Priya has just been a nut lately! She's more clinging, which is frustrating, but I think she's cutting more teeth and who wouldn't want to whine about that! But she's also figured out that she can direct people and get them to do what they want, which is awfully hilarious sometimes! It started at the Open House we had a month ago - WHICH, by the way, was GREAT!! Thank you SO much to all those who came and helped pull the thing off! The carpet was still covered with plastic until the day before - it's amazing how everything came together!

Anyway, during the party we had Rock Band set up downstairs. As you probably know, Priya has ALWAYS been a fan, but the door was closed and she was upstairs so she couldn't get to it. Well, that didn't stop her! She grabbed a new 'friend's' hand and led him to the door. When he opened it, she crawled down a step or two, then just looked at him and reached up as if to say, 'ok, well, will you carry me already?' which he did and put her down contently in front of the game.

The funniest was last night as we were playing in the living room. I would lay on the ground on my back and she would try and roll me over so she could jump on my back. When she wanted Joe to play she grabbed his hand as he stood, pulled him to the ground and rolled him over all so she could gleefully jump on him. When he then got up and stood up and had her on his shoulders, she didn't quite know what to do :) She's such a nut! We love her so much and to do a variation on what my dad used to say "If I could go to the little girl store and pick out ANNNY little girl I wanted, I'd pick one JUST LIKE HER!.... except maybe she wouldn't teethe so much ;)"

Shot number 2 :)

The Definition of a 'Silly Little Thing'

Ha HA! I have So many things to blog about.. Most happy, some sad, but all I can think about is this AdOraBle little girl! She cracks me up! I Love You Forever, P. R., my litttle Engi-NERD!! ;)

Let the pictures begin!

I took these the beginning of May outside our old house - of course, they were just kind of casual and she never does as well for mom as she does for anyone else, but thankfully Robert and Beth showed up (they do still live there, after all :) and so we got a few good smiles out of her!  I just can't help but think back to the AMAZING photo I got of her last year!  The saddest thing is that I think I only have a small copy of a few of last year's photos!  I'm afraid they may have gottendeleted somehow! :( I'm horrified at the thought, but I'm trying not to think about it!

You know, I've realized that I must go into Photo hibernation during the winter... I hate breaking out my camera and seldom do - but its spring again, so here I go! :D

These are a few from may 15th, 2008

PS -don't forget to check out more cutie photos at http://www.heidisphotography.net/ - just use priya as a password ;)  I need to pick which ones to get!  So cutie, Heidi! 

Finally a few new photos!

As you may guess, it is at times hard to take photos of my squirly little child - she does best when there are new people to show off to, so imagine my delight when a new friend asked if she could borrow my babe for a photo shoot!

There are a few more on her blog: http://heidis-photography.blogspot.com/ but I think some of the best ones are still just in the client folder on her website http://www.heidisphotography.net

If you'd like the password to see the whole shoot, let me know and I'd be happy to give it to you!

I love my little babe!  She is such a ham and truley unlike any other child I know!  thanks for all the joy and laughter you bring to our lives, my little Princess P!

A.I. thoughts

Ok, so we don't have TV right now, right? So, since Joe and I are American Idol fans, we decided to do like any self-respecting 'young person' of today would do and search youtube for the songs from Tuesday. After some searching, we found them and life is good, right? Not quite-

As we were listening I made the mistake of taking a look at some of the comments (note to self, never read youtube comments!) Anyway, I was ... disappointed and truly upset to see so much hate towards Adam. Of course, there was lots of praise as well, but seriously?

You know, even if you REALLY dislike his voice, style, even look... fine - go ahead and say that. "I think he's pitchy (dog)" "Mmm.. falsetto really isn't my style" "His clothes are kind of wack" - Fine - you have a right to your opinions - we all do and if you feel you must share then, fine. But to attack him or anyone Personally, and especially in a public form, just isn't ok.

We all do it - the basketball player we think is a jerk, the movie star we think is a tramp... but just because we all do it, does that mean its ok?

You know, I don't know Adam personally - I don't know what he does when the AI cameras aren't on him and I don't know what kind of life he lead before, Nor Do I Really Care... I Do, however, know that he is a child of a loving God. I also know that as far as I can tell, he seems like a respectful and kind person-a humble guy with an Enormous amount of talent and I don't feel he deserves to be bashed simply because some people feel insecure about the fact he can hit a high B flat and at times wears Jonny Dep eyeliner to help fill his roll as 'rocker'. He is still a Person and that title alone means he deserves respect.

At least, that's what I think...

A rose by any other name...

Hmmm... Dad Heaton just posed a good question... Now that we have our new home, what should we call it?  When we first moved into our last home, my mom affectionatly called it the 'Heaton Hilton' and I was convinced one day she'd ship us a sign with that title, since we always seemed to have someone staying in our guest room.

While charming as the 'Heaton Hilton' might be, I think this new home could use a fresh name...perhaps the Homestead doesn't need the name Heaton in it at all... Any suggestions?  It's not 'the Lodge' as I see every other day on a house I pass... 'The Palace' seems a little over-the-top, even though its size might qualify it for that title...

We'll take a vote!  Suggest any and all names you think of - good, bad, funny, sad... we'll take them all!  Then we'll have a vote!  I'd LOVE to see what Abby and Kim come up with, along with all the other 'witty' Heatons! :D

So friends and family, take a stab!  What should we name our pad, so fab?

Well, it's done!

The papers are signed, the money is paid... once it goes through the house is ours!

Now we just need to clean, build, decorate and PARTY!! :D  Feel free to volunteer for any one of those 4 things ;)

With love, PB&J

WHEW!

I wanted to post some photos from moving and our visit, but after posting the house photos, I'm pooped!  We had about half a gajillion photos of the house and I just spend FOREVER reorganizing them and adding comments etc., so I'm wiped out!  I took a break to mow our temporary lawn-well, START mowing our lawn - it's LONG! Joe will need to finish that - I'm a weakling ;)

So you'll have to wait for another day, for those!  But stay tuned!  There are tons of cutie shots of kids and big people alike!  Catch ya next time! :D

HOUSE...

...PHOTOS! Warning- The peeps living there left in a hurry so there is stuff EVERYWHERE!! for once in my life I can't WAIT to clean! ;) It's a bit of a long slideshow, but it has lots of commentary so hopefully you won't get too bored ;) OH! BUT if you'd like to look at larger photos and comment on them, just check out the link below the slideshow-ENJOY!

If it doesn't work or you want to take more than 1 SECOND on each photo, just follow this link here:

Springville Home

Time to Catch You Up!

The biggest news is WE'VE moved!!

"Where to?" you ask

"Why, to an apt  just down the street!" we reply

"I thought you were buying a house?" you ask

"We are" we say

"Huh?"

Ok, so as you may guess, it's a bit complicated - however, so far the news is all good!!  Though we didn't close on our new place before we sold the old one, we ARE getting the house put an offer in on in December!  We are so excited (and a bit scared) but we know the Lord has DEFINITLY been guiding us and helping things fall into place... eventually! :D

When do we move in?  we don't know

When do we close?  Soon

Where have we been living?  well, around :)  My parents, niece, uncle, sister and her family all came out to help us pack up and move - (THANKS EVERYONE!!!)  They, along with my brothers that live in Utah all helped out INCREDIBLY!  Without them, moving could have been a VERRRRRRRRY long process!

We sold our place on Tues the 14th of April, but my fam was in town till Sat so we spent a few days at a hotel, with joe going to work during the day and priya and I chillin with the family!  We did some Great stuff, including Tucanos and Lil Sahara where we had an AMAZING time on the sand-dunes!

On Saturday Priya and I headed back to the Mid-West with my parents and uncle, leaving Joe behind to stay at his sister Rachie's house! (Thanks Rachie!)

Back in Wisconsin, Priya and I spent a ton of time with her cousins and grandparents, including a visit from Mom & Pop Heaton with Auntie RISSY!  Priya even made a new friend when we met up with my grade-school pal Christy Has-an-Itch (lol - sorry Christy!) and her daughter Rachel - what a cutie!  Priya LOVED seeing her cousins and was convinced she was one of the big kids!  She mastered stair climbing-and even decending-and was 'running' around the playground like a big kid!  She doesn't believe me when I tell her she's still a baby and especially doesn't seem to listen when I tell her she should just lay still and cuddle like she did when she was just a blanket burrito :(  Maybe if I give her a good talking to... no?  hm...

Well, Auntie Alysse flew out to Wi the end of the week and Monday we and she flew back to Utah.  Now I'm back on the same street, still not in a place of my own, but at least we're getting closer!  For now we're enjoying life in a cul-de-sac (Priya is a NUT and bangs on the front window waiting to run out and play with all the kids here) and dreaming and planning of everything we want to do in our soon-to-be new home!

Wish us luck!  We can't wait till you can come visit us in our new place!  For now, we'll just have to get you a few photos, but I think you'll agree it should be a fun place to hang out!

PB&J

Brewer game 08!

Ok, so this is a little out of control-old, but i just found these photos and realized I never posted them before! In June of 2008 my dad was asked to throw out the first pitch at a Brewer's game in Mil-town. Well, he declined but my baby sis Alysse did the honors instead!

This was Baby P's first baseball game ever and as you can see, she quite enjoyed herself!  The funniest thing about seeing these photos after almost a year is that neither Alysse or Baby P look ANYTHING like these photos! :)  lol - oh well!  change is fun, ...right?

Same twinkle smile though!

A Beautiful Message for this Easter Season and always...

In case it doesn't work, you can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc - It's only about 4:30 min... not too sad or dramatic, yet a simple and humble reminder of what Christ did for us from one of the men called to be one of His Special Witnesses... (the last 3 words take you to the first part of another amazing video...)

House... are you for real?

Unfortunately, no, I am not talking about us having a house... though let me tell you, I'd be ecstatic if that was the case. No, today I need to pause and comment about a favorite of mine - House - the TV show. If you follow the show, you have probably already figured out that on the show on of the characters committed suicide. ... Let me say that again... on the SHOW one of the CHARACTERS committed suicide. This isn't for real, people. Sorry to burst your bubble, Fox but It's NOT REAL. And yet, for some reason FOX feels it's a good idea to post all kinds of memorial sites and photos, as if he were a REAL person. I understand what they're doing and I understand why - hey - I enjoyed the video montage of clips of Kutner, but a MEMORIAL site on facebook - personal photos and notes from the other doctors and an obit to boot? - Don't Look - DOn't Look! Ah..oh... don't! - you did already didn't you? It's ok, I did too... but seriously - you know, sometimes people have a hard time differentiating between reality and fiction.... and we wonder why...

Oh but the REAL gem is why he left House! You can read all about it Here (from my f-i-laws blog) and Here (an interview with 'Kutner' and friends) Glad to see they're trying to do more than run a popularity contest... oh wait... my bad ;)

Adam Lambert - Top 8 American Idol

For those of you who missed it, here's what got the Standing O from Simon last Tuesday on American Idol - you can't deny it - this kid's got some serious skills!

A few notes...

A few notes on the last videos-

1- I don't file MY toenails.. I file HER'S... I'm always scared to use clippers on my babe!

2-The sleeping vid is funny to me because she always wakes up with these big Dents in the top of her head where she's been pressed up against the bars... now you can see why :)

I'm sure there are other things, but I'll refrain. But tell me, is it annoying to have to click on them like that in order to watch them? Or did it make much of a difference for you - let me know... I'm torn since one way is easier for me, but the other looks better I think... Let me know - thanks!

A few more...

As you can see in all of these last videos, our house is a WRECK as we're trying to sort and pack and sort and pack.... and somehow we don't seem to get very far with any of it!!

My one other lament is that I never seem to get photos or videos of her in her ADORABLE outfits! She has lots of BEATUIFUL clothes that are from her cousins...unfortunatly every time we seem to grab the camera, she seems to be between outfits, for whatever reason! But just so you all know, we really do dress our child - she DOES have clothing! :D

From april videos

From april videos

Some recent videos

From april videos

From april videos

Relay for Life

PS - please feel free to post your stories of friends and family that are or have battled cancer and I will get the info to Laura to make sure a light is lit in their honor during the event - thank you

Hello everyone- As many of you know, my baby brother has just BEAT cancer! It is a miracle and we are so grateful! While he personally will not be participating in Relay for Life this year, his girlfriend will be and he has asked that anyone interested in supporting him, donate to support her instead. Even if we all just donate $5, together we can make a BIG difference!

I am so very grateful for the medical advances that allowed my brother to not only have SURVIVED cancer, but to now be 100% cancer free! I can't imagine what life would be like if we had lost him and know that someone else's donations helped make his survival a reality! Below is the letter written by his girlfriend Laura Fischer, a fellow cancer survivor and one of the angels that helped him through this all, along with a link to her Relay For Life page-

Thank you for looking.

With love,

Bree

--- A message from Laura Fischer

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope this letter finds you well. The past year of my life has been eventful to say the least. I started my freshman year of college at Winona State University this fall, and I am on my way to achieving my goal of becoming a pediatric oncology nurse. But starting college was only one part of my life changing year. As you may know, my boyfriend, Brent, was diagnosed with choriocarcinoma in January of last year. He bravely endured four rounds of chemotherapy and a highly invasive surgery, and is now cancer free! Watching Brent bravely fight cancer this past year has taught me so much about courage, positivity, and the importance of loving and supportive family and friends. It has also lit an even greater fire in my heart to see cancer cured in my lifetime. Cancer has affected too many people I know and love. I have watched both my Grandparents, my Aunt Jan, and many friends bravely fight cancer. Unfortunately, cancer will continue to affect people we all know and love. That is why I am asking you to help me continue the fight against cancer.

On April 24 and 25th, I will be participating in the American Cancer Society's signature fundraiser, Relay for Life at Winona State University. I am actively involved in the American Cancer Society's Colleges Against Cancer chapter here on campus, and I am very excited about the upcoming event. I have greatly enjoyed my experiences with Relay for Life in the past and I have great expectations for this year. I am so thankful for the generous support you have shown for my efforts in the past, and I am graciously asking for a tax deductible donation once again. Any amount you can give is greatly appreciated. All donations support the American Cancer Society's efforts in funding life saving cancer research, cancer education, early detection and prevention programs, and patient support programs. To make a tax deductible donation to my team, please follow the link to my Relay for Life homepage at the bottom of this email.

Finally I ask you to please reply to this email by sending me the names of all the people you know who have been affected by cancer. Please indicate whether they are still fighting, a survivor, or have lost their courageous battle. I will make sure that there is a luminaria in their honor on the night of relay. If you would like, you may also send a message you would like to have printed on their luminaria.

Thank you so much for your continued support! We will find a cure for cancer! :)

Sincerely,
Laura :)

Click here to visit my personal page.If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09MW?px=8753435&pg=personal&fr_id=15885&fl=en_US&s_tafId=273405

Click here to view the team page for Standing Up to Cancer If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09MW?team_id=371094&pg=team&fr_id=15885&fl=en_US&s_tafId=273405

A Note About Laura and Relay for Life - As written by my father:

The following (preceeding) email is from a young lady who was a tremendous support for Brent as he went through his Cancer treatments.

In addition to being an excellent student she has spent many hours raising money and awareness for Cancer including visiting our Congressman and two Senators in Washington DC explaining the need for Cancer Research Funding. Cancer research is the reason she and Brent are both alive today.

Please visit her website and make a donation if you can.

Thanks, Craig

Our Deepest Fear....

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Our Deepest Fear
by Marianne Williamson from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

When I first read this as a freshman in collage, I was told it was from Nelson Mandela, but I guess I, like many others, was wrong :) Either way, I LOVE it and need to live it!