Simply Heidi

Bryce looking at the stars!
Bryce at Disney World-3 years
Bryce with his cat “sissy”
Chandler “I did not get in the chocolate”
Bath time fun with Chandler!
Enjoying my first ice cream cone at Sheridan’s!
Benjamin at the beach in Galveston!

Here are some pictures of the kids from this weekend. I will post again later today:

To our good friends Bruce and Ruth: Well we definetly have lots of fun with them. They are smart. Good people to bounce stuff off of. Fun to laugh with. I am grateful to them mostly because when Tony was not feeling so plugged into our church Bruce really reached out to Tony (I guess I tend to feel plugged in any where I go..). I am not sure how or when exactly, but I just remember Tony talking about a guy named Bruce. We started eating out with them occasionally and then got involved with the children’s area, and now we are at church all the time!!!! Not a bad thing. And then I got to know his wife, who l love. We got to know there family, and we love there kids. They are just good people that are down to earth and I like that. They are trustworthy. I enjoy working with them at church. I feel like I could share stuff with them and it wont be spread all over the church or town. Now that is a good friend. Honesty would be a good word for them as well. I think me and his wife would make great COPS! Thank you for being who you are and being so down to earth.
Today, I ate lunch with Bryce. He wanted a garden salad from Burger King. Um…Garden Salad…is that my 8 year old son talking. I wish I had as much enthusiasm about salad that I would want one for school. No mommy wanted a WHOPPER, with fries, and hey give me a choclate shake with that! Oh gosh, I really want to diet, but I LIKE food. Not in excess, but I like food. Anyways, tomorrow Tony’s aunt is heading off. It has been good to get to know her better. The kids really love her. Yesterday I ate at Ana’s house and we did some shopping for our homes. Found some great deals at Target. I am loving my home more and more. I feel so settled in it. I love being here in it.
This AM early we raked leaves and bagged them. Um 6…49 gallon bags…and it looks like we never did anything. Do you realize how much that is….LOTS! So depressing. My wonderful trees that I though I loved so much…were not so lovely anymore. I was threatening to chop them all down…all 20 oak trees on my property. Then the more rational me said no you like them in the summer they are nice shade. The grass is always greener on the other side.

I leave you with yet another picture of me and my hubby. Have I mentioned here that I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. There is a song out by Jack Johnson called Better Together…and we are better together. I just feel like a part of me is missing when he is not around. I know I am so gushy, but I am sorry….. I am in love with my husband(actually I am not sorry). So many marriages are just falling apart and partners are not enjoying being with each other. I just don’t get it. People tell me the “honeymoon stage just had not worn off” or “you have not had any major issues”….are you kidding me… we have had our issues and we are still madly in love, and we have been married for quite some time and we are still madly in love. It wont end. It is a CHOICE people and yes it is that SIMPLE in my book.

Oh man…I am going to complain here for a moment. My current electric bill was $641….YES you read that right. I know there has to be something wrong with our meter. THERE IS NO WAY…I mean no way we used all that. We are careful about lights, and we have been keeping our heat off or really low. Nothing has changed about our appliances…I can not figure it out. I would call the news channel and do a story on it, but dont want myself all over the news, but I think they are RIPPING us off. I thought Tony was joking when he told me, but NO he was not. I will be calling them today. We will see what they say.

Life has been good lately. We had a nice time with Tony’s parents. His aunt is still with us since my son’s basket ball hoop whet through her windshield. So we had to order special glass and it will be here Friday. That is a whole other story… Today I am going to my sister in law’s house to let the kids play and have lunch. Yesterday Stacie came over to show me how to sew a pattern, and to watch Anne of Green Gables. I LOVE THAT MOVIE. My aunt had never seen it and she really enjoyed it. Tony will be gone all weekend to his works annual Success School. I am bummed about that. But it is his job, so that is life. I don’t know, not much else is going on in our life right now. I am just learning more and more to trust God in my circumstances. I mean I always do, but doing it even on a deeper level. IF that makes sense.

I made this Pumkin Roll. It turned out so yummy. I found it on www.sugardaises.net . I will post my picture of it and then you can find the recipe for it on her site. She has some other good recipes there as well.

Here is Matt (tony’s older brother) and Tony eating there cake made by there Mom:

Here is Kaitlyn, she is so cute…love that girl

David playing with Chandler and Fiona…David is Tony’s long time good friend and Fiona is my niece:

My little buddies. They are such good friends, it will be hard for Ben when Chandler goes to school this year. Hopefully he will become good friends with Kaitlyn.

I tell myself this daily that I am way to busy. We have so much going on and we really need a  schedule for ourselves or we are going to be run raggad. This weekend all the family comes in. I have been cleaning my house All day and I had company today. Tonight tony has to stay late at work and print a gazillion badges for church…that was an exageration about the gazillion. Tomorrow I need to drop them off to our friends. I have to have lunch with Bryce at school. That is always crazy to do cause I’m bringing all the kids to do it.

Valentines Day was fun. Tony took the day off to spend with me. And we got so much done that we needed too. Then we went to dinner that night. We made each other Valentines. Of course mine were jokes and funny, and corny. AND his was sweet and pretty.  I love hanging out with him. I love just the two of us. I love you so much honey. I helped out with Bryce’s Valentine Party at school, made the cupcakes, and then we made heart rice crispies for all his friends. I also helped his teacher with stuff in the classroom. He had so much fun and was so proud that I made all that stuff for him. Oh the funniest thing happened. He pointed to me a girl that he likes. Okay so she was REALLY CHUNKY…I mean CHUNKY, so I asked him why he had a crush on her. NOTHING AGAINST CHUNKY PEOPLE> PLEASE DON’T GET OFFENDED. It was just not what I had pictured. So he says he likes her cause she looks like ME!!! I told Tony am I that noticeably overweight. I AM ON A DIET!!!

Okay I am off to watch Deal or NO deal. I love that show. I still want to make a video and send it in to see if I get picked!

Holly:

Another great little sister. You make me laugh so much when i am with you. I love how you are passionate about what you do. You are the best Starbucks Barista EVER and you make the best drinks. I love snuggling you. I like driving with you and mom and watching how upset you get at how HORRIBLE her driving is. I love just sitting with you. I love the fact that you love people. I like watching you and Hope fight.  I love telling “yo mamma jokes” with you. I love how caring you are. You are steady..unchanging..in your beliefs, and life. I love to go get Pedicures with you when you visit. I am so proud that you are going to be graduating soon from college. What an accomplishment. I love you and Hope so much.

That is all the deep thought I can handle for today. I am busy getting ready for Tony’s parents and his Auntie Fran. The boys are so excited that she will be staying with us. They really like her alot. We are having an early birthday party for Tony this Sat and for his brother Matt. We are having a couple meals here at our house. So I am trying to get all cleaned up. Get all caught up on laundry. Trying not to be so hard on my self for not having it all done sooner than today. Kaitlyn’s second tooth is coming in. Oh geepers, nursing is no longer one of the times I am enjoying lately. She has been fussy pants today as well. My arms are tired from carrying her around while doing my cleaning. Today I was really wishing I lived in Mo for the only reason I wish that she could be close to my friend Ruth’s baby girl Grace. I know they would be little best friends. So anyways, I have got to get back to cleaning me and Tony are going on a HOT date tonight. I love going out with him. He is my all time favorite person to be around.

I wanted to write about the people that are important to me or that have impacted me in some way. These are in no specific order, If you take offense to anything that I say…get over it…I am going to be doing this the next few days, so if you don’t see yourself on here today then look tomorrow. AND if I don’t write about you just know i love you dearly. And then tell me how offended you are and then I will send you my Pastor’s sermon “A pebble in my shoe”!

Jesus:
You alone are my joy, peace, and satisfaction. You died for me. You have carried me through some of the hardest times in my life. YOU stood by me even when I did not want you. You remind me daily how much you love me. You have given to me and my family beyond our dreams or expectations. And it is totally undeserved. You have done so much for me. And I want to do so much for you. You fill me up daily so that I can make it through the day. You choose me to care for 4 beautiful kids. What a responsibility, and although I am far from a perfect mom, I strive to please you and raise up Godly kids. You give me wisdom when I ask. You make my head to rest when I am tired or weary. You fill my heart with peace when it feels confused or overwhelmed. You have give me friends that I am so blessed to have. You have given me a husband that loves me so much. You have taken some of my deepest hurts and turned them into some of my greatest joys. You showed me what true love is. You have taught me to laugh. You have been my dad and showed me what a father is.

My grandma and grandpa Pyle:
Although, they are no longer here with me and I really do miss them a lot, they taught me so much. They taught me you can be happy with not much at all. To live simple is better. To be happy right where you are. My grandpa taught me to love always cause you don’t know what this life holds. Me and Bryce would go pick him up every other week or so and take him to lunch and then to pay water bill. We would always eat at Long John Silvers…YUCK…but he liked it. He always encouraged me to keep trucking along when I was a single mom. When we lived overseas he wrote to me almost every week. I still have his letters. I read them the other day, and he was always so positive. I strive to be more like them.

My Mom and Dad:
They have both taught me a lot. I will start with my mom, she is such a rock. When storms come, she keeps on going straight through them she does not try to take a different route she just goes. Why cause she knows that Jesus will be the one to carry her through. She has taught me to always look for the positive in people no matter how much they annoy you or hurt you. To always stay calm with my kids. That money is not everything in life. She has taught me to get on my knees and pray for my family and to stay on those knees when going through something. She taught me that I will always be the one to pray the hardest for my kids because I am the mom. Too keep a clean house. To love my husband no matter what and to encourage him daily. To always wait on buying something cause you might find it at a better price. To always give of my self. To laugh. Have a good time. Too keep my mouth shut when it needs to be shut. AND mostly to love Jesus.

Now for my dad, he has taught me to laugh and enjoy life. Not take myself too seriously and to laugh at myself. He taught me how to stay focused and be passionate about what I am doing. He taught me to love any human being no matter what class or where the live. That I can be anything that I want to be. He has taught me about forgiveness. Jokes are good medicine for your soul. He has taught me that life is short…so we need to make the best use of our time here on earth. Growing up he prayed with us almost every night and we now do that with our kids EVERY NIGHT. Our kids will not go to sleep if we don’t. That when I want my kids quiet I say L.L.P and if I want them to laugh I pull out “Snuggles and Wuzzles”.

Although you are not together anymore, and I am still deeply saddened by that, I have learned from both your strengths and weakness and I hope to learn from both. Through your circumstance Jesus has showed me that life is full of choices and he will not force anyone to love him or follow his rules.

Ruth Vergara…now Ruth Trehal:
So I have know Ruth since I was in at least 8th grade. We dormed together in college. And although we live so far apart now I still consider her one of my closest friends. When I have walked through some of my hardest times she stood there beside me and was such a good friend. I have wonderful memories of skipping chapel at Evangel to go to Dunkin Donuts and then some late night workouts and then off to Andy’s Frozen Custard. So much for the workout. Lots of fun ski trips, and road trips to Boston and Chicago and Texas. Lots of wonderful laughs. Fun times being next door neighbors on the scariest side of town in MO. Trying to be her maid of honor 8 months pregnant. It is okay that I looked like a whale in your wedding. NOW we both have girls that are only days apart. I wish she could move to Texas. We don’t get to see each other that much except when I go home, but it is like we just can pick up where we left off.

TONY:
Oh gosh, I don’t even know where to begin…you are so amazing. And I just love you so much. I am so thankful to Jesus that you are in my life. You are all that I ever wanted. You are a wonderful Husband, Father, and Friend. Gosh I would make my readers get queezy if I told them how much I loved you so I will just tell you when you get home tonight.

HOPEY:
You are the best little sister a girl could have. Even though you are like 6 inches taller than me I am still older and wiser. You have taught me to laugh. That when I fail to get back up and keep on truckin. The importance of friendship. That sleeping under an electric blanket is so cozy and warm. That sleeping in feels so good to do…every once in awhile. That I better smell good when you see me cause you like to smell my hair. The best gifts come in small packages. I love how Jesus is your religion. YOU ROCK. I love your love for people. We would do great on a deserted island together. My jokes are as corny as yours. You are one of the best aunts ever. Thank you for loving each one my kids individually and taking the time to help out with them when I come home. I really appreciate everything about you Hope Cherie. You are going to make one of the best nurses ever. You love people so much and that I think is such a great quality to have.

Yesterday I took the kids to the thrift store to buy Bryce some western stuff for his school play last night. As soon as we walked in Benjamin says “I don’t like this place” I say “It is okay Ben we wont be in here long” We get our stuff and proceed to the check out line. Apparently he had been digging in my purse and had just put my lipstick on all over his lips and then had taken 2 rubber bands. So I am paying the lady and out of the corner of my eye I see this thing come flying across the air and then the cashier says “OUCH”….Yes my almost 3 year old shot the cashier with a rubber band. After he shot her he said, “I got her Chandler” Thankfully it was just on the shoulder that she got hit. I was so embarrassed. And then Benjamin proceeds to grab another one. I got it before he shot it, and he told the cashier “I don’t like this place”…..oh goodness…..I was really trying hard not to laugh, cause it was not nice…but it really was pretty funny! They are such boys…they love rubber bands, frogs, dirt, peeing in bushes, wrestling, eating with there hands, seeing who can burp the loudest, seeing who can spit the furthest…. why is it that boys like this kind of stuff?