Thankful Monday

. . . Lily having an early morning PJ's playdate with Brenna and Rylan Hallam this week.

. . . My violin student deciding that he wants to practice more everyday, on his own.

. . . Visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Heimbuck.

. . . Traveling mercies for my mother and sister.

Thankful Monday

. . . friends at church that I can really talk to.

. . . moments that my mother can have with Lily and the fact that Lily keeps asking for "Poppa", my father, even though he had to go home (in CA :)).

. . . trying to fall to sleep at night while holding hands with my husband, the dog asleep on my leg, Lily asleep in her bed and thinking I am the most blessed woman to be surrounded by so much love.

. . . the honor of being able to be a part of friends joys and tragedies this week.

. . . the opportunity to teach my violin student and seeing how much talent he has.

. . . eating yogurt and waffles in the morning with Lily in my lap.

. . . Lily's sense of style and that she's starting to catch on to making choices.

. . . the fact that my husband got up extra early this morning, to make a meal for another family in need. I love and admire that his tender heart continues to grow vertically and horizontally.

. . . receiving my first kiss on the cheek from Lily. I don't know if she will ever know what that means to me, or the continual smile it causes me to have in my heart. The love of a child is such a gift.

Two Months of Catching Up

OK, so I am way behind with our blog, hopefully this will catch you up a bit.

VALENTINE'S DAY
FEBRUARY 14, 2009

Daddy took Lily to pick out her own balloon, which she would not let go of until she went down for her nap. The crown you see was decorated in stickers by Lily after receiving it in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa.

Greg and I went out for a sushi dinner and then listened to jazz downtown at Poor Richard's Bookstore while sharing a dessert and a glass of wine. So lovely!

JANUARY

Lily finished her Physical Therapy. Here are some pictures from her last session with Miss Hilary. We were all a bit sad to see this time end because it was so much fun!

January was a bit bittersweet this year. It was wonderful to find out that Greg and I were expecting Baby Bob (that's what we nicknamed him), but so hard when we miscarried. Greg and Lily and I are so grateful to our church community for providing meals, childcare and even helping with the laundry while Greg and I mourned the loss of our little one and tried to get my body to heal and rest.

DECEMBER 2008
A PARTY AND CHRISTMAS WITH MAMO AND POPPA!

An early Christmas with Aunt Kristy, Cousin Logan and Uncle Erik!

CHRISTMAS IN FRESNO, CALIFORNIA

While visiting we were also able to visit The Meux Home and take a holiday tour. I was also given the opportunity to play the song I had written for Lily's Dedication for services at my parent's church.

Visiting Greg's Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Time and Cousin Jodie in Simi Valley, CA. We had a great time catching up with family.

My Cousin Sara, Aunt Terry and Uncle Richard came down to visit. I had not seen them in more than ten years! It was a fun visit.



It was so much fun to catch up with old friends. Julie Calahan, which I have known since Elementary School, Noelle Cahill who I have known since Junior High and our good friend Carmen.

A Tree and a Haircut

This morning Lily received a wonderful haircut by our friend Joanne Huddleson. She was so good with Lily that she made Cool Cuts seem like amateurs. We came to her house to be greeted by a warm smile, a big hug and lattes! Lily sat so well in Greg's lap while I took pictures. Afterwards, Joanne let Greg and Lily and I sit on her back porch swing and enjoy our lattes and the gorgeous view of Pikes Peak while she attended to another client. It was a wonderful way to start our day.
Next was time to put up Christmas in the Heimbuck household. Oh I love this day so much that I have had it on the calendar for months! Lily was a wonderful helper, as was Bob. With Christmas music blaring, singing coming from our souls and rearranging the furniture (which I'm a big fan of, really) none of us could help but smile. Lily even brought on some of her dance moves, which right now looks a lot like she is saying "Ole!". A big thanks to my wonderful husband who took these pictures. Mom gets to be in some pictures, wow!

A Visit With a Good Alaskan Friend

Singing, laughing, books, politics, love, church, God, prayer, grace, children, mountains, the present, old friends, new friends, silence, beauty, Pikes Peak, leaves, chinese food, space, where would we like to be, illness, travel, The Fantastiks, dancing, life . . .

These are some of the topics that Judith and I talked about as if there wasn't enough air to get everything out. I love friends like that.

Earlier this week, I was able to have a short, but wonderful visit with my good friend and former Hebrew teacher, Judith Bendersky, from my days in Alaska. Judith currently lives in Anchorage, AK and came to Colorado to visit with friends and escape the snow that is already piling up there (I do not miss those winters). It has been years since we have been able to sit down and really talk since I left that snowy state. Thank God for computers and E-mail, but there is something so good for the mind and body to be able to sit and talk over tea and coffee with a soul friend. I loved that she could experience a bit of my world now, getting to know Greg and Lily. Thank you Judith for your patience with my sniffles and coughing while I battled a viral infection. Here are some pictures of a small hike we did at Garden of the Gods and sitting in my house. I love my friend dearly and can't wait to take the family up to Alaska one day to show them where mommy once lived.

It's a blessing to have a friend, where years can pass, but you can pick up right where you left off, no matter how many states are in between.

Eric Hallam's Book

Our friend Eric Hallam has come out with a children's book called Big Dreams and we want everyone to know about it. The book will go on sale at bookstores December 7th and is currently on sale now at DreamSeedBooks.com.

Eric, Eric's wife Kristin and Greg all went to college together. We're so excited to see the finished product that started as an idea when Kristin was pregnant and has now come to fruition along with their twins, Brenna and Rylan. Below is a synopsis of the book. We can't wait to read it to Lily!

Have you ever fallen asleep while reading a book and found yourself dreaming that you were a character from that story? This is the inspiration behind Eric Hallam’s Dream Seed book series. The vivid imagery and illustrations in Big Dreams will plant Dream Seeds in your child’s subconscious while the soothing lullaby rhythm will help them fall fast asleep. Check out DreamSeedBooks.com in order to get yourself or someone you love a copy.

"What a charming Story! I think this will be a bedtime classic for years to come in families. Those who are children will grow up to read the story to their children."
- Stacy Baker, Tate Publishing, Mustang, OK

Want to get a copy of Big Dreams free?