good news travels fast.

We have a lot of good news to share with you, BloggerLand! Some of you already know that my parents have accepted, at the request of the President of the LDS Church, the responsibility of Mission President over the Resistencia, Argentina mission!!

What this means:

This is bittersweet for my family. My Dad is quitting a job he loves and my mom is leaving her dreamhouse and grandkids to live in a rural part of Argentina for 3 years. They will manage 150 or so missionaries, helping to build the locals' faith in Jesus Christ. My family was ecstatic to learn that of all the missions in Argentina, they will be in Resistencia. My brother Chris served there 10 years ago! Also, my Dad was a missionary in another part of Argentina in the 1970s. My parents leave for Argentina in July.

We are going to miss my parents like crazzzy. Living with my Mom, Dad, and little brother Taylor over the last 8 months has been better than we could've imagined. Unlike other people's experience living with parents, ours was drama-less and our time together increased our appreciation for one another. I think Sunday and Monday nights were our favorite. Candace and my Mother spoiled us with great meals on Sundays and we usually spent the majority of both nights chatting with each other and my sibblings via webcam. I particularly appreciate the way my family has taken to Candace. There is no doubt in her mind that she fits in with the rest of us!

Seeing my parents make this decision to leave the comforts of home and give so much of themselves has caused me to reflect. What would I do if the same were asked of me? Its a tough question to answer! I'm grateful that my parents love the Lord and the people of Argentina more than themselves. It won't be easy without you here, Mom and Dad, and you'll be in our daily prayers and thoughts. Don't cry Jen and Bub!!! (I know you are!)

One last thing I'd like to mention on this topic and then I'll move on. While we were waiting to hear from the Church where in the world my parents would be serving, I'd find myself imagining what it was going to be like when my parents opened their mission call (it comes in the form of a letter). I thought back to when I received my mission call as a 19 year old. I remember the excitement of calling friends and family over to watch as I read a letter requesting I serve in Campinas, Brazil.

While my Mom opened and read the letter aloud, the rest of us sat silent listening intently. Most of my sibblings watched via webcam. I was so focused on the anxiety surrounding my parents' mission call that I was caught off guard by the unmistakeable presence of the Holy Spirit. My anxiety quickly turned to feelings of peace, unity, and love that came from a source other than myself. I look back at that moment thankful for the witness I received that my parents were following God's will.

My parents reading the call to my sibblings on iChat (video conference):

Taylor showing the letter to the camera:

IN OTHER HEYMAN NEWS:

- we bought a house!! Party at my place!!!

We live in Ahwatukee (SE Phoenix), a short drive to work and to family in Chandler and Phoenix. (More pics & info coming soon)

-I'm on an indoor soccer team. I LOOOVE to compete and this is a great outlet for my competitiveness. Its great exercise, except I recently tried a stint as goalie and ever since my team has insisted I stay goalie. This means I'm either the worst player on the team, since goalie is the equivalent of sticking the uncoordinated, goofy kid in right field....OR...I'm an amazing goalie. I'm going to go with the latter.

-Taylor (aka Chief, Mug, Tay-luh, Unkie, Skunkie, and Tayluh-mmmooooooooon) got in to BYU completing a Heyman run of 5 kids in a row! I'm excited for him to have the time of his life as a freshmen and I'm expecting him to make the BYU Lacrosse team.

-Cbug and I head to Disneyland and Catalina Island soon. This is an "all expenses paid trip" for being my company's top performer. Shoutout to Crexendo Web Marketing!

AND, what is a blog post without one more picture of America's cutest baby boy?

so far behind...

I have a lot of blogging to catch up on. A lot has happened for our family in 2011! One big event: WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!! We are SO excited. We're still unpacking but I'll eventually post some pics. Reedy Roo Bear is still as cute as ever and we're loving being a little family in our very own home. Can you believe Reed has grown from this little guy into this big guy?  Boy do we love him.

Although being homeowners is terrific, we miss having Curtis's parents and brother, Taylor, around.  They were so wonderful to let us live with them for the last 7 months.  It was a huge blessing and I know Reed isn't the only one who misses Papa, Grandma and Unkie time.  Thank goodness for Sunday dinners!

Since I'm so behind on blogging, I'm not going to overwhelm myself by trying to make this post layout perfectly, or include every little update about our Roo Bear.  I'll simply leave you with some recent photos and a video of Reed's latest trick.

 

merry christmas!

Ho, Ho, Ho!  Time to spread Christmas cheer by updating our blog and recapping 2010.  At the beginning of 2010, Candace was pregnant, commuting to work in Salt Lake, and helping my parents renovate their condo in Provo (where we were living).  I was starting my last semester of grad school, applying for jobs, and serving with the 17 year-olds in our ward.  So much has changed and we have so much to be thankful for!

The latest with Curtis:
I'm loving my job at Crexendo Web Marketing.  I meet with clients about building new web sites and/or helping existing web sites get more traffic.  I've always been fascinated by strategies that grow businesses and right now there isn't a better strategy than to leverage the power of the internet, so its a perfect fit.  While I terribly miss the outdoor lifestyle that accompanies living a few minutes from Utah's beautiful mountains and rivers, it feels right to be back in Arizona.  Candace and I are looking at moving to Ahwatukee soon, which will keep my drive to work around 10 minutes.  Fatherhood has been the best thing that has happened to me since marrying Candace.  Reed makes life more fun than I could've ever imagined.

What's up with Candace?
This year Candace got a huge promotion at work, going from interior designer to Mama.  She seems to be amazing at whatever she does, as one of the last design projects she worked on earned an award this year.  Most importantly, she's done a great job transitioning into the role of stay-at-home Mom.  Its fun to see her learn and grow in Motherhood along with my sisters and sister-in-law.  Candace is still a book worm and uses photography, cooking, and painting as her creative outlets.

The 411 on RooBear! 
We can't get over how great our son is!  Every day he gets cuter and more lovable.  People seem to notice most his super silky skin, eyebrows, and mama's blue eyes, along with his smiley nature and extra-chubby figure.  Candace and I know we lucked out on this little boy.  While it seems he's at the perfect stage, I can't help but daydream about teaching him to play catch, taking him fishing, or riding ATV's together.  Just as Fatherhood has brought a lot of joy, its also taught me much needed lessons about love and life.  Becoming a father introduced me to how fragile life really is.  I've acquired more patience and selflessness, as well as an awareness of how much my parents love me.

I'm grateful for the Christmas season and the opportunity it offers for us to grow closer to those that mean the most.  Reflecting upon the love I have for my family and son has also renewed my appreciation for God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Candace and I know that it is by following Christ's example that we can find true Peace in this life and Salvation in the next.

Best Wishes for 2011!

Curtis, Candace, and Reed

almost seven months.

I can't believe our little Reed Curtis is almost 7 months old!  Time is flying by.  He has been such a joy in our life.  He will smile for anyone, rolls over, sits up pretty well, wants and reaches for anything Mama or Dada have (especially my phone or water bottle), loves rice cereal but is unsure of anything else I give him (sweet potato, apple sauce, cucumber, banana, avocado), loves music, loves to stand on his chunky legs, eats his toes whenever he gets a chance, says "mama, dada & nanana," loves when Papa dances him around and sings "This Old Man," also loves to play patty cake or sing "Popcorn Popping," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," & "Twinkle Little Star" with Mama, he's very ticklish but witholds his giggles half of the time, laughs when you play peek-a-boo and can pull a burp cloth off his face to play, smiles every time Grandma sings the Reedy Roo song, and loves to snuggle and be held.  Reed is an all-around happy baby boy and we love him!

Say Uncle!

Reed loves his uncles.  Every day when "Unckie" Taylor comes home from school he looks for Reed first thing wanting to play with him.  Reed's face lights up when he sees him and Taylor is so great to hold Reed for me whenever I need it.  Reed loves music so naturally he loves to listen to Taylor play his Ukulele.  Sometimes I put Reed in his bouncer next to the piano while he plays.  He is a very attentive listener if you have a song to share!

Justin was in town for a while so he got to spend lots of time snuggling the Roo Bear.  When Reed was first born he would cry in the afternoons.  Whenever Justin was around he would snuggle him in, take him outside, and bounce him right to sleep.  He's always been great with babies and there's no exception with Reed.  Come back and play Uncle Jboy!

7 Days of Fun

Cbug and I had a really fun and busy week. The week ended on a good note with Stake Conference on Saturday and Sunday. I have some pics to help me paint a picture of our schedule, but first let's get to what everyone cares most about on this blog:

Reed Curtis!!! He found his toes!!
Being a Dad is so much fun. I joke with friends that if they had told me how great it is to be a Daddy, I would've gotten married and started having a family years ago!


(sorry about the low quality pictures, most were taken on my cell phone)
Things are going really well at my company, Crexendo. I enjoy what I do, I'm the leading sales consultant, and my company treats me well. This week I hit a big sales goal and earned a significant pay raise!! Candace and I celebrated by getting Chipotle with my family and getting ourselves a fun present.


Two Saturdays ago, I got to do some ATV riding with my bro-in-law and his cousin. I have to thank Candace for being sweet enough to let me have a Guys Day.


The day was PERFECT. Austin, Justin, and I rode for 20 miles through the desert north-east of Phoenix. We found ourselves at the Verde River and dared each other to jump in. One of the great things about the weather in Arizona is that even on a day in early November, its warm enough for an afternoon swim. Here's Justin soaking up some rays after swimming in the Verde.


Later on in the week, my Mom was kind enough to babysit RooBear so Cbug and I could have a night to ourselves. I surprised Cbug by getting a hold of tickets to one of our favorite bands, The Rocket Summer. The show ROCKED, although Candace and I felt like we were 5 years older than everyone else there!


I've been to a lot of shows and I've never seen the lead singer walk out into the middle of the crowd to sing, but that's what happened. We were right next to him! Cbug tried to kiss him! haha


Candace is definitely in the running for the prestigious "Wife of the Year" award after letting me have another Guys Saturday. Yesterday, Clayton Evans and I ran up to Payson and did some fishing on the Tonto River. We caught over 15 fish together on a BEAUTIFUL day in the Arizona mountains.

Here is C-bone getting it done.


One of my catches, a healthy rainbow.


Here's a small one I caught that had some prolific coloring on its gills and back.


Clayton nailed a few of these big boys before the day was over. It was good to catch up with Clayton while getting out to enjoy the outdoors.


(And to cap the week off right, my Suns beat the Lakers in L.A.! Even the referees couldn't keep the Suns from winning)

A Stinkin' Cute Pooh!

As Halloween approached, Cbug and I wondered how we would celebrate RooBear's first Halloween.  Candace's mom, Denise, gave us a hint by getting Reed a Winnie-the-Pooh costume.  Once Candace (and our mothers) saw Reed in his costume for the first time I had NO CHOICE in what I would be for Halloween.  I decided to play along and the rest is history.

 Cbug got to work making my Tigger and her Eeyore outfits complete with tails, ears, tummies and all.  We headed over to Uncle and Aunt Bra-Manda's house for a Trick or Treat Party.

Here are the hosts in all their glory.  For a good laugh, click on their picture below to notice all of the detail put into Branno's "Dorothy" costume.  I think he dresses like this when no one else is home.

 One of the perks of living with the 'rents while finding a home is living next door to 2 Arizona Cardinals.  We've really enjoyed getting to know Alan and Julie Faneca.  Their daughter is as spunky as she is cute.  She makes a perfect Minnie Mouse.

Julie is expecting a son.  Their daughter keeps saying she wants her brother to look just like Reed!!  Can ya blame her?

We had a lot of fun this Halloween.  I have to give all the credit to my talented wife for crafting such amazing costumes.