Our Symbol!

Band memories anyone? As you know, Em plays the bassoon. Not really a marching instrument. So this year, when the 7th and 8th grade band marched in the Starkville Christmas Parade she needed an instrument. What did she get? The symbols. WOW! Those things are seriously loud. I am not kidding, take my word for it!

She had a blast playing and marching. Although it was about 30 degrees outside, Em had three shirts, two pairs of pants, wool socks, hand warmers, gloves, and a body warmer (new thing I found in the hunting aisle -- gotta love Starkville) she was on fire. Those symbols are heavy and they were really moving out there.

Think back to your band days and enjoy!

Good to the last drop!

Now this is what it means to really get into your food! Isaac has these puffs that he absolutely loves. They are the vegetable ones made by Gerber. They smell terrible, but Isaac thinks they are great. They are his special treat and when they are gone, he likes to eat the can clean. He wants to make sure he doesn't miss any. Love that kid!

Merry Christmas From the Fantastic Four!

Are they cute or what? Emoree - 12, Bryton - 10, Shae - 6, and Isaac 20 months. I don't think I could love them more if I tried! Hugs to all of you out there. Gotta love those Christmas sweaters!

A Night in Bethlehem

Last year we attended "A Night in Bethlehem" presented by the Cross Point Church in our town. We had such a great time we decided to go again this year. Although the atmosphere was a bit different, we had an amazing experience. The children sat, eyes wide as Joseph and Mary told them their story. The shepards took us to see the holy family as they shared "the great story" with us.

Following this, we headed over to Timbercove and watched the luminaries in glow as the entire subdivision was alive with lights. We sang Christmas carols featuring the Savior and had a neat family experience. Isaac even chimed in with his sweet voice. It was wonderful!

I just love this time of year. Hope all of you are enjoying the sweet spirit of this season in your own ways.

He's Coming....

Two weeks from today we will be on the road to OHIO for Thanksgiving. We just received approval to take Isaac out of state and we are VERY excited for you to meet him. So get ready for that terror on wheels........... he is coming to a town near you!

Can't wait to see you for Thanksgiving everyone!
The Crew

Football Buddies

Bryton and I are in love with college football. Although we don't have a tv, we follow the games in the paper, via Sports Illustrated, and at the stadium when we can get tickets. This photo is a pic of Bryton and I at the MSU v. Jackson State game. We won the game and had a great time getting wet. I made one crucial mistake. Blue ponchos -- Bryton said, "Mom, blue is for the other team. What were you thinking?" Clearly, I was thinking, "Stay Dry." My priorities are so out of line!

Another Photo

A better picture of the boy! Eric thinks he looked too scared in the first one. Oh, and can you spot the diva on the phone? And, who is hiding behind Isaac?

A Heiselt Family Update

For my monthly post, we have a BIG surprise!

First, an update on the crew.

Eric - Doing well at work, 4 classes left of PhD coursework (WAHOO!), got to travel to DC and was on CSPAN.

April - Was in the news a bunch, got a $355,000 grant, and is working toward tenure!

Emoree- Unfortunately, everything was cancelled this month for Emoree. She was supposed to have her first dance at school, her first YW campout, and her first band concert with the high school. Next month is looking up! She did, however, get a 100% on her Algebra Test as the only 7th grader in an all 8th grade class. YIPPEE!

Bryton- Was a rocket reader this month and is doing great in math. He is making friends and enjoying Scouts.

Shae- Was picked as the Kid of the Month for her class (a very prestigious honor). She is becoming a great reader and is a diva in every sense of the word!

And now.... our newest family member... (at least until December)...

MEET ISAAC!

Isaac is our newest foster child and we are enjoying spending time with him. His file goes up for review in December and we will know more then. We are just so happy to have his sweet spirit in our home. Bryton is so happy to have a little mini-me (as is Eric)!

Love you all!
April

p.s. Esther had a grand mal (sp?) seizure and is spending next week at the children's hospital in Memphis. Please keep her in your prayers.

I'm Sorry... and Thank You!

I start this blog by apologizing and then thanking everyone. First, the apology. We had a GREAT trip to Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, and Indiana. Everyone was awesome and the kids has a blast. I created this great blog entry with tons of photos, sparkling comments, etc. Then, our computer crashed (after 40 minutes of working on my project mind you). So, none of you get to see the great photos or sparkling comments because when am I going to find 40 minutes again? Rats! I do plan for more photos, but it might be in another venue (our home computer is too slow!).

Now the big THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who put us up, allowed us to stay, fed us, and in general were just...swell. I love knowing that Kent does exist, that Eva is as super cute as she is in photos, that there actually are 10 Rodriguez kids, that I love my sisters-in-law as much as I knew I did, that Grandma H. is a mean bike rider, that the Jiffy factory is in Michigan (can't wait to go again Mel), that I had the chance to be an Aunt and join my nephew and daughter in the temple, that I got to celebrate a 12th birthday with my other nephew, that I got to play outside, enjoy cool weather (and I mean cool -- did I mention it gets hot in Mississippi?), that my sister and brother in-law are awesome guitar hero players, that my friend from college is now a great friend out of college, that Laurissa is as sweet in person as she is in photos, that Lexi is so tall, that Shane is super smart and is willing to share his talents with others, and the list goes on and on.

Other things I learned on my trip: I do not need to return to certain parts of Indiana in the near future, that I need to teach Emoree more geography, that I love GOOG411 (thanks Mel), Grandma H. makes a great chicken tetrazzini, and turkey burgers, that my nieces and nephews rock.

Thanks again and I can't wait to do it next year. Perhaps next year...Virginia...or New York!! :)

The Piano Recital

This year's piano recital featured Emoree AND Bryton. I only caught Bryton's piece on tape (Dad got Emoree's on the video recorder) but they both did a spectacular job.

In fact, their piano teacher said that they both made a tremendous amount of progress this year and that she was very proud of them. Next year, Shae joins piano lessons...hang onto your hats!

Another Hole in Her Head (two actually...)

Emoree turned the big "12" last week (she asked for 12 roses on her cake). That means Young Women's and at our house, most importantly... permission to get your ears pierced. So, two days after the big birthday we headed over to Claire's...

Emoree was pretty calm before the lady started marking her ears. You can see that her face was a tad bit nervous...

But she toughed it out (I think she squeezed the grips off the chair) and now she has two more holes in her head. Yet, these have diamonds in them. For the next 6 weeks she has to keep these in and take care of them. After that, she can wear post earrings for a year and then if all goes well (both her Mom and her Grandma have metal allergies) she can wear whatever she wants.

Happy Birthday big girl!!

Our Patriotic Drink

We had a BBQ with family and friends to celebrate the 4th of July. Our contributions to the event included a Patriotic drink (see below for drinks used). The colors do not bleed into each other so people at the party were walking around with red, white, and blue drinks. It turned out great. Let us know if you want the details. Our other contribution were fruit sparklers. The little kids loved these and the adults loved that they were (somewhat) healthy!

Bryton Goes to MSU Football Camp

Bryton went to MSU Football Camp last month. He had a great time acting as a real "Bulldog." He had the opportunity to work with the MSU Football Coaching staff (got a photo with Coach Dan Mullen even), had lunch in the locker room (sounded pretty gross to me, but he LOVED it), and at the end of camp he rode the MSU bus...

The boys got off the bus and the parents were on the sidelines cheering for their boys. The boys then came into the MSU Football Stadium and they were each announced over the loud speaker as they ran down the field to high-five Coach Mullen. It was worth every penny!

Our bulldog on the 50 yard line. GO DAWGS! Hang onto this picture folks, it might be worth something someday!

Hair Cut!

Shae has been begging to get her hair cut all summer long. Finally, we gave in...
She now has several new nicknames, including Strawberry Shortcake, Dorothy Hammill, Madeline, "Bob," and more. We love it and she does too!

The 2009 Peep Show

Yes fans. It has reached that special time again. Time to vote for the best entry in the 2nd Annual Peep Show! My brother and sister-in-law invited everyone to particpate and this year Emoree, Bryton, and Shae have been the masters of the show deciding what they wanted to do, and how they wanted to do it. Can you guess which entry was done by which child? While the kids would love for you to vote for their entry, vote for whatever peep piece inspires you and have fun. Go to http://liz.heiselt.org/blog/ to vote. Have a great time!

5 Friend Giveaway

This game involves a few of my favorite things: handmade goods, creativity, and gift-giving. Here are the tagging instructions: The first five people to respond to this post by leaving a comment, will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!2- What I create will be just for you.3- It’ll be done this year (as in sometime in 2009). 4- You have no clue what it’s going to be. It may be a story. It may be a picture. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure! 5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer a giveaway to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

I hope that I have at least 5 friends that will do this!

We Are a Happy Family

They each have such beautiful smiles, don't they? What a photogenic group! Even in their pajamas.

I+ Rating!

Emoree had an opportunity to perform in an amazing band competition. She had to give a special bassoon solo in front of the MSU bassoon professor. Emoree received the highest rating you could receive (a I+) and even won a medal. We were all very proud of her! She is making plans for 7th grade band in the fall. All you former band members or band wanna be's make sure to share your stories with her!

Around the World in 80 Days

Emoree had to do a project for her english class. She was required to do a presentation on a book she read. She chose "Around the World in 80 Days" by Jules Verne. With her parents help she created this cake complete with cities to which the balloon traveled! She received a perfect score! A+! She then shared her project with the class. They thought it was delicious!

Esther's Skills

Our big girl is really starting to grow her personality. Watch her laugh and smile! We just can't get enough.

Three Months

Can you believe it has been three months already? Here is a picture of our darling little gal. She is now talking, laughing, smiling, and telling us all about life. We couldn't love her more if we tried. As for an update, send me an email or give me a call and I will fill you in on my recent conversation with the judge. . .

In the Pink

Shae had a battle with the monkey bars at her school yesterday. Unfortunately, the monkey bars won and Shae ended up with a greenstick fracture of her radius bone. She will have to wear her cast for the next 3-4 weeks. Luckily, the doctor said she would heal quickly. Luckily for us, I bought the gortex cast and it can get wet. Please send all well wishes via the blog. She would love to hear from you (phone calls, treats, checks, and cash are also accepted).

Esther Unplugged

Esther found one of her toys utterly hysterical this morning. Just had to get a picture of that face! Here she is . . . in mid-laugh!

Diaper Cake and a Shower

The sisters in my ward threw me a Baby Shower for Esther. It was great. Esther received tons of diapers, wipes, clothes, and even a diaper cake. That was Shae's favorite (I loved it too)!

Fairy Tale Ball

The Kindergarten classes at Shae's school celebrated the Fairy Tale Ball last week. All of the kindergarten children came dressed to the nines and prepared to dance! Yes, they were all taught how to do ballroom dancing and were told that they must dance with everyone. Shae thought this somewhat antiquated, but determined that princesses must dance with everyone as they are in charge of their kingdoms. What a politician!


Here she is with some of her classmates . . .

The Royal Castle -- all decked out!

Note: On the way into school that morning Shae noticed lots of girls in their princess costumes (i.e. Halloween costumes of Snow White, Cinderella, etc.). Shae took one look at them and looked at Dad and said, "I look so much better than they do." Our daughter, the fairest of them all. And most humble too!

HOORAY!

Esther says, "Hooray! Thanks Aunt Missy for the cute clothes!" She wants you all to know she will be modeling them soon. Stay tuned . . .

The Mighty Hunter

Thanks to our awesome friend Van, Bryton had a chance to go duck hunting. He and Van caught two wood ducks (they are beautiful). Bryton learned how to stay low, how to keep an excited hunting dog calm and the joys of the hunt. Gotta love it!

He got one! (Technically Van shot it as Bryton does not have a hunting license)

As a Vet Student, Van is always willing to teach Bryton about the innards of animals and how to do the proper "dissection." I find this both gross and fascinating (as does my son).

Here's Bryton, after he plucked the duck and is getting ready to cut the meat. He and Van will share some duck steaks in the days to come. Thanks Van! You rock!

A Happy Morning

Sometimes mornings are just like this aren't they? Especially when you have eggs for breakfast. YUM! The kids were amazed by how these eggs just jumped out of their shells. Thought you had to see for yourself! Happy mornings to you all.

An "E" Update

Our little Esther is 6 weeks old. Can you believe it? To be so little and to have a life like a soap opera. Although I cannot get into all of the details . . . it turns out that the judge has ordered that she can stay with us for six months. There are many other details which makes her case more interesting, so call us if you want to know. Otherwise, just know that Esther will be with us for six months (it looks like we will not be having visits with birth mom, but that could change) and we now have a father in the mix (or at least he thinks he is the father . . .). My Mom said I should write a book about this one. I am seriously considering it. Maybe that will help me get tenure. . .

Thanks again for all your prayers. Please keep them coming!!