she did for us growing up to make sure that we had an amazing Christmas. I mean everything was always perfect! Because it's a LOT of work, and I really had no idea until this year. Thanks mom.

Oh, and I'll have to take a picture of myself in the present that Matt got me...Roller Blades! Yes, folks that's right. I put them on that morning and roller bladed around my dining room table. I felt like (and probably looked like) a 10 year old who just got her first roller skates. I LOVE them. I probably use them at least 4 times a week. But it was a few days of wobbly knees, and almost spills. In fact the first day I went out on my own Andrew said, "Don't bust your head open mom." OKAY! I'll try not to. ;)

Hanging in Biloxi, MS

Matt had several weeks of work going on in Biloxi toward the end of November and after several trips on his own, he asked us to join him (he was feeling a little lonely). We drove over to Biloxi and spent 3 nights at the Hard Rock Hotel right on the Biloxi coast. The kids had a blast playing in the pool and walking the boardwalk along the beach. But you know what, we could stay at a Holiday Inn up the road and the kids would still have a great time. They just love staying in hotel rooms and swimming in the pools. They always have a blast jumping from bed to bed (which of course is off limits at home) and eating out at the hotel restaurants. Andrew went "hog" wild over all the rock-n-roll memorabilia.

Something interesting though, that I was not fully expecting or prepared for, was that the area is still so torn up and damaged from Hurricane Katrina. There was tons of sand and debris a block or two from the beach, and the sidewalks were completely torn up. There were no gas stations or restaurants on this main coastal 2-lane highway. And apparently pre-Katrina, there were beautiful 100+ year old homes all along this highway, looking out into the gulf waters. Now, there were maybe 5-6 still standing within 10-12 miles. So sad...and several trailers, with swimming pools (that apparently made it through the storm). It was definitely depressing for me to see all this devastation and 2+ years after this horrendous storm. That is just crazy to me. No matter how much you read about it or see it on the news or in pictures, it doesn't really register until you see it in person. And again, this is 2 years after. I can't imagine driving through there a week after that storm!