Time, and a Whole Lotta Space- Journey to Alaska

It's hard to believe it's already been 2 weeks since we pulled up anchor and set sail west, to lands we've never seen. Admittedly it was a little rough starting, what with camping at a truck stop as our maiden camping voyage. Nothing says home quite like sleeping in the back of your truck outside of a highway truck stop, where neighbors are as diverse as they come-tractor trailers, motor homes, cars and even a motorcyclists tenting it up. On a positive not, I've never had a home security system like pressing the lock button on the keyfob. Yeah, we fancy.

But the trip didn't stop because of that minor detail. In fact, it only got better. We'd quickly find out that the scenic views outweighed the time consuming nightly unpacking and then morning packing back up of the truck. By now we've developed quite the routine- we get to a campsite, Matt unloads the truck while I keep Henry wrangled, I either make dinner or we've already eaten, we hang til bedtime, we all climb in the bed of the truck and go to sleep...around midnight, when the sun is finally setting. Thank you time change and never setting sun. In the morning, we wake up, I start coffee and breakfast, Matt loads the truck up while Henry runs around, we eat and then head out for the day. We do all of this rain or shine, every time we camp, which has been for about 2-3 night stretches, and then we stay at a hotel for a night to shower and get a good night's sleep. We've gotten a little system down, and it seems to be working.

As I sit and ponder all the amazing sites and scenery we've seen in the last 2 weeks, I can't help but feel grateful. We could've flown like I petitioned to do early on, we could've taken the quick(er) route like Siri wanted us to do, but we chose to follow the road less traveled, longer traveled. And so far, I'm so glad we did. Sometimes things worth doing take more time and effort, but in the end they are just that-worth it. Here's a quick recap of our journey thus far-

CO Springs-we survived the drive up Pikes and hung while our brains screamed for oxygen. Fun, right?! We witnessed real, natural rock formation beauty at the Garden of the Gods, and we walked amongst magnificent aerial views at the Cheyenne Zoo where I'm not sure what was cooler-the animals or the views! Walking around each place, I can remember thinking- "gosh, what can top this beauty?" 

Yellowstone National Park- we saw Old Faithful blow, the bubbling of the Artist Paint Pots, and the beautiful colors that nature so effortlessly provides at the Grand Prismatic Springs. We saw wildlife galore at Mammoth Springs and the drive to Two Towers- buffalo, elk, black bears, mtn goats, and a moose. And again I thought, "wow! This is beyond beautiful, but will anything top this?"

Glacier National Park- Mountain scenery larger than life. Some rough, some jagged, some smooth, and some snow topped. We hiked to St. Mary's and Virginia Falls where we witness water so clear and turquoise it'll make you touch it to ensure its real. And it is-real! Again I thought, "this is too beautiful to be true; what will ever top this?"

We crossed the border into Canada and I got sorta discouraged. The town was small, and didn't offer much, but the Rocky's greeted us from behind, encouraging us of what's to come. 

Banff National Park, AB, Canada- 

Johnston Falls- this nice little hike led us on a catwalk, along a tall mountain, over a creek, and to a few waterfalls. The main fall boasts turquoise/teal water that is clear enough to see the bottom! Our first taste of that iconic glacial water. And you can walk into a cave to see the fall up close. The walk and the falls were so beautiful and I wondered, "what can top this?"

Moraine Lake- hello you beautiful wonder of the world. How water can be that turquoise blue with mountains THAT tall standing tall and proud behind is beyond my imagination. Or my wildest dreams. I stood there atop the Rockpile we scaled in half the normal time in anticipation of the view up higher, and thought, "I've seen beauty, so much, but what now will top this? Surely nothing."

Lake Louise- a quick pit stop to the iconic boat dock at Lake Louise had me feeling all the pretty water and mountain-scape feels. It was breathtakingly gorgeous. If there was less people, less canoes, and a cup of coffee in my hand, I'm certain it would've been perfection. Right then, right there. And in that pondering moment I thought, "beauty this amazing is too good to be true; surely I've seen all the beauty the world has to offer..."

And then Peyto Lake happened.

This was a half thought stop. We didn't plan it, and Lord knows we really needed to keep driving since Henry was grouchy as all get out, but a quick stop soon turned into an unexpected adventure. The designated tourist overlook is crowded with people and oh so hard to get a good look at the magnificent unreal looking neon blue water. I'd heard there was a secret trail for a private viewing, but it proved a little harder than first thought to find. But boy does persistence pay off. We hiked that little path less traveled and in doing that, the world revealed to us beauty beyond belief, beyond comprehension. Peyto Lake. And I stood on that pile of boulders, high above that beautiful neon blue water and thought, "this. All this. This is what dreams are made of. This is true beauty."

Skirting the Rocky's. Magnificent. Towering. Commanding. Beauty on a totally different scale. They're incomparable. There's simply nothing like it. 

And though I still wonder if anything will top any of this, or even come close, I have the satisfying feeling that I can no longer compare-beauty is beauty, and that's all there is to it. It must be felt in the moment, and remembered for a life time. But if I had to choose a favorite, Peyto would be it. :) 

We've got a bit more time on the road until we reach our next home, but I feel full, satisfied, that if that's all we see, I'm ok with it. This trip has turned into the journey of a lifetime. One that we have the Army to thank for, and my incredibly (mostly) patient husband, who understands that all we need is time, and a whole lotta space to do it right. 

The feeling of home follows us. We're teaching Henry that home is a 4 letter word, not 4 walls. We can find home and take it with us wherever we go. 

Henry turns Two!

Wow; where did the time go?! Just yesterday I was holding my baby 1 year old, and today he's TWO! Little is the same as it was a year ago, or even just a week ago. His learning curve is so steep at this point, that everyday brings something new. It never gets old seeing him "get something", like the lightbulb going off. And it's even more awesome when it's something that I've been working on teaching him; he catches on quickly!

His big birthday present was a red Ford F 150 Raptor Power Wheels. Yep, he officially has a truck nicer than Daddy's Big Twuck! We drove 2.5 hours (roundtrip) to pick this thing up, and then assembled it last minute at 10:30 last night so that Henry could wake up and be surprised. Truthfully, I think Matt and I were more excited than Henry was at first. But, he spent all day, mostly with Daddy, with a pillow propped behind his back so he could reach, learning how to shift gears and press on the peddle to go, and let off to stop, which we've still to master. Yep lots of first wrecks today. In time. But, he LOVES it! Not sure how we're gonna top that present next year. Oops.

His current loves- trucks, cars, choo choos, blocks, Blaze and the Monster Machines cartoon, and BooBoo (Bella, the dog), sah ball (soccer ball), fuh bah (foot ball), base bah (baseball, with an emphasis on the s), ass (sun glasses)-that's a FUN one! ha!
Fave foods- chinugs (chicken nuggets), chee (mac n' cheese) yes, I'm THAT mom-judge if you want, spaghetti, peas, fruit cups, and milk with a strawberry straw.
Things he says funny- mas (smell), twuh (truck), uhyou (I love you), bubbo bah (bubble bath), ties (kiss), now calls me 'Mommy', and calls Matt 'Daddy', Mommy too? Daddy too? Booboo too? Baby (Henry) too? when we're going somewhere or doing something. He wants complete participation! :)

His overall communication has really developed over the last month or two. It's amazing how much better he's talking, but also how much more he can understand. We can give his commands and he actually does it the first time. And he's really starting to remember things.

His interactions with people has changed as well. We recently visited family in TN, and IL and each time he saw family he'd give hugs and kisses like he's seen them this whole time. He loves his cousins especially!

He tries to sing the ABC's with us, and counts to 10 (with help), and he knows the theme song to Blaze! He's starting to learn colors-loves blue.

No real interest in the potty yet, but he finally gave up boo (nursing) about a month ago. I thought I was going to be nursing him til college! ;)

He's starting to favor Daddy, and I love watching their little relationship grow stronger.

He goes to Parents as Teachers playgroup still , and loves it! His favorite part is playing with the guitar, the wooden trucks, water table, and the "Freeze Song".

He's started the 'I want {said item}, but now I don't want it, but I actually want it again so I'm gonna throw a fit' game. Ya, that game. Distractions used to help, but now he's just stubborn. I swear he's trying to secure his spot in the 'Only Child Club'!

If the last two years feel like a blur, I can't even imagine how fast time is going to start flying! We're constantly told by strangers to enjoy him while he's little because we'll miss him when he's grown. I take extra special care to give him all the kisses and hugs I can everyday so I won't take these "Terrible Two's" for granted. This boy is a bundle of energy. Most days have me wondering what life would've been like had we chosen the child-free life, but I'm quickly snapped back into reality when I'm awoken with smiles and kisses from the sweetest boy I know. And immediately I know that I am right where I should be.

Happy Birthday to the BEST 2 year old I know! Momma loves you so, and Daddy too! :)

1st trip to the beach! (SC)

Aunt Scarlett's wedding!

Driving his new wheels!

Heisel Rules!

Henry is 21 months!

Well that went by fast! Gosh. It's becoming more evident as of late just how much of a big boy, and how much less of a baby he is becoming! He's practically half the size of me now. I hold him in my arms, and his legs dangle down to my knees! I usually get comments like, "He looks so tall for only 20 months!" Truthfully I think it's just because I look like the height of a 12 year old next to him. ;)

He LOVES cars. And trucks. And tractors. And trains. Ok, well, pretty much anything that has wheels/moves he's into it!

He also loves horses. We have a neighbor/friends who have a horse at the stables on post, and Henry loves to go visit the horsies and Mr. Ris (Chris) and Mrs. Eesh (Angelic). He used to just look at the horses, but now he's getting brave and he'll touch them.

He loves to be outside. Anywhere outside, but particularly the swings currently. The mosquitoes are so bad right now, though, so our outside is sometimes limited.

He still loves balls. He'll say bassse ball sometimes, but not on the spot. ha! We're working on his 2 word sentences. He'll say "thank you" on command, he even says, "Pwease" without being asked. I'm trying to drill those manners into his sweet face! He can also say his name "Whee" for Henry and "Hise" for Heisel. And if you ask him who your best friend is he'll say, "Whee" (Henry). SO cute.

He'll say "ahyouw" for I love you. It's precious though. He knows to repeat it after you. Melts my heart into a puddle. The best is when he says it out of the blue-without anyone having said it to him. *sigh* he's learning love. And he still blows kisses, although he's becoming stingy with those! He knows how to pop his kisses now. Cutest thing ever. ALthough, he mostly open mouth kisses still. I taught him how to shake hands and kiss the top of girls' hands. It's darling.

He is way more active than ever! Whew. He's all the place and into everything.

My favorite times with him is in the morning. That's when he's the sweetest. We come downstairs and he will self play with cars on the rug in the living room. I can just see his little imagination running wild! Of course he makes the car noises and such, but sometimes, he's just laying there, car in hand and running it back and forth on the ground. I just wonder when he's thinking about.

He LOVES to swim. Loves everything about the water.

We celebrated the 4th of July by watching fireworks here on post, and Henry was surprisingly scared of them and he actually fell asleep on my chest while we watched them. :( Maybe next year will be better.

He's obsessed with the mailbox.

He likes picking up "bees" aka ants, flies, and other random bugs.

He's a happy dude.

Heisel Rules!

Father's Day 2015

I grew up basically without a father. A motorcycle accident claimed his life when I was just 9. Sometimes I find myself thinking about all the things I missed out on- dude things, ya know, but mostly I think about how blessed my son is to have a father who is active and present in his life. And that makes me so thankful.

I get so much joy from watching Matt and Henry play guitar, or playing cars on the floor, or when Matt gives Henry a bath, or reads the bedtime story. I've recently even heard Matt humming and singing Henry a lullaby. It's the sweetest. As a mother, there's nothing like knowing your son is being cared for. And heaven forbid anything should ever happen to me, I know Henry will be in good hands. 

I know it's Matt's role to do fatherly things with Henry, but it goes way beyond that with Matt's willingness to be involved. Whether it's knowing the words to "Frozen" (which we've heard a million times on the iPad in the car) or being able to tell when Henry needs a diaper change; Matt is always eager to lend a helping hand. He works so hard to provide for our little family, making is possible for me to stay home with our sweet boy. That's the mark of a true father, a loving father. 

And even though Henry may still be too young to understand the significance of today, you can see it everyday-in his smile, his laugh, his excited exclamations of "DADA!!", and his "uhyou" (I love you) in his little high pitched voice. Everyday is Father's Day is his little eyes. I've heard that you are good company when people are happy to see you come and sad to see you leave. I can say that Matt meets both of those qualities to his son.

Happy Father's Day, Matt. You are so loved. 

This is the first moment they met, when Matt was officially made a father.

My all-time favorite photo of the 2 of them. Matt was 12 hours a father.

This used to be a lunchtime ritual for the two of them. 

Henry loving on dada this morning.

There's no doubt in my mind this little dude loves you…a LOT!

A special Happy Father's Day to my Mom, who did the very best she could to try to teach us that bugs aren't yucky (uh-didn't work), how to change a tire (and we did this successfully), how to check the oil in a car, and to be independent. 

Heisel Rules!

PS thinking about you today, Andy, and reminded of all the love you passed down to your son. We miss you everyday.

Leather Anniversary

I don't usually follow traditional anniversary giftgiving that coordinates with the year, but out of curiosity I looked up this year, our 3rd Anniversary, and found that this is the year of leather. Coincidentally I had bought Matt a new leather wallet on my last trip to Nashville just a few weeks back. But, this prompted me to think about the similarities between leather and a marriage...

Leather, noun- a natural material designed to be preserved against decay.

Leather is tough, but must be cared for properly.
Leather must be cared for continually.
Leather can withstand weather.
Leather is strong, but not unbreakable.
Leather gets even more beautiful with age- wrinkles, scratches, and stray marks telling its story.

In each of those, you can replace 'leather' with 'marriage', and they all still apply. With proper treatment and care, whether it's a piece of leather or a the strongest of marriages, it'll stand the test of time. But it's imperative to take care of each. We call this- 'making deposits in the love bank'. I once read that true love is putting your partner's feelings before yours, and if you're both doing this, love should be given back equally. I love that. I want us to not forget to take care of the other.

Matt,
It's been three years already; can you believe it? We've had so many life events already that have made us stronger and some have tested our strength and have brought us even closer- our son is my favorite! I love your role as a father, and seeing you interact with our son brings so much joy to my heart.

I wish for us that our marriage continues to be "as strong as leather", and to do so we need to be sure to "preserve it" with care and love, remembering to continue to make deposits into each other's love bank. And I certainly hope for us that one day our wrinkles tell of our love story, and that when we count them-we see challenges that made us stronger, but mostly we see the love that keeps us together…through the good times and bad, for better or worse.

And just like leather, I hope our marriage keeps getting more beautiful with age.

Happy Anniversary, Babe! I love you.

Heisel Rules!

Mother's Day 2015

Today I'm thinking about all the mothers in my life, and the 19 months that I've been a mom. I look back on my own "coming of motherhood" and the 45 hours I gave bringing my son into this world. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. It's not an easy job, and definitely not for the faint of heart, but GOSH how wonderfully rewarding it is! What did I ever do before Henry came along?

moments after I was given the title of mom :)

our moms adoring Henry right after he was born. :)

I was blessed with a young, loving mother who had ample time in my early years to spend nurturing us.  I was taught love with hugs and kisses. Later she'd have to go back to a 9-5 and work her butt off to provide for us as a single parent, which left little time otherwise. However, she managed to drive us to soccer or basketball every weekend.

And even though she didn't have all the time in the world, she taught us some really important things- be kind to others, have manners (I can recall her repeating- "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all"), and most important of all- take care of each other. She still says that all we have in this world is each other. And even though her love language is giving gifts, each of these life's lessons was shown to us by example…proving that the truest, most precious gifts aren't the ones given, but the ones shown and felt. I think of this when I'm teaching my son manners, respect, and being a loving, kind child.

I didn't "get it" until I had my own son, that deep desire to hold onto every last moment that so swiftly passes. It hurts a bit to see your baby grow. And where I've only had 19 months so far, under my belt (holding up my mom jeans-ha!), I can so relate. It stings. It burns even. The real meaning of heartburn, I'm certain. And I'm sure it'll only hurt worse with time, but it also gets better. Your baby will grow into more of a friend as your relationship continues to evolve. We won't constantly have to correct certain behaviors, or deal with tantrums daily. I look forward to this one day with Henry.

Becoming a mother is a beautiful, wonderful thing that should be celebrated everyday, but wherever you are in your journey through motherhood, find something wonderful about it to celebrate today. And be sure to tell your mom you love her and thank her for giving you life. She needs to hear that.

Happy Mother's Day to all you awesome mommas! And thanks to my baby boy Henry for giving me the best job ever! I love you, son! 

……………………..

 PS here's a little mini session I shot really quickly today. Please excuse the quality- it was dark and stormy out, there was little light in the room at that moment, and I was using a self timer. :)

Heisel Rules!

WW 2.0- Week 3 and a Dessert Recipe

Week 3 DOWN! And down 2 pounds! Whoo! Despite the fact that I've only lost 7 pounds, my clothes are fitting much better! It's hard for me to notice a physical difference, otherwise, because I see myself everyday, but the neighbor mentioned it so I guess it's working! ;)

Last week I forgot to post, but I didn't have any weight loss. I started to feel down about it, but Matt reminded me that there's other measures than just a scale…like better fitting clothes! AND I started being more deliberate about exercising last week so I think I threw my body off for a week. The first time I did WW, I didn't workout, just the occasional yard maintenance, but I didn't have weight loss for about month either. This time is just different. I do realize that there will be weeks where I will lose, and some weeks where I won't, but sticking with it is the only thing that will ensure results!

Just to keep it real- this past week I worked my points so I could eat a piece of cheesecake, drink a light Starbucks drink, and eat my favorite breakfast cereal-Lucky Charms…all without touching my cheat points! It's all about portion control and planning ahead!

To keep it even more real- since I've had Henry, I've developed an affinity for sweets. That's a challenge on WW. Soo…in honor of week 3, I'm sharing a low point recipe for a dessert!

My family used to make a delicious version of this, but the sugar and fat content was a lot more. This version tastes just as good, and practically guilt free! Plus, I like that I can make a smaller batch of these, and they're so easy to whip up!

No Bake Oatmeal Bites

1/4 cup brown sugar (or you can use granulated, but I like the flavor of brown) *You could even use less, as these are plenty sweet.
2 tsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp almond milk
2 Tbsp Crunchy Peanut Butter (I did 1Tbsp Crunchy and 1Tbsp Creamy since Henry will be eating)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Quick Oats (I had to add a little extra to thicken it up a bit)
dash salt

Dir.
Microwave sugar, cocoa powder, and almond milk for 1 minute. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and salt, and stir. Add oats and stir til it's all combined. Using a small scoop, scoop out 12 balls, and place on wax paper. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes, until they're firm. Try not to eat them up before they're firm…they're actually really good warm too!

1 P+ each.

Enjoy…practically guilt free!!

Heisel Rules! {the Kitchen}