Friday the 31st. Check out the Paddle Page for a report on our Kibler Valley run this afternoon. I've also got a short movie from our whitewater paddle. December 2004 Paddle On The Dan In Kibler Valley (4.8MB) Can you believe we were able to go kayaking in possibly the coldest water on earth on December 31st? After I got back from the river, we went to a friend's house for a nice New Years Eve dinner, a delicious cheesecake, and a fun visit before the kids got sleepy. It was then back home and a long wait for midnight to get here. Happy New Year everybody.
We had a fantastic year, at home anyway.
Their are plenty of sad things going on in the world that we are not happy about
and the election certainly didn't give us much to look forward too. Jobs
are leaving town right and left, but at least things in the Heath household are
the way we want them. Benjamin
learned how to do so much and certainly kept us busy chasing after him.
Jackson finished his two day a week pre-school class, had a busy summer, then
started going three days a week. He continues to amaze us with both his
intelligence and his sweetness. For our family, finding a way to keep the
children home has reduced our stress level greatly and made each day more
enjoyable. We are an extremely lucky family and are again this year very
thankful for all that we have. Each year continues to go by faster than
the last and I am sure that trend will continue next year. But I am also
sure that in our old age we will look back on these years as the best of our
life. With that in mind, we try to cherish each and every one of these
crazy, busy days spent chasing the kids around.
Thursday the 30th.
Samuel and
Matthew came over to the house to play this morning. Benjamin continues to
be a little under the weather. He woke up at four this morning with much
the same symptoms he has had for the last day or so. The weather is great
and hopefully will hold out so that Jeff and I can try our new paddling gear out
at
Lovills Creek Lake tomorrow
afternoon. And while our lives continue in the normal day-to-day routine
in Mayberry, it is a strange detachment from the terrible tragedy on the other
side of our planet. The news in the wake of the tsunami continues to get
worse, it is without a doubt one of the greatest disasters of my lifetime, with
a death toll already more than forty times as great as the 9/11 attacks, yet the
shear magnitude of the loss and suffering taking place in Asia makes it a very hard
concept to grasp.
The month is almost over and I am in a rush to get the website ready for the new year. One project I just finished in time is the Christmas Card Photos page. You can go there to see all the photos we received in the mail over the holidays.
Wednesday
the 29th. The family spent another morning together playing with new
toys before I went into the office at lunchtime. Amy and the boys spent
the afternoon playing at our friend's house across town where Jackson got to show his seven
year old friend Matthew his new Gameboy. Jackson is making sure that all
his older friends know he now has a Gameboy too, I think that has been as much
fun for him as playing it. Matthew even let Jackson borrow one of
his games. Amy then brought the boys home, cooked a delicious apple
cobbler, and traded off with me as I came home and she left for work.
Jackson announced that today was one of his best days ever, but Benjamin can't
say the same. His teeth may be the culprit, but the poor little guy
has had diarrhea for most of the afternoon and evening and now his tiny hiney is
hurting him. He cries if you pick him up and only wants to lay on
Jackson's bed, belly down, with his hiney way up in the air.
Tuesday the 28th.
Today we opened new toys, played
checkers, baked in the QueesyBake oven, colored, and enjoyed the day off
together. Then after dinner my friend Jeff and I went to Great Outdoor Provision to
shop for paddle gear. Thanks to lots of Christmas donations to the paddling
fund, I am set for our first Winter trip. I picked up a new
Stohlquist A-Sea pfd, NRS gloves,
NRS paddling boots, and an OR Seattle Sombrero paddling hat. I can't wait to get back out on
the water. Today's photo is from our 2004 Christmas card. We took it
at Slaughter's Tree Farm in Fancy Gap, Virginia.
Monday
the 27th. Today we said goodbye to Grandma Sue and headed back to Mount Airy
with a van full of toys and bean bags. The trip home didn't go as smooth
as the trip there on Christmas day, BenBen's teeth are still bothering him.
Sunday the 26th. In between the
victories by the Steelers and the Cowboys, Jackson, Jimmy and I went outside to play
some football of our own. Even though Jackson was wearing the Troy Aikman jersey his
Uncle Alan got him, he's really a Steeler fan like his dear old dad.
That said, the jersey does look very cute on him. Benjamin didn't appear
to feel very good today, we think he has his two year molars coming in.
Saturday the 25th. Today was
without a doubt the best Christmas ever. Benjamin ended up in bed with us
around 1:30am. Then Jackson came upstairs and
hopped in the bed too arond 2:00am. That meant we all got to wake up together on
Christmas morning to discover all the magical things Santa had done while we
were sleeping. Jackson found that the cookies, cake and milk were almost all gone.
The Santa towel he left on the hearth had big sooty boot prints on it and only a
couple of half eaten carrots were left on the sidewalk.
Jackson went to the giant Robin
buddy first, one of the surprise gifts, and gave it a big hug. He loved and appreciated each and
every gift so much, four is a wonderful age. He is very proud of his blue Gameboy SP and can't believe
Santa gave him a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game to go with the Sonic game.
We asked him if he was big enough for that present and he said "Well, Santa
picks who gets all that stuff, so it's really up to him." I guess
that answered that question. We were not sure
what Ben would do this Christmas and were happy that he went right to his
toys and started playing with them, especially the foam Sesame Street blocks.
The only bump in our otherwise perfect morning was that when Jackson put his lollipop back in his stocking (he wanted
to leave it exactly the way it was and not empty it until last, he was really in
a sweet mood) and it accidentally pulled the big heavy stocking holder off the
mantel and smashed his poor cold bare piggy against the hearth. I'm
really surprised it didn't break it his toe. He cried, and I would have too, but
pulled out of it pretty quickly when we told him he could give us his gifts.
He was very happy about the things we were getting. And through the wonder of the Internet, Grandma Sue got to watch all of it, from
the kids walking into the living room to the last pieces of wrapping paper
hitting the ground. We had a live webcam setup for her to view and enjoyed
getting to share our fun morning with her. Of course I'm still stoked
about getting my new kayak paddle (Thanks Amy!).
So then the boys just had to pick which presents to take with them and it was off to Colonial Heights and Grandma Sue's house. The trip went by fast due to the light holiday traffic and we made it in under four hours. The rest of the day was spent visiting and playing with all of the nieces and nephews.
Friday the 24th.
We went to Hama's house to celebrate Christmas and had a wonderful time with the
Heath family. The head count tonight was thirty-seven, that's a house
full. Thanks to everyone that got Jackson and Benjamin presents, they
enjoyed all of them very much. And thanks to Benjamin's second cousin
Kelsey for doing such a good job keeping up with him all night. No moss
will ever grow under Ben's feet. We made one stop on the way home to tell
Mo Merry Christmas and before rushing back to Mount Airy to get ready for Santa.
Jackson put out his cookies, a glass of milk, a note, and carrots for the
reindeer (Ben fell asleep on the way home). Jackson also laid a towel out
over the hearth for Santa to wipe his feet on (he's a pretty neat kid).
All that left was the annual reading of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas
and it was time to get nestled in for a long winter's nap.
It's
Christmas Eve morning! Jackson started playing with the Terrain Twister
his Aunt Deana gave him as soon as he woke up this morning. We've named it
the Ben because of the way it turns the house upside down. We've also
played a game of Battleship, something Mo and Papa gave Jackson. And
Jackson has been taking pictures all morning with the camera Papa gave him.
He says he is a "picture photographer". Ben meanwhile isn't happy unless
his new Sesame Street movie is on the TV. He also loves getting rides on
his new stuffed horse.
Thursday the 23rd. The boys
spent part of their day a friend's house while Amy prepared for our Heath
Christmas get-together. Jackson and Matthew
played Chinese checkers while Benjamin relaxed with Jeff and watched an Elmo
movie. I spent the day at the office and couldn't wait to get home and
start celebrating. My sister Melanie's family, my
parents, and my sister Deana, with fiancé Martin, all came to the house for a
very nice Christmas dinner and present exchange. The boys were very
excited about their gifts, especially Jackson. He is having a so much fun with Christmas
this year. We stayed up late putting toys together and he still
has tomorrow night at Hama's, Christmas morning at his house, and Christmas
evening at Grandma Sue's to look forward to.
Wednesday the 22nd.
Here is our little Hokie celebrating Virginia Tech's ACC Championship and Sugar
Bowl berth.
Tuesday the 21st. My Aunt
Dianna stopped by today at lunch with armloads of gifts. Jackson couldn't
hold still and jumped all around the living room. Benjamin showed his
excitement by walking circles around the presents, carrying his Big Bird
ornament, and singing "La, La, La, La, La". BenBen then figured out what
it was all about after pulling a stuffed Big Bird from one of the presents.
He went right back in and came out with Sponge Bob bubble b*th, his other
favorite character. He also got a puzzle, a bank, and more. Dianna
gave Jackson tons of art supplies, an alphabet puzzle, and a Micro Machines
stunt play-set, among other things. All the gifts were just perfect for
the boys. Merry Christmas Aunt Dianna!!
Monday
the 20th. On a day that hovered around 10F/-12C, the boys stayed inside with
Mo and Papa, while Amy and I met friends Jeff and Timmesa at the new Ruby
Tuesday for a holiday outing. We had high hopes for snow overnight, but
alas, not a flake fell.
Sunday the 19th.
Today was a family day spent indoors and out of the cold. We played
Alphabet Bingo, went on Scavenger Hunts, made the 2004 Gingerbread House (click
here for last year's house),
drew, colored, watched Christmas movies, and enjoyed our day together.
Saturday the 18th. We spent
the afternoon visiting Anita and
her sweet baby James on the mountain. We also stopped at
Nancy's Homemade Fudge in Meadows of Dan on the way and picked up some Butter
Almond Crunch and Butter
Pecan Fudge. I've been on a diet for the last eleven months that
only has a couple of rules, one being no in-between meal snacks or bedtime
snacks. Well, with that Almond Butter Crunch in the house, I broke the
bedtime snack rule for maybe only the second or third time this year. And then I broke
it again, and again, and then I broke it one more time.
Friday
the 17th. I took this photo of my niece Isabelle all bundled up to go
outside last night at my mom's house in Virginia. Jackson and Amy's latest
creation, Peanut
Butter and Jelly cookies. My review...Two thumbs up!
Thursday the 16th. First
Jackson got to help Grandma Sue
decorate her tree. Then he helped Amy decorate
our tree. Next he
pitched in to get his great-grandmother
Hama's tree ready for Christmas. Well that
just wasn't enough tree trimming for him, he wanted to help Mo with her tree
too. So we headed to
Claudville to make sure it was decorated by someone with lots of experience,
him. And yes, he is wearing a cape. According to Jackson, it's
Elmo Man's night time cape.
Wednesday
the 15th. This was the this year's runner-up Christmas card photo.
I'll hold off on putting the winner online until I know everyone has had time to get
theirs.
Tuesday
the 14th. Amy, Ben, and Jackson stayed inside on a cold, windy day,
but we all ventured out late for an open house at Jackson's pre-school. We
never pass up an opportunity to see Jackson's art work, like this Christmas tree
he had hanging in his classroom.
Monday the 13th.
Last night was Dinner Club at Ken and Tonya's
house in Walnut Cove. Maybe it's just me, but I think this month
had the best food yet. I know I say that every month, but this month's was
awesome. There were meatballs, sausage balls, pizza dip, sausage/cheese
dip, white chocolate brownies, peanut butter gooey cake, twice baked potatoes,
fruit, and those green beans wrapped in bacon that I ate so many of. Host
Tonya conducted a "twas the night before Christmas" Dirty Santa game that
was a lot of laughs. As of this dinner club, the last of '04, we know
that in '05 there will be one more McMichael (a boy), one more Davis (a girl),
and one more Joyce (undecided). It may take a bigger couch to hold all the
kids for the annual December group shot (see
last year) Trying to
get good Christmas tree photos using long time exposure has become a hobby of
mine. Tonya and Ken's tree was very cool and made a nice photo I thought.
Sunday
the 12th. A fun family tradition, the harvesting of mistletoe.
This is the third and last year for this spot by an abandoned farm house in
Claudville. It should have lasted longer, but I've been a little
greedy each year and not left enough behind. It was a great spot because
you could reach the mistletoe by standing on top of the van. But I'll keep
my eye out over the next year for another good tree. After pulling down the
mistletoe, we stopped by to check on Hama and to help her decorate for Christmas.
That made Jackson very happy because decorating for the holidays is one of his
favorite things to do. That and eating Hama's pickles. He said he was pickle fishing as he dug them
out of the jar one after the other with his fork. He also said during
lunch "I think Hama's house is like...food land." How right he is, not
even two weeks removed from the hospital and Hama had a big lunch already cooked
when we got to her house.
Saturday
the 11th. We met Stanley and Mary Beth in Stuart, Virginia tonight for
a Mexican dinner. The whole family hasn't seen MB and Stan since
July 03. Jackson and
Benjamin both got presents that they really liked and we all enjoyed the visit
very much.
Friday
the 10th. A fun day that included time spent with lots of family and
friends. Our niece Isabelle spent the day at our house playing
with Amy, Ben and Jackson.
Jackson asked her to bring some "dress-up stuff" and she did, lots of
it. They re-enacted her last visit to our house where Jackson dressed up as Superman and Izzy
dressed as Scooby Doo.
Brooke and Landon also
paid us a very welcome visit. Landon has grown up so much since the last
time we saw him. He also had a whole new bag of
tricks. He was growling like a bear,
beeping like a car, and telling us goodbye, plus pointing out the parts of his
body.
Friends watched the boys while Amy and I met
our friends from Behavioral Services for dinner at the Bonefish Grill in
Winston-Salem.
Thursday the 9th. Today was
not such a pretty day, so Amy, Ben, Jack, Timmesa, and Sam all went to
Sci-Works for some indoor fun. Later in the
afternoon Mo stopped by to visit the boys.
Wednesday
the 8th. What a beautiful day, sunny skies and seventy degrees.
Of course my motorcycle wouldn't crank, which put me in a grumpy mood, but it was
still nice to have warm weather. This time last year
we had already been through our first snow. Amy
took Benjamin to have his picture taken this morning at Kid Shots and he did
great. I won't say what the theme was, I'll wait until the photos come
back, but I will say that he looked very sweet. Later in the afternoon Amy,
Jackson, and Benjamin went to the playground and
enjoyed the warm afternoon.
Tuesday the 7th. On a cold,
rainy, foggy day, Jackson bought us two Nutcrackers to decorate the mantle with.
One big one and one little one. He told Amy that he had talked to his
daddy about them and they were very important. When I got home at lunch a
confused Amy told me that story and Jackson said "Yeah Daddy, now how do we get
the caramel popcorn and the prize out?" Ah ha, you see, about a week
ago Jackson had me tell him what Cracker Jacks were.
Monday
the 6th. Our Christmas tree passed the number one most important test,
if it
was any bigger, it wouldn't fit. Last year we got a tree that would fit
and I don't think Amy was ever very happy with it. This year we had to trim the top to keep the angel
from bumping her wings against the ceiling.
Jackson hung the last of the ornaments before going to school this morning and
as I walked away from his classroom I heard him telling Mrs. Golding about all
his favorite ornaments.
Sunday
the 5th. We picked out our Christmas tree at Slaughter's tree farm in
Fancy Gap, Virginia (Frank Beamer Country!) again this year. Jackson only
has one thing to say about it, "We got the biggest one they had." We got
back down the mountain just in time to go with Megan to Main Street and watch
the Mount Airy Christmas parade. Jackson, like his mommy, loves the
holiday decorations and they both had a fun night hanging ornaments.
Surprisingly Benjamin totally ignored the tree, we all thought he would just
terrorize it.
Saturday
the 4th. Go Hokies!!! ACC champions and Sugar Bowl bound, how
sweet it is. We were also delighted today by Megan's
visit. Our five year old neighbor Jacob stopped by to play with
Jackson. Tonight after work, Amy took the Christmas Holiday House Tour
with friends.
Friday
the 3rd. In the spirit of the holidays, I've created
a new Christmas Page
to celebrate our ghost of Christmas Past.
Thursday the 2nd. Ben and Jack had friends Sam and Matt over for a day full of fun. After dinner, Amy took Benjamin and Samuel to Mr. Mike's train store and to the Good Life for ice cream, while Jackson, Matthew and I went to see The Incredibles. When we got back to Matthew's house we were very excited to find Jeff, Timmesa, and Megan back home. Megan looked wonderful and happy to be in her own house. And rounding out all the good news, Hama is back home and healthy.
Wednesday the 1st. It's been an eventful twenty-four hours. Hama's catheterization found a second blockage yesterday that was repaired with a stint this morning. The stint she had installed four years ago was also replaced. She is recovering fine at Forsyth Hospital in Winston-Salem. Benjamin caught my stomach virus and was sick last night. Luckily his eighteen month checkup at Dr. Gale's was scheduled for this morning. Outside of the virus, he is in good health and has gained five pounds since his fifteen month checkup. But of the greatest concern is that our very dear friend Megan is at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem following a prolonged seizure last night. We hope that Megan's recovery will be fast and return her back home safe and sound.
