*sigh*

Today has been one of those disappointing and discouraging kind of days.  Nothing terrible has happened... Last night we took another look at my parents itinerary and realized that they are NOT arriving TODAY as we had planned and anticipated, but rather they'll be arriving tomorrow.  Just disappointing when I was really looking forward to seeing them today and then we had to explain to the kids this morning why Mema and PopPop won't be here until tomorrow after nap.  Ugh.  So, I'm already feeling kind of bummed when I hear a *crash* and realize that Carter has just broken one of my favorite (of Emmi's) ornaments- a beautiful blown glass cupcake on a glass pedestal and covered with a cloche.  Before I knew it I was in tears cleaning up broken glass with Gavin looking on.  He walked away and came back a few minutes later and told me, patting my back, "Mom, I prayed for Jesus to wipe away all your tears."  I'm so thankful for my little pieces of heaven that God has given to our family.  I can't count all the times my kids of been such blessings and bearers of God's truth, grace and love.  Later on I went into my bedroom and there, on my pillow was a beautiful handwritten note from Gavin with " I {heart} you".  Precious. 

Let the Celebrating Begin!

 The snow has been falling here pretty much every day for 3 weeks, but it decided to REALLY let loose on Thursday night...just in time for our English Cafe Christmas movie night!  But 9 committed English enthusiasts managed to brave the horrible weather conditions- just to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" with us!  Only one of them had ever seen it before, and during our 'intermission' they all began questioning WHY this classic would be called "It's a Wonderful Life" when up to this point it had been nothing but sad and depressing! 

 Friday afternoon we picked Gavin up from detsky sod  early and took him with us to the International Academy's Christmas program.  He enjoyed listening to all his friends sing and play in the band. 

 Afterwards, we headed back to our place to welcome 16 high schoolers for a surprise birthday party for one of our very favorite TCKs!  Amanda was VERY surprised and we had a full house till 10pm!  We watched "A Christmas Story" and enjoyed witnessing the reactions of several of the girls who were watching it for the first time!  We ate lots of pizza, cake, peanut butter popcorn and drank too many lattes! 

Of course, Emmi didn't go without A LOT of attention!  Good thing she loves being passed around played with! 

Saturday morning I put Emmi down for her morning nap, sent JB and the boys outside sledding and enjoyed a quiet brunch with several ladies who are also International Workers and happen to live nearby! 

 We had a great time swapping ministry stories, tales of our children and hearing all of our family traditions.  It's great to have not only support from other ladies that understand your life, but are also a wealth of information when it comes to questions like, Where's the best place to buy ham? and Where can you find pecans in the city?

Then Saturday night JB and I had the pleasure of chatting with a team in Alaska that is coming in January to be a part of English Camp!  Gotta love the blessings of technology- It makes it so much easier to keep in touch and to connect with people over long distances!

No post would be complete without a picture of one of my kids being...well...themselves!   I always thought Carter would have been a beautiful girl- but little did I know how much enjoys dressing up like one!  He came out one morning in Emmi's new "fairy" costume - calling himself the "flighty fairy" (from the Backyardigans- Mighty Knights) haha!  He was twirling round and round and "zapping" everyone with his wand!  My life would be so boring without my 3 little blessings! 

Emilia Noelle turns ONE!

Our baby girl is now a whole year old!  I can hardly believe that she can already be so old!  This last year has flown by at warp speed.  It seems like just yesterday I was VERY pregnant preparing a huge Thanksgiving meal for all of our family in America; counting down the days till her arrival-  and here we are a year later with a beautiful little one year old.  She is sweet beyond sweet and beaming with a joyous personality.  We couldn't be more blessed.

We celebrated with a Cupcake-Princess party~  Lots of friends dressed as princesses (and knights, superheros, kings and dragons).  A cupcake-princess cake and a beautiful little birthday girl! 

 Happy birthday, Emilia Noelle!  We all love you SO much! 

White Christmas

I had a great video of the snow to share...but for some reason blogger won't load it- so you'll have to check it out on Facebook- but in the mean time, enjoy the following pics that I took from the warmth of our cozy apartment!  The photos hardly capture the beauty of the huge fluffy flakes that have been falling!  

Friday Fun and Thursday recap

Fun times in the Hecock home!  I'm not over my "ear issues" yet, still can't barely hear and the ringing is non-stop in my left ear, but I'm told as my ear drum heals it will all improve - but please keep praying.... I never realized how difficult it is hearing only from one ear!

Yesterday I spent the morning teaching Gavin and Carter (yay for homeschool days!) and the afternoon baking more cookies and making frosting for the cookie decorating night we hosted for our English Cafe students.  We spent the evening decorating fall cookies, chatting and then ened the evening by sharing the things we are thankful for.

Today was Carter's first day of "school".  Gavin goes to "detsky sod" 3 days/week, but we have recently decided to let Carter go to "school", too.  He loved his first day- and his teachers and classmates loved having him!  I think it will be great for him, especially through the winter as outside time becomes less and less as the days become shorter, the temps dip and the snow and mud come!

This afternoon I had a great time playing hostess to a group of high school girls from from the International Academy.  We had a great time, laughing at JB's funny stories, decorating fall cookies, drinking coffee and just hanging it.  I love having our home filled with teenagers!  And I love being "Aunt Iris and Uncle JB" to our teammates kids :)

Tomorrow our Field Director comes for a short visit and Sunday our church celebrates it's 7th birthday- pictures to come!

Enjoy this little video of Emmi - her favorite dining position- one foot up on the tray!  Good thing her high chair has a secure buckle b/c she loves to lean as far over the edge as she can! 

Sick

That about sums it up.  At least one of us has been sick since we returned from retreat.  Our house has been filled w/ unusual colored running noses, middle of the night croupy coughing, fevers, pink eye and now ear infections.  I'm the 'lucky' one with the ear infection.  I started taking antibiotics yesterday afternoon and yesterday evening my ear drum ruptured- yes, crazy painful- right under labor and kidney stones- in my estimation.  I'm feeling a bit better today- the severe pain of last night is only an achy/sore pain now.  I'll take it.  I'm looking forward to the ringing in my ear stopping and being able to fully hear in my left ear (right now it sounds like I'm under water!) 

Today, we also got some disappointing news about the building we were hoping to rent/remodel for the community center.  The owner isn't willing to negotiate at all and will only offer us an 11 month contract- so, he's not willing to put forth any money towards the remodel (putting in bathrooms and flooring, etc.) and he could very easily significantly increase the rent after 11 months (and lots of money invested on our end.) Ugh.  We know full well that God has a plan... would you pray with us for that to begin to come to fruition?  We know He wants to see His church grow in SPb and we believe that the community center is where He is leading us. 

On an encouraging note- check out our colleagues blog for a great story of a new brother and sister in the kingdom.  Our colleagues, Donnie and Blythe Mason, are currently in the states on home assignment, but they have a great story that I wouldn't do justice 'retelling'- so enjoy it straight from their blog! 

Friday, Friday

I wish I could say that my Friday was exciting...but it wasn't really.  Just busy.  I felt like I was running around all day but went no where, really! 

After getting Gavin off to "detsky sod" I went to work washing all the sheets and trying to de-germify our house...wiping all the door knobs, mopping all the floors, cleaning toys, etc. in hopes of all of us recovering from this "bug" we've been passing around.  I have never seen such snotty noses as Carter and Emmi have had this past week- yuck. No one is back to feeling great, but we're all on the mend.  We had lunch with teammates and started making plans for a team we have coming in January, from where else- but the great state of Alaska (!), to help us with English Camp.  After that I met with a few friends for our weekly prayer time, then I headed over to a local fitness club to sign up so I can continue learning some russian "aerobic" lingo (and reap the benefits of more exercise) that will be helpful to me as I start to lead Zumba classes when the Center opens (too much to explain in this post, maybe next one?), then I headed to the fabric store to buy a few more touches to our costumes for the Fall Festival that will happen tomorrow at the International Academy, then off to another clothing store to try to find black shirts for all the boys for their costumes.  After all the shopping, I headed home to get dinner ready, we watched Polar Express before bed and then I went to work making french silk pies for the Fall Festival tomorrow.  Ahh. 



Now, off to bed to wake up early and finish some costumes!  I know you're fascinated with the intriguing lives we lead.  I'm sure it's really not so different from yours- we're just doing it half way around the world!  Blessings! 

Enjoy some pics of our youngest (and her brothers who love to push her around in her wheeled toy box!)

In "shorter" news...

Carter enjoyed being front and center dancing to "I've got joy..."- he's got some great moves!  Stay tuned- next year: brake dancing.

Dream Life

That was the theme of The English Cafe tonight.  Great topic- mostly because of the great group we had tonight! 

We started off the evening with our own shopping competition- who could make the most money selling their wares and who could get the most products for the best price.  Each student had 27 "bucks" to spend at the 6 sellers (who were selling anything from homes to pets to cars to clothes to toys to food- you name it, it was for sale tonight!).  They had 8 minutes to work their bargaining skills.  How'd they do?  One person purchased 17 items and one seller made 54 bucks!  Okay...play money, but still lots of fun and with candy as a prize- there can be no losing!

 Katya and Dina bargin with Lynda for the best deals on cosmetics

 Mugi shopping in Anna's "store"

 Namor counting all the money he made in just 8 short minutes! 

After several more activities we ended our evening watching an interview with Blake Myocoskie who founded TOMS shoes and talking about his "dream" and his motivations.  If you're not familiar with his story- google it- great stuff! 

In other exciting news- we connected with some believers tonight that we've unknowingly crossed paths with over the past few months.  One of them attends the church we regularly attend, though she's been there when we've been out of town and vise-versa!  The other two students were at the church I attended with Lena on Sunday and they listened to her speak about Ghana!  What a small world! 



Please pray for English Cafe as we're talking about offering it possibly on two different nights (same theme) so that we can possibly connect with some more students who can only come on Tuesdays or only on Wednesdays.  Please pray that some will come to the birthday celebration in 2 weeks of the Great Commission Church (our CMA church plant) and that many will be part of our winter English Camp mid-January.  We have a great team coming from Alaska to help us- so please pray that God will begin preparing their hearts now and that we will have a great turnout! 

Tomorrow morning we drive Lena to the airport to fly back to Ekaterinburg :( !  We love you, Lena and it's been a pleasure having you!  Can't wait to hear of all the amazing things God's gonna do through you in Ghana! 

Houseguest from heaven

House guests.  I know that guests living w/ you for extended periods of time bring different emotions to different people.  I typically LOVE to entertain (though it brings way more challenges w/ our kids being the ages they are right now (5,3 and nearly 1)- but it makes ALL the difference when you have the "right" guest. 

Lena has been with us since mid-October.  Though we haven't been here that whole time (she was gracious enough to do some babysitting and house-sitting for us while she's been here).  She arrived on the train from Ekaterinburg, our former home and the time has flown by!  I can hardly believe we'll be putting her on a plane back home on Thursday.  We've enjoyed time just hanging out drinking coffee, praying together, getting sushi, taking the kids on adventures and helping her improve her English. 

The real reason for her visit is that St. Petersburg is the home of Wyciffe's office here in Russia.  Lena is preparing to serve in Ghana with Wycliffe.  She is scheduled to leave in February, just a few short months from now.  Her ministry will be through English- hence the reason we've been helping her with her English.  She'll be involved in ministry to children during the 2 months she will be there.  Please pray for her as she gathers prayer and financial support and as she gets everything together that she needs for her departure (purchasing plane tickets, getting immunizations, obtaining a visa, etc.) 

We've been so blessed by Lena's presence in our home and I know I'm going to miss her like crazy when she's gone again!  No doubt the kids will as well- Carter has recently taken to calling her "my Lena"... as in, "Mommy, where did MY Lena go?" I'm sure come Thursday I will be hearing that question quite often. 

I'm back... for good this time!

Okay, after a bit of a self-imposed blogging hiatus, I'm back and I'm excited to share about what life is like here in this place we call home!

Today was as good of a day as any to dust off the old blog, give her a facelift and jump back into the saddle- today was my first full day as a 31 year old!

We celebrated the day of my birth yesterday with an amazing cake, made by my "niece", Amanda and some yummy treats with friends.  JB surprised me with Amanda's cake that he specially requested with a princess theme, complete in pink, blue and purple and decorated with stars and tiaras!  It just might have been the most wonderful part of my birthday celebration!  

 

And of course, what post would be complete without a recent pic of my 11mo (*sniff*sniff*) old princess!  Can't believe we'll be celebrating your first birthday in just a few short weeks!  

 She's not yet walking, though she's standing on her own and taking a step here and there.  She has no teeth, and no sign of teeth to come any time soon.  She just started waving (*sigh*).  And she is adored by her big brothers and her mom and dad, too, of course!

Hope you enjoyed my re-entry into the blog-world and stay tuned for more to come soon! 

Loving Life

Roadside photo of our family during our speaking tour this spring in Alaska!

Carter doing one of the things he does best- and loving it!

Our sweet little "cupcake" is getting bigger every day! She's so sweet and amazing. Still can't believe we've been blessed with this wonderful little girl.

Gavin is not yet 5 and nearly to my shoulder! I'm afraid I'm going to be literally "looking up" to my first grader in just 2 years!

Did you ever just find yourself wishing you could bottle a day or a moment forever? I often stop in the middle of my day overwhelmed with this feeling that life is just the way God intended it. I have 3 amazing kids and a wonderful hubby who loves me lavishly. We are blessed in every way imaginable and even the toughness of life at the moment pales in comparison to everything else. Today is one of those very days. I hate that JB has to be away from us- none of us like it, but sweet moments exist despite. My amazing in-laws came last night to watch the kids so I could run my very first road race (5K) with a great friend this morning. I overslept (that never happens b/c the boys always wake me up at 7am!) but Oma and Opa where here this morning...much more fun to wake them up! Despite the mad dash to get out the door I got a few more minutes of precious rest! Had a great race then headed out with Oma and Opa to Gavin's soccer game. Huddled under our blankets watching him play soccer, having the time of his life, as the snow was falling on us in our chairs was another of those moments that make our life so very sweet. We just finished lunch and both the boys kept telling me how they love me "really a lot!" and how proud they are of their momma. Kids are amazing- they somehow know that when Daddy is gone I really cherish those sweet, loving words they share with me and all those hugs- just a little bit more than normal.

This week marks one year here in the States- what an amazing year it has been. We've been able to stand with our families when my sister found out she was in kidney failure and able to be with my family as my dad had open heart surgery, being here to celebrate JB's sister, Stephanie's, engagement, having ALL the family for Thanksgiving, birthdays, Christmas and Easter, meeting and being so blessed by all the amazing churches that have been praying for us and for Russia... the list could go on and on. We are so blessed.

Going to enjoy the next few weeks by celebrating JB's homecoming and Gavin's 5th birthday...then it will be time to start seriously thinking about packing and having our own garage sale- but for right now, we're just going to enjoy today for all God has made it- even the snow.

I'll be back soon! No more crazy months of no posting! Promise.

Here she is!

Emilia Noelle Hecock
born 12.4.09 @ 1:51pm
8lbs 8oz; 21 inches

Hard to believe our little cupcake is already 3 weeks old! She's enjoyed her first Christmas, met all her Aunts and Uncles and quickly become adored by her big brothers!

Life in the Hecock home is beginning to get back to some form of normal. I've recovered enough from the c-section to begin feeling like a human being again and started to get used to the interruped sleep each night. I find myself less and less slipping up and calling Emmi "he"... you'd think all the pink she's dressed in would do enough to make my brain click that we have a GIRL! Having a third has been a much bigger adjustment that I had anticipated...mostly because the other 2 are still young enough that there are many things they can't do for themselves and I have to keep an eye on them almost always. Inevitably they get themselves in all kinds of trouble when I am nursing Emmi! I'm wondering how many more months it will be till we get the "leaving" routine down... seems like by the time everyone is ready to walk out the door we are already or soon-to-be late; no matter how much extra time we allot! We'll get it one of these days!

JB is gearing up to head to Panama for a week to explore a direct trade relationship with a coffee plantation down there- long story about how it all came to be, so that will have to be a separate post. Then shortly after he returns we'll all head with him to Portland to begin his spring tour. We'll spend a week with him in Portland then head up to Anchorage for a week to speak at churches. We'll only be with him for a week in Alaska, then the boys, Emmi and I will fly back home and JB will be home for Easter, then head back out west to finish tour. While JB is away I'm hoping to take all the kids to meet their Great- Grandma's in WVa and Texas. Other than that we'll be sticking close to home and I'll be speaking at a few women's events here in Ohio and in Pennsylvania.

So, please pray for our family over the next few months as we readjust to JB being away and as we prepare to return overseas. And, as always, if you're in our area- be sure to give us a call!

Cupcake? Not just yet...

So, for all of you wondering... No. Cupcake is not here just yet. My doctor decided a few weeks ago that she didn't want to deliver our little girl the day after Thanksgiving. You can imagine how bummed we were that she chose black friday sales over delivering our baby, but we can already see God's timing in it all. Carter has had a high fever for the last 2 days and that would have been no fun w/ me in the hospital w/ a brand new baby who would have been coming home today. So, hopefully we'll be free of illness before she arrives. So...when are we expecting her? We decided to (re)schedule our c-section for my due date- this Friday, December 4th. My doc was willing to do it any weekday this week, but b/c of childcare issues we decided to wait till a Friday when everyone was off work for the weekend. I head back tot eh doc tomorrow, for hopefully the last time this pregnancy. I've had unusually high blood pressure the past 2 weeks, so I really would be shocked if she insisted we have this baby before Friday, so my Mom is sticking around town till after my appt tomorrow just to make sure we'll be waiting till Friday (unless Cupcake makes up her mind to come early on her own before then!).

In the mean time we enjoyed an amazing Thanksgiving celebration with nearly all of our family- we had 22 people around our table and 11 spending the night (and 3 dogs tagged along, too!) . We're so blessed this year with a home big enough to accomadate everyone! Friday we woke up to our first snow of this winter and bid farewell to my big sis and her family, then headed out with my parents and lil sis to Fred's tree farm and hauled home the most beautiful (and insanely cheap!!!!) tree we've ever had. It's huge and the whole house smells of fresh spruce. Amazing. We set up our fake cardboard fireplace and hung garland, watched several Christmas movies and have enjoyed the amazing light displays up all over town.

Today, JB preached at church and I didn't even get to go b/c Carter was so sick. Spent most of my day cuddled on the couch w/ the little guy while Gavin enjoyed the time w/ Mema (my mom) and their 2 dogs. So, until our little Cupcake arrives, we'll be sure to enjoy the last few days as a family of 4! Tomorrow Gavin and I are squeezing in a coffee date to the "reindeer hot chocolate store " (aka Caribou Coffee!)- can't wait! Blessings!

One last thing...for those of you still wondering what Cupcake's name will be? Yes, we've picked one- we actually shared it w/ our family over Thanksgiving via a little contest. Here's YOUR chance- her initials are ENH- any guesses? We didn't have any guess both names correctly on Thursday, but many came close- think you have an idea? leave me a comment!

Steelers fans in "enemy territory"

In honor of the Steelers win last night, I dressed the boys, and myself in our Steelers shirts today. As I'm dropping Gavin off at school, his teacher commented on how cute Carter was, despite wearing a Steelers jersey, and how she wouldn't hold it against me that I was wearing a Steelers shirt- I just responded that "it's not my fault I come from a winning city" :) So, after school today, Gavin gets in the car and asks, "Mom, are the Steelers stinky?"! What?! I asked him who told him that...Mrs. Liz- his teacher! haha. I asked him when he wants to take in Steelers cupcakes or Black and Gold smiley face cookies as a treat! JB suggested we get Mrs. Liz a terrible towel for Christmas!

I guess it never dawned on me our love of the Steelers wouldn't be so well accepted here in Cleveland! So, if Mrs. Liz tells Gavin that the Steelers are stinky next week, I told Gavin it's okay if he tells her that "they sure aren't , but my mommy and daddy think the Browns are bad."

We ended our "Daddy week" by a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's to spend the stash of tokens we've had sitting around since Gavin's birthday and enjoy some fun time w/ JB before he leaves tomorrow morning. Then tonight we had a special movie night before bed. Yesterday, JB and I squeezed in and afternoon date. We went out to lunch and caught a movie (and a few garage sales!) while the boys had a fantastic time at home with a sitter! It was so great to get away w/ JB. Too bad you can't "stock up" on quality time! Fortunately, JB's tour starts off slow with him close to home for the first week and as it seems right now, the longest stretch that he'll be gone w/o us being able to see each other is only 3 weeks.

Never boring

Just as my life is getting ready to be anything but boring as JB starts tour on the 12th... Last night I couldn't sleep due to contractions that started at midnight. I drank several glasses of water and spent the next 2 hours on my left side praying they would go away. Finally, I woke JB up and called my Dr. We spent the next hour trying to find someone who could sit with our sleeping boys while we went to the hospital. We returned back home after 7am this morning- after spending the night hooked up to monitors and IV's and seen by docs all night long. Eventually my contractions stopped on their own and when all my labs came back I was relieved to know that I was not in preterm labor. They didn't really offer me an explanation- but I'm happy enough with the good news :) Though it doesn't do much to ease JB's mind as he gets ready to start 8 weeks of tour on Saturday. At least he'll be close to home during the first week.

Tonight, I feel fine, outside of being exhausted after being awake all night. Please pray that our little girl will be healthy and that we won't have any more scares like last night- especially while JB is away.

Baby Hospital and Babysitter

We just got home from spending a few days in Pittsburgh with my family and saying farewell to my youngest sister before she returns to college for her final year! The boys had such a great time playing with their cousins... hard to imagine how our little girl is going to change the mix- 4 boys and then will come our little girl- wonder what she'll bring to the mix of Wigal cousins, besides a little touch of pink?!

Tonight JB and I took a tour of the maternity ward of our "baby hospital", as Gavin calls it each time we drive by! I wanted to be sure we saw the place our little girl will be delivered before JB leaves for tour. Everyone else on our tour is due in the next few weeks...not the next few months, like us! Being there and seeing all the little babies made me even more eager to meet our little girl! The end of November seems like an eternity away! Especially when I consider how I've been feeling lately. My sciatica has kicked into high gear- making it hard to just do day to day things on top of the 'normal' day to day aches and pains of being pregnant. Until she arrives I'm going to do my very best to enjoy all her little kicks and flips and maybe try to take it easy as I chase Carter and Gavin!

While we were checking out the Labor and Delivery rooms, Gavin and Carter had a blast hanging out with Hannah- their first American, non-family, babysitter- they had a blast. Convenient for us, Hannah lives right down the street!

Tomorrow we head to JB's parents to cut wood...and Martha and I (w/ the boys) are heading down to the outlets to find a few cute outfits for "cupcake" since I have a 25% off coupon at Carters. And Ice cream at the dairy on the way home- yum! Off to bed to rest my weary body! Goodnight!

Summer is coming to an end

We're enjoying the last few weeks of summer before the crazy fall begins. Gavin is registered for preschool and is counting down till his first day. Fall Munchkin soccer starts in just a few weeks. JB is busy getting ready to leave for fall tour on Sept 12th. We're fitting in our last family outings before JB is gone for 2 months...the zoo, camping, visits with friends and celebrating labor day. Less than 2 weeks after JB comes home, our little girl is scheduled to arrive! I'm sad to see summer go, but I will be really glad for Thanksgiving b/c it means JB will be home for a few months and our boys will have a little sister! So, anyone who wants to come and visit during Sept/Oct/Nov- please do! I will be in need of adult conversation and chances to go grocery shopping w/o both boys, someone to share a cup of coffee with and if you're willing to spend the night and get up with the boys- I'd be eternally grateful for a few extra hours of end-of-pregnancy-exhausted-sleep!

I'm off to enjoy the last few weeks of summer- starting with the beautiful day God's given us today! Outside we go!

Warning: The side effects of your children speaking Russian

Our boys don't speak a whole lot of Russian with us, but they definitely use a few of their favorite words with each other- all the time. So much so, I wish they didn't know them, b/c they're not my most favorite Russian words... Gimmie, Mine, I want and No. They use the Russian command for "give" so often that their cousin has even picked it up. Not to mention that I get terrible looks in Walmart when the boys are arguing over something in the cart, telling each other to "give it to me". Not that anyone else around us typically understands Russian, but "give" sounds nearly identical to the English word "die". Great thing to have your sons yelling at each other in front of others! I had to laugh when the boys cousin, Brady, came up to me the other day to complain that Carter wouldn't give him a toy he wanted, "Aunt Iris, Carter isn't die-ing me." I couldn't help but laugh. At least we can be sure they'll still know a few words of Russian when we return...if only they were "please" and "thank you" and the like!

to-now, today, tomorrow, to-later

Whenever Gavin asks when we're going to do something and the answer isn't what he wants he responds with a question... either "what about to-now?" or "can we to-later?". Haha. He just makes up fitting words and they always make me laugh- these two have been sticking around for a lot longer than most of his other Gavin words!

Still potty training here. I still have most of my hair left and some patience! Potty training is not one of my favorite experiences as a mom. These are the days I miss our Russian apartment- all linoleum floors are so much easier to clean than carpet! Everyone has told us that the second child is easier... not sure I agree. Carter loves to 'go potty' but never at the right times! This is going to take much longer that it did with Gavin, I can just feel it! Though Carter is the champion of holding it as long as possible and staying dry to extended periods of time!

Today was Gavin's last swim lesson. To celebrate he and I went on a date after class. He chose McDonalds. We had a great hour spending time together over fries and nuggets. He shared with me all his favorite songs- his newest being, Praise Him praise Him all ye little children...!

Tonight we're off to a car show with the boys! JB needs a break from all his reading and paper writing that has been filling each day! He'll be so happy when he's finished all his course work...and so will I :) Hopefully it will happen before he leaves for tour so that we can enjoy some downtime together!

new things

It's Tuesday morning. Garbage day. Gavin has never really seen a garbage truck during the time we lived in Russia- there you just throw your garbage in dumpsters, which never happened to be close to our house, so even when the trucks would come to empty them, we'd never know. But, every Tuesday morning Gavin and Carter race to the sidewalk in their jammies to watch the garbage truck (and the recycling truck!) come by and pick up our trash. Fortunately our kids aren't the only ones curbside- the neighbors young boys keep them company and our local trash collector is so kind- he always compacts the trash just to send all the boys into uproars of cheer- regardless of whether he really needs to or not! And he's always smiling and waving at the kids! I'm sure the garbage man's visits will be on the list of things the boys will always remember about their first year living in America.

What will be on my list? First is a wonderful getaway JB and I were able to take right after we arrived back in the states. Along with that would be the 10k JB ran in May- nothing like being so proud of someone you love so very much- watching him cross that finish line was awesome, especially since he had been working so hard. I'm willing to bet that the 1/2 marathon he's running in October will be equally as great! Also on my list would be this past Saturday. My incredible Mother in law planned a spa day for all of us girls. She treated us all to some spa treatments and then out to dinner. It was so great to leave the boys at home and hang out with the incredible ladies of JB's family for a day. We chatted over pastries and pedicures and enjoyed a wonderfully slow fondue meal filled with lots of love and laughter. I'm so very blessed to not only have a wonderful loving family that raised me, but to have become part of an equally amazing family when I married JB. Love you guys so much. That leads me to the last thing on my list...which, if I was putting them in 'order' would most likely be the top of the list- spending time with family. Hugging on my wonderful nephews and sharing countless cups of coffee and priceless face to face conversation with the rest of my family- not to mention the hugs. Can't get enough hugs to last for the next four years- just not possible to really fill up on those!

In other news- today is Day 2 of the great potty training adventure. This month is the first month since we've been back to America where we'll actually be in the same place for 2 weeks or more! So far only one accident, but Carter mostly just "holds it all in" till I put pull ups on him for nap time and bed time. Not sure how to get passed that...someone suggested I just let him drink lots and lots and lots all day long so he can't possibly wait that long, lol. At least today is supposed to be rather warm- so another diaper-less play day in the back yard is in order! Wish us luck! Right now I'm off to take Gavin to one of his last swim lessons! Have a blessing filled day!

swimming lessons and "big boy beds"

This week Gavin started swimming lessons at the local community center. He gets up every morning excited about his "swim class"! He can't get enough of the water. He is convinced that he really can swim- so he has absolutely no fear of the water. So much so, that the second day of his class, he jumped into the water while his teacher was with another student and one of the lifeguards had to pull him out! And he was ready to do it again!


In other Gavin news, we recently found out that he has a spot in a local preschool. Since we started trying to find a preschool for him 'late' (apparently we should have started in January- not May!) all the classes were full and he was placed on a waiting list. We've been praying he would get into a specific one that is close to our house and his class would be many 4yr olds that he already knows from church. Sure enough- we got a call that he has a spot! Yeah God. He's so excited and can barely wait to start in just a few short weeks.

Carter is growing bigger and bigger! He loves his big bro so much and wants to do everything Gavin does! He repeats everything Gavin says and hugs/wrestles with him every chance he gets. He recently started sleeping in his "big boy bed" during nap times. He loves sleeping in a bed that is just like Gavin's! I'll get pics up real soon- the last few times I've tried to take sleeping pics of him, he's woke up! Hopefully I'll get a few sleeping shots of him soon- he looks so grown up with his pillow and John Deere comforter! Little little baby isn't so little any more!

The verdict is in!

Pink is the new color at the Hecock home!

We couldn't resist buying a little pink before our little GIRL arrives the end of November! The pink shirts were our "announcement" to our families, who are all thrilled to have the green light to start buying pink! Our little girl will be the first granddaughter/niece on my side of the family...she might be lonely among the 4 boy cousins- but no one can say she won't be spoiled! lol.

So, now you all know the gender...you'll just have to wait till November 27th to find out her name...which we LOVE, by the way! Still scares me a bit to think of having a little girl- but she'll be well taken care of with 2 older brothers and a spoiled to death by a Daddy that is already smitten by her! Gavin has been telling her stories and talking to my belly lots and lots. She will arrive as an expert on Spiderman (care of all Gavin's stories) and in no way a stranger to her brothers' kisses! I can't wait to meet her! I just hope she is okay waiting till after JB comes home from tour and we celebrate Thanksgiving!

About time...

Gavin and Carter with cousin Adrianna (who recently had a little brother, Joshua!)

JB and I last week

So, it's about time I update our blog! We've only been in the States for a few months now... Sorry! We spent the first few months here traveling and living at JB's parents house in New London, Ohio (where internet service is a far cry from fast or reliable!). We moved into our home for the year less than a month ago- though it feel like we've barely lived in it since then due to traveling to Virginia to spend time with our good friends in Suffolk and spending a week at Beulah Beach Camp/Conference Center in Vermilion, Ohio for HAMS (Home Assignment Ministry Seminar). So, now we're all "home" till JB leaves for fall tour (of CMA churches in the Central District) in mid-September. He'll come home mid-November, just 2 weeks before our little one is scheduled to arrive. Yes, you read that right- we're expecting our 3 little blessing!

We found out we were expecting as we were in Russia packing up our house to return to the States- That's about the time when all internet communication fell apart for us- so I apologize if you're only now finding out. We had some complications and very scary moments during the first trimester- but we're over half way there now and it looks like our little baby is healthy and growing just like he/she should be expected. My c-section is scheduled for Friday, November 27th. Yes- the day after Thanksgiving. We've decided to host all our families for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year- as it's only something we get to do once every 5 years...and it's not every year that I get the pleasure of having a HUGE oven that actually cooks at a consistent temperature! So, while we may be crazy, we wouldn't want it any other way!

Since we've been in the States Gavin and Carter have celebrated birthdays. Our little boys are very quickly growing up! They are enjoying all the "new" things here- McDonalds playplaces, Chuck E. Cheese's, drinking fountains, PBS shows in the morning, Grandparents/Aunts/Uncles, Sunday school and Children's church, a big backyard, beautiful (CLEAN) playgrounds, graham crackers and Gavin is particularly excited to go to preschool in the fall and start munchkin soccer. It's so fun to watch them experience all these things- many for the first time.

I'm sure this is a far cry from an exhaustive update of the last few months of our lives- but it gives you an idea of what's been going on with us. There is so much we miss about Russia (and Gavin still asks nearly every day when we'll be going home to Russia), but we are really enjoying seeing all of our family and reconnecting here...not to mention I'm enjoying my amazing oven and over sized appliances... I'd forgotten how many clothes can fit in a washing machine and how huge fridges are here!

So- during this next year feel free to get in touch with us! We're looking forward to catching up with so many of you and visiting different churches. If you want to find out what churches we'll be at in the fall- look for a schedule in our upcoming newsletter. If you don't receive our newsletters post a comment or send us an email and we'll be sure to add you to our email list!

Blessings!

Where did THAT come from?

Gavin has been saying a few phrases over the last few months that we have NO idea where he got them. The first one completely boggled us "Jelly, sneeze"! He started with this one around New Years. Every time we asked him where he learned it, he would just give us a blank stare. The other one he started just a few week ago, he gets right in your face and says "do you, do you, do you?" Then he just falls down laughing.

Just last night we sat down to watch a movie together. Gavin chose Nemo- which we haven't watched since maybe November. As I'm sitting there watching with him one of the little turtles says "Jelly (in response to Marlin swimming through the swarm of Jelly fish), SWEET" (though when I first heard the "sweet" part, I really though he had said "sneeze"!). Crazy. AND- the "Do you, do you, do you?" is also from the movie- Dorie says it. These are officially the first lines G has quoted from a movie. Just so weird that it was so very long ago that we last watched it!

In other news- Kristy is here! She made it all in one piece and she if the very first of our guests over the last 4 years that has made it with ALL of her luggage! Amazing :) She arrived at 4:30ish this morning and she and JB are already out taking care of getting her registered and with the rest of our Action group feeding the homeless at a nearby shelter. And then tonight we have English Cafe- our theme is Valentine's Day! It's going to be a great week!