Father's Day

It's funny... when I first started dating Brian, I never thought about what kind of father he would be some day. I probably should have, but I was much more interested in his personality, his humor and how cute he was. :)
Thank God - literally - that He knows who we should end up with in our lives. Because I could not have picked a more perfect man to spend my life with. Beyond everything he does for me on a daily basis, he is such an amazing father. Every evening - no matter how tired he is from work - he swoops in and takes over caring for both boys. He wrestles with Payton, he plays with Parker and both of them light up like a Christmas tree. They love him SO much. 
So, Father's Day is a really important holiday in our house because we want to take a special day to recognize how much we love Brian.
We started the day out with a big breakfast before church. And of course since it was Father's Day, I couldn't argue with the boys when they wanted to have the cookie cake that Payton had decorated for Brian for breakfast...

 Payton gave Brian his essay and drawing that he made for him in school...

(yes that is a drawing at the bottom of a Chicago Bear and a Gator jumping on top of a Green Bay Packer)

If you can't read it, it says:
My Dad 
by: Payton Heckman
My Dad is the best. He resls (wrestles) whith me! He tells me funny story's! He is awesome!!!!!! He has brown hair. He is nise (nice)!!!!!!! He takes me to miny (mini) golf! I love my Dad!!!!!


I laugh so hard every time I read it because it lists all of these wonderful things he loves about Brian and then for some reason he felt the need to mention that he has brown hair. How funny is that???

Of course, as much as I love my hubby, he does have some nuances that I could do without... such as not listening all the time. Especially when I'm talking about organizing, decorating or reality TV. So, this is the card I gave him...

Don't worry, I wrote really nice stuff on the inside. :)

So, all of this to say, we had a really great Father's Day celebrating what an amazing dad Brian is. We love you honey!

Of course I would be remiss to not mention our own awesome fathers too. Although we didn't get to spend the holiday with them, we love them dearly and wouldn't know what to do without them!!!

Miscellaneous

I've got some random funny photos to post that don't fit into any specific category. Hope you enjoy them...

Parker will watch Payton do anything - even play his DS.

He stares at him constantly. He LOVES his big brother!

Parker loves his Bumbo - he's so dang cute in it!

This is what Payton's hair looked like on "crazy hair day" for VBS.

Again... he'll watch him do anything...just wants to spend time with him.

 

"Aunt" Jenny

My dear from Jenny, whom I've know since Kindergarten, has always been so sweet with my kids. She sends them stickers and cards for holidays, birthday gifts, she came to my baby shower and always, always comes over to my parents' house when we're in Orlando. She's just one of those friends that you know you can always count on. And although I'd like to think I'm special and she only does these things for me, I happen to know she does the same things for her friend in Nevada and Texas and many, many friends in Orlando. She's amazing.

So, when we stopped by Orlando on our way to Ponte Vedra Beach, she made sure to stop by and meet Parker.

And then she indulged my husband in dinner at his favorite Mexican dive in Winter Park, and then showed us her fav places on Park Avenue. 

Sorry - photo taken with cell phone!

 Thanks Jenny! You're the best friend a girl could ask for!

P.S. To all my other O-town girls - I'm sorry I didn't plan to meet up with you in advance. We were literally in town for less than 12 hours. Next time - I promise!!!! :)

Clements Family Reunion

View of the house from the beach

All the cousins hanging together

We were very blessed this summer when my parents rented a house on Ponte Vedra Beach (just outside St. Augustine, FL) for our family and my brother's family to come and stay for a week.

Joel and Parker

Payton and Joe

 The cousins had such an amazing time together. They really bonded, which was so special to see. We all had so much fun watching them play on the beach and then run around and play in the house together.

View from the back balcony

 Outside, the patio had spectacular views of the ocean. And as you can see from the picture, it was just a few steps for us to go from the house to the beach. Perfect for 5 kids ages 6 and under!

Rough life...

It was a week full of boogie-boarding, corn-hole playing, cuddling, laughing, puzzle-making, exploring, relaxing, and bonding. 
Here's a little slide show that gives you a little taste of some of the fun we had. If I can steal some of my sis-in-laws awesome group photos I'll post those separately. I don't have a lot of group shots of all the kiddos on my camera. Thanks so much Mom and Dad! Memories for a lifetime!

4th of July decor

You all know I love a reason to decorate for a holiday. Here's some fun decor around our house these days...

Gotta love this... got it in the Target dollar bin!

 

 Add some sparkle and stars...and some shells from our vacation in Ponte Vedra Beach (don't tell Payton, those flags are anchored by Skittles!)...

And of course I had to hang up Payton's artwork from his "America" end of the year program at school...

All we need are fireworks and we're all ready to celebrate America on the 4th! What are your plans for the big weekend?

Brothers? I think so...

Can you see the similarity?

      Payton, 3 months old                                          Parker, 3 months old

Weekending

We just enjoyed a very laid back weekend filled with...

A community concert

Pizza

Naps

Night swimming at the neighbors

BBQing

Baby smiles

Baby giggles

Payton making his 1st hamburger

More BBQing

Jimmy Buffet on the i-pod

Anticipating our beach trip next week!

Take a look...

 

Hope you had a great weekend too!

Heckman Family Vacation

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Bradenton with lots of Heckman relatives in part to celebrate Brian's parents' 40th wedding anniversary. Brian's brother, sister-in-law and their two kids, Zak and Alex all flew in for the weekend, as well as Brian's two aunts and one of his cousins from Illinois and Minnesota. 

   
Parker got to experience the beach for the first time while we were there. The first beach we went to was Bradenton beach and he got to stick his toes in the water and breath in the warm salt air. Apparently the beach is very nap-inducing!
Parker slept most of the time while we were there.

Of course a trip to the beach wouldn't be complete without someone getting buried in the sand. Brian's brother, Dave was a very good sport and allowed the boys to completely bury him up to his head! The kids thought it was hysterical... it made me want to crawl out of my skin. I love the beach, but being covered in sand isn't really my thing. 
The boys also spent lots of time collecting shells... and crabs. They decided their sandcastle made a great home for the crabs (I'm not so sure the crabs agreed). And they made sure they were very well hydrated while they were there by dumping large buckets of water on top of them. Fortunately for the crabs, they did release them back into the ocean before we left. The shells on the other hand came home with us and were turned in to quite a money-making idea (more on that below).
 

The day after the beach, Brian's dad took everyone to a Rays game, where the kids all got "Super Sam" capes. As you can see, they proudly wore them the rest of the day. The kids got very creative with the shells they had collected at the beach and opened up the "Sunny Shell Seashell Shop" where they sold the seashells to all the relatives. Fortunately for them, all the adults thought the idea was so cute, we couldn't help offering up some spare change to purchase the shells.

The kids had such an amazing time together and we are so appreciative of all the work that went into making it such a fun weekend for everyone. And of course, Happy 40th Mom & Dad! You are a wonderful example of a healthy, beautiful marriage. Congratulations!