Pink or blue?

Today was the day!  At 10 am this morning we found out that we're adding another bundle of blue to our family.  That's right, baby boy number four is on it way this November!

Were we hoping for a girl?  Sure.  Were we a little disappointed to see "outdoor plumbing" as our technician called it?  Yeah.  But it's hard to stay disappointed for long when you've just spent the past hour watching your little baby moving, breathing, and developing before your very eyes.  It will never cease to amaze me how awesome that experience truly is.

Our little boy is healthy and moving!  Seems like he's going to be a long and skinny baby... similar to Landon I would imagine.  He's little tummy is measuring right where is should but his arms, legs, and head are measuring a week ahead of schedule.  Right now he's 12 oz and 12 inches long.  Hard to imagine he's already a foot long 'lil peanut... and he's not even a pound yet!  I lovingly referred to his as our foot long hot dog on the way home.  :)

The ultrasound seemed to be amazingly clear today, even compared to our ultrasounds with the other boys.  Not sure if technology has advanced that much in the past three years, but it was so cool to be able to see our little peanut so clearly.  Some funny things he was doing...

• Opening his mouth and sucking on his fingers
• Giving us the peace sign
• A high five to the screen.  This was my favorite by far... it was so awesome to see his little hand pressed to the screen.  You could clearly see all five of his little fingers.  Just amazing!
• A James Bond profile picture.  This one is Cliff's favorite.  :)
• A spread eagle shot... just to be 100% certain he's all boy.  Hehehe!

So now begins the daunting task of finding a name.  We like to pick names that are a bit original, yet not too crazy.  Lord knows there will be much debate between now and the delivery date, but one thing is for certain... the name will be a secret until our little guy makes his presence in November.  That's one thing we've done with all of our little men and something that we'll continue with this little guy.  So bring on those suggestions.  All are welcome!

I'll scan in the first pictures of our little boy and post them soon.

The way life used to be...

I just had the following conversation with Liam and had to blog about it.  Here goes...

Liam:  Mommy, I wish you could go back to the way your life used to be.
Me:  What do you mean?
Liam:  You know, when you could pick us up and carry us around.  When you didn't have to worry about the baby in your tummy.  You know, when you weren't pregnant.

Quite, intuitive little man!  It did make my heart break a bit to hear that he's bummed about Mommy not being able to carry him around.  Realistically, I rarely carry him around anymore.  But I suppose knowing that's not even an option can be hard on a little guy.

No worries though.  Liam's actually really excited about the new baby.  His favorite thing to do is give my belly raspberries.  It's funny and cute... until my stomach is covered in a slobbery mess.  Lord knows Gabe and Landon have to get in on the action too!  Liam is sure that this little one is a baby girl.  He's really hoping that it's a sister.  I asked if he'd be mad if it was another brother.  He shook his head yes.  Well little man, that's a serious possibility!  Liam, and the rest of us, will find out if he'll get his wish on Tuesday.

Well, I just had to blog about that little conversation before I forgot it all together.  Prego brain syndrome!  :)  Off to hush some little twin boys who are mighty rambunctious for 9 pm!

Good night!

Crazy Town

So, once again I find myself typing that I've been MIA lately when it comes to the blog.  Our life has been a bit crazy as of late (I'll get into that later), and our beloved (please sense my sarcasm) laptop crashed after seven long years of life.  Right now, I'm kindly borrowing my hubby's work laptop to get in some much needed blogging time.  So, no pics or videos on this post.  Just a nice, novel long update on life in crazy town.

Update on the house...
We're still waiting for the "right buyers" to come along.  I know that I need to be patient due to the market and the general location of our house.  But I'm starting to get nervous that we have a long road ahead of us.  I knew that it would take a bit of time to sell because of our unique location.  However, we had a ton of activity early on and tons of positive feedback.  But no one, not a single person is biting the bullet and putting in an offer.  Come on people... throw us a bone here!  Honestly, I would probably be more patient if we had zero interest, or boat loads of negative feedback.  But neither are true and I think that I got my hopes up a bit for a quick sale.  No such luck.  Looks like we'll definitely be here to reap the benefits of the garden I planted this Spring.  That's a plus, right?!?

Update of the kiddos...  That's what the blog is about after all!  :)
The boys are crazy and misbehaving and loving the outdoors this summer.  Liam is loving T-ball.  I got a Flip Video camera for my birthday and took some videos that I'll post once we get a new home computer.  Some days are better than others, and we still have games where we build sandcastles in the infield, or pester our teammates.  But overall, he's having fun and learning and at this age, that's really all we can ask for.

Gabe is pretty close to being fully potty trained.  Can I get an Amen people?!?  He's in his "unnawears" all day at home, but we do resort to the trusty Pull-Ups when we're going to be out of the house or playing with our cousins.  No potty breaks when we're having fun you know!  We'll be working on that one soon.  Gabey is such a funny kiddo... so rough and trouble outside and a total momma's boy complete with a blankie (aka Gabey) and a thumb in the mouth when we get inside.  He's definitely going to be the family comedian, and he fits the mold perfectly.

Landon is still our calm and quiet little man.  Thank God for your temperament little one.  I would surely be sent to the nut house if it weren't for your calm and sweet ways.  Landon still wants nothing to do with potty training, and I'm starting to worry that he'll still be in diapers at his prom.  We'll get there... someday!  While Liam and Gabe cruise around like kids double their age on their scooters, or fly down our hills on a toy of choice, Landon is quite content to collect pine cones or help me in the garden.  He is seriously one of the sweetest little boys I have ever met.

Update on the old hag... that would be me!
Cliffy threw me a surprise 30th birthday over Memorial Day weekend.  What was supposed to be a cook-out for the family, turned into a surprise 30th with family and friends from PA to TX!  Like any normal person, I reacted with a constant stream of tears.  Who does that?!?  I was so touched that so many people took time out of their busy weekends to celebrate with me.  My sister and her boyfriend flew in from TX, family and friends made the drive in from OH, and friends new and old from right here in PA came to help me ring in my 30's.  Kudos to Cliff for keeping it all a secret.  You truly surprised me and I thank you and love you for putting everything together.  It was an awesome day and a great way to welcome the big 3-0.

And the big update...
Baby number 4 is on it's way!!!  Yes, you read that right.  The newest member of the family will make his or her appearance in November.  My actual due date is none other than Turkey Day (awesome), but Lord knows I can't seem to cook the kiddos any longer than 38 weeks so I'm hoping that this one follows suit.  As of today, I am 17 weeks pregnant and feeling great.  Other than being tired, I'm feeling fine and keeping up with the boys like I always have.  Cue the tiredness!  I'm pretty sure that I've felt some kicks this past week, which is exciting!  So far the heart rate has been in the 160 - 170's, so I'm hoping that means pink!  Liam and Gabe were in the 150's and Landon was in the 140's.  I'm hoping this higher heart rate means a little girl and not a super hyper boy.  :)  We'll be finding out whether we can decorate with pink or blue in a couple weeks now, so I'll be sure to post once we know and I'll try to put up some pics as well.  The boys are excited... I should say that Liam and Landon are excited.  Gabe will willingly tell anyone that he "doesn't want no baby".  Uh oh.  I'm sure once the new little peanut is here he'll be excited.  Or at least I hope so!

Well, I'll wrap up this novel long post.  Here's hoping we have a new computer soon so that I can post some pics and videos too!  Think pink for us!

Outdoor Fun

The weather is finally starting to break around here and we've seen a couple days of sunshine.  Seriously, only a couple in what seems like FOREVER.  Come on Pittsburgh, bring on the sun!  The boys and I are SO over these gloomy, rainy days.  Ugh.  My kiddos need to get outside and play!!!  So on the first nice day in weeks... that's exactly what we did.  I had to capture some pics 'cause Lord knows when we'll see another nice day.  :)

Gabe and Liam creating sidewalk chalk masterpieces.

Look what Liam knows how to do!

Landon Bear sporting his new favorite accessory... his baseball glove!

Liam cruisin' on his scooter.  This kid can literally fly!

My three favorite little men...

Landon (or any of the boys for that matter) kicking a soccer ball in the front yard, leads to...

Mommy retrieving them from the creek at the bottom of the hill.  Ugh!

Bubbles!!!

"Hmmm... I wonder what bubbles taste like?"  No worries, I didn't actually let him try them!  :)

Silly faces while rockin' out our new jammies from the bunny!

These three boys, and this momma, sure hope summer gets here fast!  I don't think we can take many more rainy days couped up in the house.  You know the boys are miserable when they sing "Rain, Rain, Go Away" on a near daily basis.  My poor buddies.  Come on summer... the Hein crew is waiting for you!

Take me out to the ball game...

That's right... our little Liam is playin' T-ball this year!  His first game was this past Saturday, and it was a riot.  I took a ton of pictures in between smiles and giggles watching this little guy and his teammates playing ball. 

Here's a picture of Liam in uniform... all of which is WAY too big on him.  Go figure!  To say that he was excited to get to wear his uniform is an understatement.  He got his hat and pants at his first practice and literally took them to bed with him that night.  :)

 

My little men...

The team warming up before the game.  That's Liam sitting on third base.  Liam was less than thrilled with fielding.  He spent all his time building sand castles or drawing pictures in the dirt.

The spectators

Daddy giving Liam a pre-game pep talk.

A picture of coach in action.  That's not Liam, but I still thought it was a cute picture!

He may not like fielding... but this boy can hit!  Of course we have to position the tee just right.  And then we have to draw a batters box in the dirt.  And don't forget yelling out "Mom, are you watching?  Are you watching, Mom?  Do you see me Mom?"  But hey, all that prep must work.  He's actually a a pretty good hitter!

Pap Pap treating Gabe and Landon to a snack at the concession stand.

Good game guys!

Pap Pap and Liam... the next generation of Hein baseball players!

Hopefully, Liam will learn to keep his eye on the ball more and less on the sand castles he's building in the field.  But... it's only game one.  Liam had fun on Saturday and loved hitting (and all the prep work that comes with it!).  :)  Our next game is on Saturday, so you'll know where to find us!

"Hoppy" Easter 2011

"Hoppy" (much belated) Easter!!!  As you can see I've been blogging MIA lately.  April was a CRAZY month for me and the family.  We're busy with open houses and showings for the house, I've had six Premier shows in April, Easter, T-ball practice, and the list goes on and on.  Anywho...

We had a fun and busy Easter this year.  The bunny was great to the boys... as you can see from their baskets below.  Our boys must have been pretty good this year (or the bunny didn't see all the fights, temper tantrums, and back talk that goes on in this house). 

Does the bunny hide baskets at your house?  Ours does!  Landon's was behind the curtain, Gabe's was under the desk in the kitchen, and Liam's was in the office under the desk.  Of course Liam remembered where the bunny hid his basket last year... in the bathtub!  When he didn't see it there again, he was certain the bunny didn't come.  That is one tricky bunny Liam!  :)

Mr. Bed Head himself (aka Landon) showing off the goods.

Gabey Goo finding his basket, with Liam looking on.  You know big bro Liam is always checking out everyone else's stuff to see what he can trade up for later.

Liam finally finding his basket... even though it wasn't in the bathtub!

We love Power Rangers around here!  And the bunny just happened to find Power Ranger Samurai's in everyone's favorite colors... red (Gabe), green (Liam), and blue (Landon).  They were a HUGE hit with the boys!

Gabe showing off his tower of Krabby Patties that each of the boys got in their baskets.

It's never too cloudy for some new shades!  Liam and Landon showing off their new shades which they sport rain or shine.  :)

After finding, and demolishing baskets, we ate some grub and headed to Cleveland to hang with the family.  The boys had a blast hanging with their cousins and opening up more... and more baskets.  Teta spoiled the boys rotten, as always.  Aunt Kates and Brady got the boys bubbles and pjs.  And Vic and Lou gave the boys about 15 lbs of candy... thanks guys!

Our day was busy, but we all had fun hanging out with family and eating ourselves silly.  Hope your Easter was just as "hoppy" as ours!  :)

Girl parties are lame.

This past Saturday was my New Jeweler Orientation.  It was really informative and started the wheels-a-turnin' for my new business.  While I was gone, this conversation took place...

Liam:  Daddy, where's Mommy?
Cliff:  She's doing stuff for her jewelry.
Liam:  Oh, a party?
Cliff:  Sure, buddy.  She's at a party.
Liam:  Girl parties are so lame!
Cliff:  Why do you think that?
Liam:  All girls do at their parties is have a couple beers and talk about their dreams.

I nearly peed my pants when Cliff told me about this nice little conversation the two of them had.  Liam, you make me laugh and also make me wonder...

Where you come up with this stuff?!?! 

Busy, busy, busy...

So, we've been busy. I mean really busy. As evidenced by my sudden lack of blogging! Here's what we've been busy with... in pictures!

A before picture.  You can kind of see the dining room in the background with the lovely cream carpeting.  Just a fabulous floor covering with three little boys in the house!

We used all but one box to cover the dining room and kitchen floor.

Goodbye cream carpet...

Hello hardwood!

A new paint job and this room is done!  Looks pretty good if I do say so myself!

The kitchen flooring is the same as the dining room.  In there, we've changed the flooring, cabinet hardware, and are waiting on new countertops.  I'll have to post those pics once the countertops are in!

So... what's the sudden push for all these home improvements?  We're moving!  Well, we're putting it on the market.  Nothing like making the house all "purdy" and then selling it!  We've outgrown this house in four short years.  Hard to believe, right?!  With Cliff working from home now, we need to free up a bedroom and look for a home with a more traditional den/office for him.  It's exciting, and scary at the same time. 

It will be sad to leave this house.  All three of the boys came home from the hospital to this house.  There have been birthdays, sleep-less nights, holidays, and so many firsts all happening here.  We'll miss the neighbors.  Some of the nicest people, always willing to help us out, and love on the boys.  It's hard to find great neighbors like that.  We'll miss the area.  The boys can run around and play without the added worry of traffic and cars.  Yes, there is the dreaded sled riding hill.  :)  But overall, there have been so many memories made here in this home.

So, in the coming weeks we'll be burying a St. Joseph in the yard (it works you know!) and hoping for a sale.  I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

And, as if a laundry list of home improvements and selling the house weren't enough to fill the hours of the day, I've decided to start up a home business.  Yep, I'm officially an Independent Jeweler for Premier Designs!  I was never really into jewelry.  Most people who know me know that I basically wore my wedding rings and that was about it.  I went to a couple Premier shows and really started getting into it.  I thought for a while about starting to sell it myself.  Finally I decided to bite the bullet and signed up at the beginning of the month.  I figured if seeing and wearing the product was enough to get me excited about jewelry, then it must be pretty great.  So... who wants to host a party!  ;)

Well, there is dinner to start and a fight to break up, so I'll wrap up this novel long post.  I'll keep updating with new pics of the house and news on the sale... and of course my new little business venture.  I'm really excited!  :)

Potty Training: Part Deux

I had to blog tonight to share how proud I am of Mr. Gabey Goo!!!  I think that we are on the road to officially being potty trained!!!

So, I know that I had a glowing post about how well we were doing last month.  (As an aside, was that post really last month?!?!  It feels like six months ago.  Geez!  Anywho...)  Well, we fell off the wagon.  It was a bad combination of a lack-luster little potty trainer and a mommy who wasn't pushing it too hard.  But today was a different story.

Gabe woke up and asked to wear his "unnawears", as he's often done these past few weeks.  I had a heart to heart with him on the changing table that went something like this... 

"OK, Gabey.  If you pick underpants today, that means you're a big boy.  No more diapers except for nap time and night-nights.  Do you understand?"
"OK, Mommy!  I a big boy.  No more diapers!"

Hmmm... I was cautiously optimistic.  But I must say Gabey, I was so very proud of you today!!!  You are a super big boy now!  Did we have a couple accidents along the way?  Sure, but that's to be expected.  You're learning!  Today you told me on two separate occasions that you had to go potty and actually did.  You were so proud of yourself and you should be.  What a big boy you are!!!  Even Liam came home from a trip to Home Depot with Gummy Bears to share with you for "doing a good job going potty".  See?  Liam is proud of you too!

Good job today buddy!  Keep up the good work.  I'm proud of you Gabey Goober!

Happy "Valentime's" Day 2011

My Valentines...

There's nothing better than chowing down on good old fashioned Pop Rocks at 9:30 am!

A sweet gift from my hubby...

A sweet treat to my four Heiny boys!

Hope you all had a great "Valentime's Day"!!!  I know we sure did.   :)

Happy 4th Birthday Liam!!!

Happy Birthday to you!  Happy Birthday to you!  Happy Birthday dear Liam!  Happy Birthday to you!!!

My baby Liam turned 4 years old on February 4th!  Fitting, right?!  :)  This year, Liam celebrated in style with not one, not two, but three celebrations!  A party at his school, complete with Batman cupcakes.  A mini-party with us, Aunt Kates, and Brady.  And a joint party with Livy and the whole family.  This little man is certainly loved!

Super excited for the Aqua Sand from Aunt Kates and Brady!

Lovin' on his new Iron Man helmet!!

Can you tell he LOVES all the arts and crafts from Aunt Meggie?!  He would create a masterpiece everyday if he could!

Livy Lou checkin' out some furniture for her doll house.

Present time!!!

Couldn't resist this pic of me and Brady!  I could squeeze those cheeks all day!!!  :)

Liam's Transformer cake.  He informed me that Optimus Prime is supposed to be blue, not red.  Apparently, I need to brush up on my Autobot knowledge!

Livy's Yo Gabba Gabba cupcakes.  How AWESOME are these?!?!  Great job Dani!  :)

Happy Birthday Livy and Liam!!!!

Livy muggin' for the camera!  :)

Liam, I hope that you had a great 4th birthday!  You are such an amazing little guy.  You are smart as a whip kiddo.  You're full of silliness, and always ready to make us laugh.  I love that about you!  But don't set you off.  Holy Lord, the temper you have!  One of the bad traits you inherited from your Mommy.  Sorry bud!

It warms my heart to see you give your bothers a hug each day before school.  Among all the fighting and arguing you three do, I can see how much you all love each other.  You are adventurous and always willing to try something new.  I hope you never lose that adventurous spirit.  Keep growing and smiling little man!  I love you to the moon and back!  :)

Happy Birthday Liam!!!