How Could I Forget?!?!

How could I possibly forget Heidi's first day of school picture?! Poor girl! I didn't mean to leave you out, sweet girl!


Yes, she moped around the house and finally landed on the arm of the sofa in a dejected, lost and lonely sort of "humph."

Her eyes moved, but her head stayed put as she watched me walk around her taking pictures. She looked pitiful!

School's IN!!!

Did Summer seem extra long to anyone else? I know we got a late start, but those 2 extra weeks seemed more like 2 extra MONTHS! I think everyone in our house was overjoyed on Monday when they finally got to go back to school. Bit wasn't quite as excited, but she was a little apprehensive about having Athletics first period and what that was going to be like. She began her first workout yesterday as her physical papers were finally in order and she was groaning this morning about getting out of bed for her 6:30 workout today. I told her today was nothing like tomorrow would be so get to moving! (such encouragement.) She's decided to do Cross Country (Dad's excited) and she ran her first mile yesterday. She was discouraged about her time (11 minutes), but I told her it was better than mine! She gave me a look...


I was on my own taking the kids to school on Monday, so it took a while to make it around to everyone's class.


Here they are walking in...









Little Buddy has an orderly, neat, young and pretty teacher this year. I don't know her, but I know his teacher last year had a big part of making sure he had just the right teacher this year, so I think it's going to be a good fit for him. He's already gotten a note about talking too much... We can't expect miracles, but I do think this year will be a notch up on the behavior ladder! Surely!

Little Girl is excited about her own desk and her own locker.

The locker part was what she kept coming back to when asked about her favorite part of the day!

She's a big first grader now, so she gets to be treated more like a "big kid". She's so fun and giggly.

Well, Bear wouldn't stop talking to her friends when I finally got to her room the first day. Could be a concern, but I got a note from her teacher this morning saying Bear is a sweetheart! She said she was so respectful and she listens, participates and follows directions. Oh, I dream of the day that someone says that about her brother!!

Snake Handling

This post is dedicated to Mawmaw & Aunt Cynthia with love. Enjoy!

In getting ready for Aunt Cynthia's wedding, we "unearthed" some fun for the kids ... a nest of just-beginning-to-hatch baby snakes in the pile of fresh mulch delivered for the flower beds around Aunt Melissa's backyard! Uncle Phil assured us they were Boa Constrictors which, at this size, aren't constricting a whole lot.

Ethan holds the snake out for everyone to see. He's the only brave young'in to begin with. Although, Little Buddy is chomping at the bit to get his turn.


























Little Buddy proudly holds the little pet - or is the little pet holding on to Little Buddy??
















Bit says, "Ok, I'll give it a try." But her face says, "Ok, I gave it try! Now someone take this thing off of me!"












Bit's skin crawls as she can still feel the creature crawling on her...














Bit gets over being all "girly" and gives the snake another try.




Dad holds one of the 5 little snakes that were found as they dug through the mulch. The kept discovering more freshly hatched eggs! Some of the little snakes still had little umbilical-type things attached to them!

Little Girl says, "Y'all can have all the fun you want over there with those slithery things! I'll just sit here in the Barbie Jeep and pretend like I'm driving FAR away!"

Being a Runner

I am a runner. Yes, I hear you laughing... There is something in me that just wants to run, though. (Yeah, I know, maybe it's "away" from the chaos that ensues my house at times...) But, I am stepping out and putting this "out there" in writing, so I can't back down. I've used several excuses. There was the leg surgery. And before that it was the pain and discomfort that came from the oddity of that extra muscle. I would start again and there would be the lump and all the mammograms and MRIs to follow that 3 month ordeal. (And I wasn't even the one who ended up with cancer!) Well, I started up pretty good again this past spring and so came the ovarian cysts. It's always something... And I'm sure there will always be something. That subconscious laziness of not wanting to put my body through the agony of getting started again. That first mile is always the hardest! But, I'm tired of being tired and I'm tired of being so big and I'm tired of excuses.

I shall ice my leg/foot when it hurts. I remember Dad doing that for months on his knees when he took up running again after a 12 year hiatus. Of course, I thought he was crazy. Training for a marathon...why would anyone want to put their bodies through that?? (I thought as I stood on the sidelines of the finish line in Austin 6 months pregnant with Little Girl.) But, something about those crazy healthy bodies (not perfect, mind you!) struck a chord in me (along with the reminder of the 9 pounds I'd gained over the past month of pregnancy!). I was 31 years old and I actually considered doing a bit of running. Maybe only a mile or two - who would want to do more than that? Besides, I always got a cramp in my side every time I had to run anywhere in high school. And my face always turned beet red within a few moments of exertion! So unattractive! But when Little Girl was barely 6 weeks old, there I was heading out the door to run to my nearest street corner. Whew! I had made it to the corner. Secure in that distance, I soon set out for the next corner. And within a few weeks I found myself all the way around my block. And soon I was training for a 5K! I remember the fear I had the night before the first race I ran in Houston. It wasn't a 5K but 4 miles! What if I didn't finish?? What if I was the very last person who did finish!?! But I did finish! And I went on to run 3 half marathons over the next 2 years. And then I had to do something about the pain in my foot... And it's been downhill ever since.

I want to run another half marathon!! By golly, I might even want to run a full marathon!! Whatever, I just want to run. It's a strange feeling.

And so I step out with this commitment (for whomever might even be reading) so that I may be held accountable. If you must, you can say "doesn't look like you've been running much lately". However, a simple "how's the running going?" might be better received... :-) I don't aspire to be rail-thin or have that "perfect" body. Shoot, I gained 5 pounds when I trained for my first half-marathon! (How depressing is that?? All muscle, I'm sure...) I do, however, aspire to be healthy. I'm too young to feel old yet!





Here I am finishing a half marathon (13.1 miles!!) a few years back - Bit & Bear ran across the finish line with me. (Notice the beet red face!!) Not too much giddy-up in my step there, but I really am "running" to cross the finish line...



This I shall do again - red faced and all!

Heidi Happenings

Haven't had a dedicated "Heidi" update in a while!

Her biggest news is that she had surgery at the beginning of June. In addition to her "no puppies here" procedure, she had to have an umbilical hernia repaired. Without the hernia, t'would have been an easy in and out procedure. With the hernia, she stayed overnight, had several stitches and was put on activity restriction for a week. Would have been much simpler for us had we not been getting new carpet the day she came home from the vet! The house was turned upside down and we had a dog we had to keep still and quiet. And with her silly looking cone, she had a hard time getting comfortable anywhere, much less in her crate! We found a VERY small area to put her big comfy pillow and she was pretty much fenced in with all the furniture upheaval in the house.

Heidi likes visiting with the neighbors.

Heidi loves her people and their beds.

Heidi absolutely LOVES her new Bumble Ball. Here's a completely worn out puppy. We had to replace the batteries TWICE the first night she played with the ball!

Another funny tongue picture . . . (new kitchen floor - no baseboards yet.)

Baptism in the Park

This post is a follow-up to "Preacher Boy".

We had VBS the first week of June and on Wednesday, June 6th, as we were wrestling the kids into bed after their 5th trip to the kitchen for a drink, Little Buddy comes in to tell us that he just asked Jesus into his heart. We've had many discussions about this over the past few months, more in the past weeks, but you could tell from his voice that this was serious and sincere. Here's the story:

Little Buddy had gone in Bit's room as they were turning out their lights and asked her what it felt like when Jesus was in your heart. She tried to think of a good way to help him understand, so she told him it was like one of his friends trying to get him to do something he shouldn't do and he knew in his heart that he shouldn't do it. Very simplistic, but an analogy that worked for him. They prayed together and then he came in the kitchen and told us. I sat down and talked to him some more and felt certain that God was indeed calling his little heart. He sat on his bed and prayed a prayer all his own - no repeating or being told what to say. Oh, how I wish I'd had a video camera in the room or enough time to write down everything he said! That was the most sincere and heartfelt prayer I've ever heard from a 7 year old. He covered all his ABCs (Admit you're a sinner, Believe Jesus died for your sins, Claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior) and asked Jesus in his heart. The moment went by all too suddenly. It was a beautiful prayer.

Shortly after that, it was announced that a special baptism service at the park would take place in July. Having had visions of what could happen in the baptistery at church by energetic boys (seen this video??)...

...we kind of thought that this might be a good option. Little Buddy was concerned about having to go into the lake water, but with all the rain the lake was too mucky, so they had to bring in a portable baptistery. There were almost 40 baptisms that afternoon!

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Now, if only God made it easy for us to leave our old ways and embrace the new . . . Little Buddy is still the same old "Little Buddy" in many ways, but I think God works on him just a little more each day. Or maybe He's working on me . . .

Preacher Boy??

This post was begun in April 2007 and edited over the last few weeks.

Little Buddy does at least one thing every day to amaze me. And most of the time, it is the shake-your-head-and-smile kind of thing. Maybe it's God's way of shining a small ray of hope down on us after some other unbelievable thing he's done that we are not smiling about. Maybe. He's always been a little ahead of his sisters. He read earlier than they did. He "got" math earlier than they did (whew!). He notices things. He asks questions. In general, he's just really sharp. I've seen it in his eyes since he was a baby. I can remember holding him and thinking that there was just something different in those eyes than I had seen previously in the older two. I also thought it was just me with a little more mothering experience under my belt. Or maybe it was my lack of sleep since those eyes were looking at me ALL THE TIME it seemed . . . that child seemed to sleep SO little! He actually didn't start sleeping through the night until after his baby sister did - literally! Thank goodness Little Girl was so easy going! God knew exactly what I needed when she turned out to be a girl instead of another little boy like I'd prayed for! God always knows best!

And so, I know that God knows what is best for Little Buddy. And even though sometimes I feel so unqualified to be his mother (what do I DO with the boy??), I do know that God chose me to do so. And I do so with MUCH prayer!

Over the past couple of years, he's had quite a few shake-your-head-and-smile moments regarding God. Here are some highlights of some of those moments:

One night before turning out his light, he told me about the verse they were learning in Upward soccer - John 3:16. ("For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever may believe in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.") I have never seen anyone (much less a 5 year old) so excited about John 3:16! The thought of living forever in Heaven was astounding to him. And so began the discussion of his soul and what happens to our bodies when we die and so on and so on . . . He was fascinated. And he had an unbelievable grip on the whole idea of a soul! It was amazing.

At breakfast one morning, he asked me if we were Jewish. Seems that there is a boy in his class that says he is Jewish (they've obviously been discussing religion at school . . .) and he didn't know what that meant.

Just recently, he was telling me about some boys he knows at school and an argument they had at recess one day (1st grade). He was so mad at them because they didn't believe in God. My 7 year old son was having a discussion about God with his friends at recess in public school. Wow.

We love listening to him pray. It's like listening to him have a conversation with God. It's fun to hear. I think he can pray "better" out loud than I can. I'm more of a private pray-er, though.

His list of things to be when he grows up changes quite often - or more precisely, grows longer quite often. He wants to be an astronaut. He wants to be a pilot. He wants to be in the Army so he can drive the cool tanks and stuff. He wants to be a construction worker so he can dig big holes and drive the tractors and back-hoes. We choked on our food one night at dinner when he said he wanted to be a grave digger. What's with that boy and digging holes? He saw a garbage truck parked in a neighborhood one afternoon and it looked like the driver was taking a nap. He decided that looked like a great job. Drive a great big truck and then stop for a nap whenever you want, too! Cool. If he fully knew what a storm chaser was, he'd probably want to do that since he's absolutely fascinated with the weather.

I, however, wouldn't be surprised if the boy turned out to be a preacher . . . Isn't it that those kids who cause the most ruckus at school end up being some of the best teachers? And isn't it so with some of the bigger handfuls at home that end up being the some of the best preachers? Only God knows . . . and in the meantime, I pray . . . if not for Little Buddy, then for myself!

Stay tuned for the next update, posting soon!

Jesus Came Today!

We had word that he would arrive sometime between 9 & 3. We were up early making preparations. We were SO excited. We had waited for so long! The house was almost ready when the doorbell rang at 10:30. There he stood, Jesus Pecheco, with a van-load full of beautiful NEW carpet!

Thus, our already chaotic-ly torn up house reached the absolute climax of disarray. As we were already in the middle of re-tiling our kitchen and had all the furniture out of that room (table in the family room, fridge in the study . . .) we added to the max capacity of those two rooms by placing our entire house-ful of furniture in THOSE TWO ROOMS with everything else. One resounding thought kept reverberating through my head. WE HAVE TOO MUCH JUNK! Several trips to the local Good Will as well as a multitude of garbage bags later, we had purged most of our junk overload. Still, we are in desperate need of more space for the 6 people that live in this house . . . (Here's Little Bit's room re-do. The pictures obviously don't do it justice, but it is a HUGE improvement with the new carpet!)

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Thank goodness we were only getting new carpet in the bedrooms! I can't imagine having the whole house on the front lawn!

The Fig Tree

When we moved in to our house we built 8 years ago, we planted a fig tree that was clipped from one at Little Mawmaw & Pawpaw's house in Louisiana by way of Mawmaw & Pawpaw's house in Houston. It was a little bitty foot-tall stick in the ground in January 1999. We hoped it would grow. Here's what it looks like today!! (I got Little Buddy to pose as a reference.)

We lost a huge limb a couple of years ago during a storm, but it filled back in without a hitch. Dad hasn't trimmed it to grow taller so we can reach the figs as they ripen. I guess it just keeps growing out to the sides instead! The limbs are so heavy with little figs right now! We can never keep up with the fig growth, so any help picking will be welcomed when the time comes this summer!! (And you're welcome to take some lirope with you as well - it's starting to take over in the garden now!)

Little Dancing Girl

We upped the ante with two dance classes this year! (Needed something else to keep us busy.) Little girl took ballet AND tap and we were so *lucky* to be able to be in both (5 hour) recital shows! Actually, all worked well (for the boys who could barely sit still through ONE dance) because Bear ended up with a soccer tournament so we split our time and the kids. Dad took Little Buddy with him to Bear's soccer games during the weekend. Mom took Bit and Little Girl to all the recital practices and performances during the weekend. Mom made it to a part of one of Bear's games and Dad made it to watch Little Girl tap. Little Girl, however, sat through almost 5 hours of other dances - and loved almost every minute of it! We may have a "dancer" on our hands . . . Not so sure how I feel about all that competitive stuff that generally comes with being a "dancer", though . . .

We were able to put our new video camera to good use over the weekend, so here is Mom's first try at video editting. (Pardon the bobble as I try to figure out how to get the cover off the lens! Pretend like it's starting at the very beginning of the song.)





Dad didn't make it to the ballet as Bear's semi-final game was at the very same time. The whole family did, however, make it to see the tap number - Little Girl's favorite. Here's what we have of it . . .



And this is why we quickly remembered that we NEVER leave the tape rewound after we look at something on the camera. At least the one that got recorded over was the one everyone was there for.



Here are some still shots of Little Girl in her costumes. She LOVES getting all dressed up and ready for recital!
(I do have to note that our dance studio and taekwondo are right next door to each other and the schedules overlap - the ONLY way to manage extra-curricular activities for 4 children! PLUS, Dominoes is two doors down - voila - Monday night dinner!)

The Graduate (part 1)

Heidi is now a graduate of puppy school. Each day when we would return from PetSmart, Dad would call and ask how the student was that day. Of course, she was the star - *teacher's pet* . . . And today she graduated valedictorian of her class!! . . . . Ok, ok, so she was the only one in the class!! And she wasn't *teacher's pet*. That would have been Sparky, the teacher's actual pet . . . But, she did so good!!

We had an audience every now and then during the past 4 weeks of class. Do you know how unnerving that is??

She's done well, though. She can sit, lay down, stay, shake, high five (well, ten most of the time, . . . or is it eight?), say "bye-bye", walk on her leash without dragging us around the block, leave it (still working on the exciting trash can, though), and sit pretty.

And she actually sat to let a little boy pet her on our way out of the store today! She's always so excited when someone talks to her or wants to pet her, but she sat there twice and let that little boy pet her for almost a minute!

A note from Heidi: "Get this thing off of me!!! What is wrong with you people?!?"

A Beautiful Spring Break

This is one of several posts "in progress" . . . Kind of like lots of things around here . . . So, instead of painting my bathroom, taping the hallway for paint prep, sewing curtains for the study or reorganizing my closet so I can move my sewing boxes onto those shelves, I'll sit here and complete this unfinished task . . . :-) Besides, Heidi just dragged (or is it drug?) me around the mile-block, so I need to sit for a moment.

Dad took a few days off during Spring Break (yes, a month ago) and we drove to Grandma's for an extended weekend visit. Being in Texas, you never can tell what kind of weather you'll get mid-March. (Actually, I think there are lots of places around the US saying that even about mid-April right now. What's with snow on Easter?) Anyhow, our Spring Break week turned out with absolutely perfect "spring break" weather. A perfect time to be off in the country for a few days to relax.

I grew up in my "little bitty home town" for 22 years (3 1/2 of those in college, but that was still where I called "home"). I never noticed how different it was there until we had a few kids, though. When I go on a trip, I like to leave my house as perfectly as possible so that when I return I can only bring the mess of unpacking in to deal with. It pushes the edges of my sanity at times, but I'm really a happier mom for it. Some might argue. Needless to say, sometimes by the time I'm out the door all is not well in the van for the first hour or so. This is especially difficult when I have to pack and load by myself. I remember one particular time after a hectic and stressful packing and driving by myself with the kids, I drove past the city limit sign heading into Grandma's town. I don't remember the specifics of the packing or the driving, but I do remember the feeling that came over me as we drove past that sign into town. We had sometimes joked about this, but it was SO true that day and really has been ever since.

I could actually feel time slowing down as we drove into town.

Isn't that crazy? (that sanity thing again . . .) Seriously, though. Time feels slower at Grandma's house. We enjoy our visits to the "country". And the kids are finally getting big enough to not worry as much when they are outside playing. Grandma's house sits about 50 yards from the spring-fed tank my Papa had built when I was a kid. Makes it nice for all-day fishing, but it's a little worrisome when you have small kids running around.

So, here are some fishing pictures:

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And some other pictures from the week. No pics with Poppa this time . . .

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What'd he say???

This is for all you moms who still have toddlers who speak foreign languages! What a hoot! This lady has such a way with words! Her quirky outlook kind of reminds me of Erma Bombeck . . .

Antique Mommy - Read "Eat Taters Hot"

Glamour Girl

As a special "gift", our orthodontist gives patients a gift certificate to Glamour Shots when they get their braces off. Bit received her first "gift" as she got her first phase of braces off last month. We took a "girls' day" last weekend and went to the mall. My poor mall-deprived children thought they were in heaven . . . so sad . . . But, Bit and Bear had a blast and enjoyed the outing even though Mom set very strict perameters on what "shopping" meant! Bear was an amazing "assistant" for Bit as she got to change outfits and have several shots taken. It was fun to watch Bear enjoy Bit's pictures, but also make mental notes for her portrait opportunity when her braces come off!

Bit got her first "real" valentine from a boy this year. Oh, dear, what are we getting into . . .!? She's not too into the whole boyfriend - who's going with who - thing, so we will be glad to wait that out as long as possible. She does have some interests, though . . . it's only a matter of time . . .

Get your own fluffy pillow!

Heidi has always had a thing for Bear's fluffy blue pillow thing. She went nuts at the pet store earlier over her own version in the form of a fluffy pink pig! And of course, Doting Dad bought it for his spoiled little girl!








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A taste of freedom . . . !!

Panic hid hard this afternoon when we returned from Bear's soccer practice to find Heidi sitting at the door to greet us!!! I was terrified at what I would find as I ventured in the door . . . !! Although everyone swears they closed the crate doors or saw them closed, I don't think Heidi is talented enough to open the door herself . . . Amazingly, the only casualty was an ipod cable with teeth marks all over it. Besides one piece of paper torn to shreds, one poop spot (carpet . . .), one pee spot (kitchen!), she was a very good girl in her 90 minutes of exploration. You have to wonder if she was just at the door because she heard the car in the garage or if she sat there waiting for a while. In favor of the spoiled little thing, I'll think happy thoughts and rest on the latter option.

Spoiled??

Happy Valentine's Day from Heidi! She *loved* her pretty neck-wear for Valentine's Day (not!). She did get used to it for a while as long as everyone left it alone and didn't fuss with it. Mom got creative when she saw how much the pet store was charging for similar items - much cheaper to get the materials at Michael's than the finished product at PetSmart!

Mom got back home after dropping the kids at school to find Heidi snoozing (snoring!!) away in her crate. What a sight!
Heidi was propped up on her bone pillow and snuggled down under her A&M blanket. Mom got several pictures and took some good looks at them on the camera to be sure they looked ok. Notice anything? Mom didn't either at first . . . (click on the picture for a closer look) Little Buddy had kissed his sweet little friend goodbye and tucked her in for a nap, but he didn't quite finish his job . . . gate on the crate is completely unlocked! Good thing Mom came back home instead of heading off for the church! No telling what the house might have looked like in 3 hours!


Gate is locked this time! I can't tell you what peace of mind I have when they're both locked in and quiet! Won't be long before they're both too big for the crate . . .

Changing Faces

Now who's who????? Mom actually has to look closely sometimes . . . How pitiful is that!?

Bear now has glasses and front braces. Bit has her front braces off for a while and will have her new glasses sometime this week. Hopefully, her new frames will be different enough to go back to quick identity for Mom.

Heidi has grown SO much this week! She's already so much bigger than she was when we got her almost 10 days ago!

In taking this picture of the girls, I just couldn't delete this goofy one with Heidi's tongue sticking out.

Personality Princess

No, I'm not talking about Little Girl . . . although she and Heidi do rival for that title!
























Heidi LOVES her people - especially her Little Buddy who will sit and snuggle as much as he will run and play!


She loves rolling around in the dead brown grass in the backyard. She rolls and rolls until she's completely covered, then she stretches out in the sun covered in grass. Sounds like Little Buddy's best friend!

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Bringing Home Baby

It snowed the 1st day of December as we said "goodbye" to our sweet little Lucy. It snowed the 2nd day of February when we said "hello" to our sweet little Heidi!

Heidi is home!

The day began with Dad and Mom dropping the kids at all the schools and heading out on the slick snowy roads for Terrell, our halfway meeting point with the breeder. We were so glad school was not cancelled or delayed for the day! We were anxious to get on the road though, not knowing what kind of delays we might encounter along the way due to the past 12 hours of snow. We made good time and sat at the outlet mall in Terrell waiting for a little while watching cars and wondering at each one - would it be her. She drove up right at the scheduled meeting time. It was so cold outside and Heidi had gotten a little carsick along the way, so she was shaking. Mom bundled her right up and jumped in the warm van with her while Dad finished some paperwork with Stacie. Her 7 little pounds felt almost weightless bundled up in her special "princess" blanket. After Stacie left, we sat and cuddled her in the parking lot for a bit before heading back home with our new little bundle (detouring by Dad's office for a quick show-off).

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We got home and introduced Heidi to her new surroundings. The quiet little bundle suddenly burst into action. She had dozed and snuggled all the way home, so she was rested and ready for play.

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When the kids walked in the door from school, we timed it so that Heidi would walk through the living room so they would see her as they came in the front door. They were SO excited. Little Buddy was surprised and hugged her like crazy. Little Girl giggled and giggled. Bit and Bear had sneaked a peek at Mom's e-mail a few days ago and ruined the surprise for themselves . . . BUT, they were all surprised at how small little Heidi is! We really didn't get a good perspective in pictures and even the pictures we've taken don't show how cute and petite her little facial features are! She's SO cute!!! She has SO much skin to grow into! Pawpaw said she has more wrinkles that he does!

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And what a spunky personality she has! She's all out sleeping or all out playing. She even made it through her first night without any accidents and only a slight whine or two. Dad took her out at 2am and 6am and she went with no problem and went right back to sleep. Little Buddy kept her company all night in a sleeping bag by her crate. He said he had to tell her a couple of times during the night that "it was ok." He put his fingers in her crate so she'd feel someone there with her. He loves his sweet little Heidi.

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