Father's Day

As always, holidays do not go by without notice around the Heckman household. And Father's Day is no exception. To me, Fathers and Mother's day are very important days on the calendar. We go through our daily lives and so often forget to thank our mothers, fathers, spouses, and those who were maternal or paternal influences in our lives. I always want Payton to know that Father's Day is a special day when we take the time to really recognize Brian for the incredible father he is.
I know Payton adores him. It's obvious to anyone who has ever seen them embrace at the end of a busy day. Payton runs a hundred miles an hour into Brian's out-stretched arms yelling "DADA!!!!!" at the top of his lungs. It's one of the happiest moments in my entire day.
But I also want Brian to know how much I love him for his role as "father" in our household. He is everything Hallmark could say in it's sappiest of cards, and so much more. I don't know what I ever did to deserve him as a husband and father to our family, but I thank God for giving him to us.
This father's day, Brian finally got the gift he's been wanting for many years. A right of passage, if you will. A real "man's" gift (insert caveman grunting noises). He finally got a Weber charcoal grill! And he was so excited and determined to use it on Father's Day, that even a thunderstorm couldn't keep him from grilling out. Yes, he ended up grilling on the back patio, but still... he grilled. And let me tell you... those were the best darn steaks I've ever had. Seriously.
Happy Father's Day sweetheart. We love you!

1st Weekend of Summer!

We kicked off the 1st weekend of summer in style by going on a mini-vacation with our good friends at their vacation house. Payton had a ball going out on the boat, catching lizards, fishing, playing, staying up way too late, and we enjoyed hanging out with our good friends. Here are some highlight photos from our fun weekend...and yes, that is an 8-foot gator swimming in the lake in front of the boat we were in...

Graduation Day 2010

I can hardly believe it... my "baby" graduated from preschool last week (see pictures to the left of him on his 1st day of school each year at Wesley Early Learning Center, and his last) . Yes, I cried... many times. It's not that I don't want him to grow up, it just makes me emotional to think that he will never again step foot on that campus as a student. It's the only school we've ever known, and now... he's an official graduate.

On the lighter side of things, he had a ball during the last week of school. They got to wrap up all sorts of projects they had been working on all year (including an adorable drawing workbook that I will treasure forever!), had special ice cream sundaes for snacktime one day, had a special chapel for just the graduating classes, and then wrapped it up on the final day with a little "graduation certificate" and cap.

I, of course, went a bit overboard with the graduation celebration and decorated the house with a banner, streamers and balloons (awww, come on, he's my baby!). And after school we celebrated with a special lunch out with one of his best friends. It was a very memorable day to say the least!

Here are a few pictures from the final days of school.

Chapel Video

Had to include this video of Payton boogin' down on stage at his last chapel. It's too cute! On screen, he's third from the right in the blue polo and plaid shorts. The video isn't great, but it's cute.

Another batch of random photos to share with you. This time it ranges from playdates to plants. I know... it's random, but stick with me.

First, I thought I'd share a fun idea for all my "Mario" fans out there. My son is obsessed with the video game "Mario Cart" on the Wii. He pretends to be Mario, draws Mario, studies his Mario trading cards... you get the picture. I searched online for Mario-related crafts, but found very little that was appropriate for his age. So, we decided (along with Payton's friend, Will) to make our own craft using trusty 'ol toilet paper rolls! Check out how cute they turned out:


The second group of photos is a mixture of a few things... most of which require some explanation.
This is a new box fort that we have in the house. It's provided hours of fun transforming from a playhouse, to a battle fort, to a Mario cart, to a secret hideout. Here, Payton is playing in it with his little buddy, Carter.

And then these next few photos are just to show how the crazy humidity in Florida is actually good for something - growing plants. My porch - which is screened in - acts like a greenhouse in the summer because of the humidity. I have not done a single thing with these plants except for replant them in bigger pots. I don't water them, I don't fertilize them and yet year after year they keep coming back bigger and more beautiful. I guess God is trying to show me the beauty that humidity can provide... because it certainly isn't in my hairdo!

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed my randomness today!

Mother's Day

I have to say, my husband may not be the best at keeping the house clean, or cooking, or remembering that we have a dish washer, but when it comes to Mother's Day, he really knows how to do it up right! We spent the whole weekend doing things I wanted to do. And even though he had to be constantly reminded, Payton was strongly encouraged to ask Daddy for anything he needed all weekend (it didn't work that well, but it was the thought that counted).
We started Saturday morning by going to my favorite greasy spoon restaurant in South Tampa called "Daily Eats." Then we hit Hyde Park (check out the photo of the amazing house with the flowering tree in front) where they were having a sidewalk chalk art festival. Payton had so much fun looking at the chalk drawings, making paper airplanes, and playing at the park. We even made our own chalk drawing in honor of our new Mr. Two Bits shirt business (check out the photos).
After that, I went for a pedicure and when I got home I had flowers and a gift waiting for me that Payton picked out all on his own. He was SO proud to give me the flowers and watch me open my gift - it was precious! He came up with the idea to get me pink slippers - how cute is that?? After that, we hung out at the community pool for the remainder of the afternoon. It was perfect! That evening, Brian and I had a nice dinner out while Payton got to stay home with his favorite babysitter, Miss Laura. On Sunday, I got to relax and read the paper (thanks Camryn for my Godmother present - I love my new coffee mug!) and then after church we chilled out at the house and then hit the pool again. This time, I sat and read a magazine while Brian did all the pool entertaining with Payton (score one for me!). Then Brian BBQ-ed dinner and put Payton to bed so once again, I could relax. What a wonderful weekend. Can't we have Mother's Day every couple of months?????????? Here are some fun pictures...

Miscellaneous Fun

I have some miscellaneous photos to post that don't really fit under any other category than "fun." We've recently gone bowling, made homemade donuts, and Payton has developed a new fascination with giving people wedgies (or grundies as my husband calls them). Hope they make you smile or inspire you to try something new...the donuts I mean, not the wedgies...

We took Payton bowling for the first time as a family (we've only been there for birthday parties in the past). It was a lot of fun, although he got very frustrated that he couldn't bowl a strike every time like he can on Wii sports. Go figure! After bowling, we played a mean round of air hockey in the arcade. I felt like I was back in Middle School. It was so much fun!

Another fun experiment we tried last week was making homemade donuts. They're SO easy and SO delicious I may never go back to Dunkin Donuts again! I'll post the recipe below for anyone interested in a quick, really fun recipe you can make with your kids. As you can see, Payton enjoyed the "eating part" of this recipe the most!

So this last picture is Payton posing for Brian with a huge wedgie. He thinks it's the most hysterical thing in the whole world to give Brian a wedgie, but laughs just as hard when Brian does it back to him. Boys... I don't know if I'll ever understand them. :)












* TO MAKE THE DONUTS: Simply purchase a roll of Pillsbury biscuits (I used the flaky kind). Use a small circle cutter (I used the measuring cup from a children's Tylenol bottle) to cut out the centers of the biscuits. Heat enough canola or vegetable oil over medium heat in a pan to cover 1/2 the biscuit while cooking. Once oil is hot, place 4-5 biscuit pieces in the oil for 3-4 minutes. WATCH them, as you don't want them to burn. Turn them over once they are golden brown and cook other side. Remove once both sides are cooked and let cool on paper towels. After they have cooled for a few minutes (but while still a little warm) douse them with a cinnamon/sugar mixture until covered. Serve warm. YUM!!!!!