Last weekend we celebrated Donovan's birthday with my family. Everyone came over and we ate and had a good time. Donovan got a lot of fun things and he was really happy :) Lucky kid, the celebrations lasted all month instead of all day ;)
ps he was swimming that is why he doesn't have a shirt on ;)
So I was in the middle of catching up on my posting when I got sidetracked and didn't finish. So here's a few more things we have been up to :)
Ken's Mom's birthday was the end of May and we gave her a voucher for a girls day out. Shopping lunch whatever she wanted. Cathy decided that she wanted a tattoo. Just so happens that I know the bast tattoo artist out there, my brother Kristian. So of course I made it happen.
She was pretty nervous. This is her first tattoo ever. Ken warned me that she was going to cry. There were quite a few gasps and a couple of outcries but no tears!! She did so great.
Kristian did an awesome job and she was so happy with the finished product. So much so that she is drumming up business for Kristian because many of her friends who have seen it, want him to give them a tattoo as well :)
After the tattoo Donovan and I took Cathy out to dinner. It was such a great day!! I had a lot of fun and was glad we could spend some "girl" time together!! :)
Our ward had a party at the Roy Aquatic Center. The kids had a blast and it was fun to be there with friends and neighbors. My brother Kristian and his family came along as well.
Here's Donovan on the left of the picture having a baywatch moment :)
So I have been actively trying to find a house. Ken and I discussed this before he left and he had said under no circumstances was I to buy a house while he was gone. Of course as first time home buyers we wanted to share that experience together. Well I happened across a few that seemed perfect for us and then we were hooked. We both really love the idea of having a home when he gets back. So now finding a house has become a full time job!! Sometimes fun, sometimes not so much. We have put a few offers in that have fallen through but we just put an offer on another this week so fingers crossed that third times a charm!!! ;)
I take my camera with me so if there is one I like and am considering, I can take extensive pictures and email them to Ken for approval. On this day Brandi came with me and all the houses we went into that day had no closet doors on the bedrooms! I was saying how bugged I was about it, then Brandi called me into a basement bedroom to check it out because there was actually a door on this closet.... well kind of ;)
We had fun :)
Us Heald's are creatures of habit and every year we attend Clearfield's parade and fireworks. Colin and Donell just moved to Kaysville so invited us to attend the Kaysville parade this year instead. I didn't like the idea much but said as long as we can go to Clearfield fireworks, then okay. We all met in Kaysville and the weather was cool and overcast and threatening rain. Perfect conditions for watching the parade!!!
I ran into Tiffany and her family and then Stacie and Averee and Cambree visited us as well. I was glad we went to Kaysville ;)
The parade was awesome and the kids had fun. It was the longest parade ever though!! So long that I wondered if it would ever end!!! At one point they were throwing beads and it felt like Marde Gra :)
We were at the very end of the parade route so alot of the floats were out of candy when they got to us but the kids still got a fair amount.
We then went to Colin and Donell's and had a BBQ. We also had a birthday celebration for Jake and Colbie who have July birthdays.
After that we headed to the park for the fireworks. We sit in the same spot every year and our American Family, the Williams, always meet us there. We usually play games and sit around talking until the show starts.
This is my cousin Debbie's cute little girl Taylor. She is 18 months old and was showing me how she can count to 10 and sing Twinkle little star! It was adorable :)
Then the night ended with an awesome fireworks display. They never disappoint!! I was sad that Ken wasn't there to share it with me, or Donovan either, but I was thinking of them and loving them anyway! :)
July 12th was Donovan's birthday. I went over to Ken's parents to celebrate it with them. Donovan asked for a Beatles cd!! I thought it was funny, but he loves Yellow Submarine, and who doesn't!!?
He had a party earlier with his Mom at Chuck-e-Cheese. He got a crown and a medal for being the birthday boy.
We had yummy cake and icecream and Donovan had fun opening presents. He wanted to lick the candles :)
Ken's family have a strange way of eating their cake and ice-cream, they mix it all together. Ken loves it!!! So I took this picture and sent it to him to torture him ;) Aren't I the best wife ever!?!
Happy birthday kiddo we love you!!!
So I stole this header from my friend Tiffany's blog. I was going to ask her but didn't get a chance but I am sure she won't mind. I saw this picture the other day and was hit so strongly by it. Sure they are nice words, no freedom is not free, but there is so much more to this picture. See the sweet little boy is Tiffany's son Kaden who, along with his baby brother Preston, is one who pays for such freedom. He was without his Daddy for a year while Dad was away with the Military, had to leave the only home he has ever known and move across country away from all his family and friends, and then just had Daddy gone again for 6 weeks I believe and just got him home a few days ago. Now I have huge respect for the men and women of our armed forces who put their lives on the line everyday and share that cost of freedom, but today as we celebrate this wonderful country and it's independence I just want to acknowledge the little tiny everyday soldiers who perhaps pay the biggest price of all for the freedoms we enjoy. Ones who are too small to where a uniform and who's struggles often go unnoticed.
Take Donovan for instance, who despite all my explaining and reassuring as it isn't true, spends everyday thinking that Daddy's job is to kill suicide bombers. Who one day asked what Daddy's armor is made out of and when I asked why.. because he needed to make sure it was bomb proof. Who worries about what if Daddy turns into a suicide bomber. Who, even though he plays and laughs and seems to not have a care in the world, when he has a crayon in his hand is drawing soldier Daddy shooting the bad guys. Who innocently said one day after not hearing from Daddy for quite a while that he figured it was because he was dead. Who got a new t-shirt with a jeep on it that reminded him of Daddy's jeep and he said, "oh good now when I am playing and having too much fun and forget, this will help remind me that Daddy is at war". What a unimaginable weight these little children carry around with them everyday. Such a heavy reality they live and barely comprehend. Though they know more than we think and more than they show. Yet they do laugh and play and disguise their fear and uncertainty everyday.
So again I remind you that Freedom is not Free and today I want to thank all the little children who pay that price for us. They don't have a choice but they pay anyway. They smile and laugh and love and pay it anyway. To Kaden and Preston and Donovan... Thank you. You are braver than us all!!!
Last weekend Syracuse had it's festivities. I forgot about them but remembered in the morning when I could hear the sirens from the parade. So the kids and I got dressed really quick and ran around the corner for the parade. Luckily it was just on the next street :) The kids had fun getting all the candy.
Donovan and Michael really loved the Eagle float.
They really are nerds!!
Michael was so funny when the Highscool officers float went by. They had music playing really loud and it was the song from Night at the Roxbury... what is love, baby don't hurt me. Well Michael can't resist a beat and was shaking it up in his moon boots! (Again we left the house in a hurry so that's what you get ;) )
