a few holiday activities

We have really enjoyed our Christmas season thus far with Beckham.  He loves discovering and exploring all of the new holiday activities and traditions.  We are so happy to have him around to help us enjoy the little things of the Christmas season.

*We have a few nativities around here, and Jason and I have been trying to make sure to point out that the reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Christ.  Beckham is very thrilled about baby Jesus.  Mom gets down the special nativities and shows him the little tiny baby Jesus, which is so exciting (and I think he would think it was more exciting if he could hold the pieces).  We have a large nativity of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus pictured here on the floor.  Beckham likes to point out where the baby Jesus is.  Lately it has been a favorite spot around the house.

*Another favorite place at our house is the Christmas tree.  And, it is very difficult for this guy to keep his hands off of it.  Thankfully, we have not had an issue with him opening the gifts underneath it yet.

*We had a few snow storms the past few weeks, and snow is now on the ground.  Beckham thinks the snow is pretty cool until he puts his hand in it.  The cold part of snow is a little disappointing for this boy.

*As a result, we have had to spend more time inside lately, which is so hard for us.  Beckham and I would much rather be outside playing at the park in the nice warm sun!  In the meantime, Beckham and I have been finding new things to do around here.  Lately Beckham had been hanging out on Mom and Dad's bed.  Apparently, it is a nice place to play with the toys and relax. 

*We have been talking about Santa and that he comes to our house every Christmas.  We have a book that Beckham and I have been reading about him.  Really, he couldn't care less, but he does like the book.  When I tell him that Santa is coming, he just looks at me with a blank stare.  Well,  after a visit to Santa, I think it is safe to say that we have officially scared our child of Santa Claus.  He did not like the idea of talking to a bearded man in a red suite.  Hopefully, next year we will have a better experience. 

He was more a fan of the powdered doughnuts that we received after talking to Santa.

*Tonight we went caroling to a few houses.  It has always been a favorite tradition of mine, and I was excited to have my little family participate.  Beckham just stared down the people, while Mom and Dad sung.  Nonetheless, it was a fun activity for us.

We have less than two weeks for Christmas to be here, and I can't wait!  Christmas season is so much fun with a little boy in our family.

a day at the Salt Lake temple

For those of you who do not know, Jason served his mission in Honduras, and loved every minute of it. Like he still talks about the people, the gospel work, fond memories, current events in that country, and everything else. I am pretty sure if he could he would be down there visiting every weekend. Honduras has a special place in his heart.

On Saturday we had the opportunity to see one very special family from Jason's mission. One of the daughters for the Lagos family was married in the Salt Lake temple.  We were so happy to be part of that special day.  

I am pretty sure Jason was grinning from ear to ear for weeks. He was oh-so happy and excited to see some friends from Honduras. 

 Beckham was so happy to be outside with us, and believe it or not, these are the best pictures I have. 

And here is the happy couple.  Don't know where the rest of us are....oh wait.  I am running all over to keep up with out little boy.  Sometimes it's a little difficult for him to sit still even for a short picture.  

 

Beckham loved running all over temple square despite the super cold weather. Thanks for Aunt Jenn, Uncle Brandon, and cute Jennah for watching the little boy. They had some good times together. And, so did we.  We had the pleasure of watching cousin Jennah while her parents were in the temple too.

I am actually sure that good times were had by all that day. We had a wonderful time at a wedding luncheon and spending time with these wonderful people.  We hope to see the Lagos family again soon. 

Thanksgiving 2013

It really is hard to believe that our Thanksgiving holiday is already over. I must say that this year our family had a fantastic holiday together. We actually had an entire week of celebrations for this Thanksgiving and realized we have a lot to be grateful for. 

Jason took some much needed time off work and school to spend a little extra time with our boy and me. Beckham and I were (and still are) very grateful for his extra time.  I love that I have these two boys.

We had a very special surprise the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Our Uncle Court made a surprise long trip home for the holiday. We were so grateful to see and be with him. And, he took me to lunch one of the days he was here. Yup. He's a pretty good brother to me. 

We had quite a small gathering for our Thanksgiving dinner. Small enough to use real fancy plates! We were very grateful that our grandpa was feeling well and able to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with us. 

Mom and I spent most of the time that morning in the kitchen, and I am amazed at how much I still learn from her in that kitchen. I am grateful for her. She made us one delicious feast, and that should be no surprise to anyone. My mom somehow makes everything taste better. She's the best. 

The boys watched some football games.  It wouldn't be Thanksgiving at our house without some sports. So, I think it is safe to say that we were grateful for football that day. It actually is something I look forward to, as well. 

Beckham took a long rest, for which this mom was very thankful. 

Some of Beckham's cousins were at Grandma's for the holiday, and boy, are we ever grateful for our cousins. Beckham was literally overjoyed to be with some of his cousins. He even squealed when Jason put him on the floor next to the other kids playing with Grandma's toys. Grant was so kind to show Beckham how to play cars, which was just about the highlight of Beckham's whole day. 

It was also a very nice day, and we took advantage of it. I played a tiny bit of frizby and Beckham enjoyed his time in the swing. He also took it upon himself to chase the kitties all over the yard, and Grandma followed him everywhere his heart desired. We were very thankful for the beautiful weather and the fun activities we were able to do.   

It was a great day, and we were extremely grateful for the people we were with that day. 

On Friday we took a trip up to see Nanna and Bumpa for another Thanksgiving feast. We made the trip in record time and Beckham slept the whole way, which was a blessing!

We enjoyed our time with everyone there. Although we all live relatively close to each other we don't get together too often. So it was nice to all be in one place again. 

Jason brought a gigantic big screen and projector, which he set up downstairs for football and family togetherness. I must admit. It was very fun, and I was happy to be together with our family and enjoy. 

Mr. B was delighted to find his cousins Kayson and Kyler there. He absolutely loves being with them. We found that Beckham and Kyler were collectively grateful for the technology that allowed them to watch Old McDonald and the Animal Sounds Song over and over again. I also believe that they were very grateful for wonderful aunts who helped them accomplish this. 

Beckham was also grateful for a buddy to hang out and do boy stuff with. Kayson let Beckham tag around with him. He showed Beckham how to play cars and let the little boy wrestle him. We were grateful that these two cousins were around. 

 Four  aunts, one uncle, a Bumpa, and a Nanna looked after our little boy, and Beckham loved the attention. Jason and I got to go on a date with their help, which was long overdue and a wonderful for us. It may have seemed small thing to babysit, but to me, it was a huge blessing. I was thankful for that date. 

On Saturday, we had a lovely feast. I believe it is a family tradition for everyone at the table to list one item that they were thankful for. I love this! Some of the things were really sweet and just made me so happy. It is a wonderful tradition to do. 

Also, we were all grateful for the delicious food. Beckham loved having company in a high chair next to him when he ate. There were so many goodies and snacks that were to-die-for. It was fantastic. 

Really this was only a slight glimpse into our Thanksgiving celebrations, and this is only a very small list of things we are grateful for. Yes. This holiday is a great time to count my blessings, but if I am really honest with myself, I have a lot to be grateful for everyday. 

Halloween 2013

Truth be told, Halloween is not my favorite holiday, and I must admit that I have been a little "bah humbug" (Is there even such a thing as that for Halloween?) about the holiday this year. Don't worry though. We did not abandon all celebrations. I mean there is a little boy who deserves a happy Halloween, even of he does not understand the holiday on the slightest. 

For a family activity, we went to the city Pumpkin Walk.  It is really just a display of tons of pumpkins, but it is fun to see nonetheless. In all honesty, Beckham (our social butterfly) preferred talking to, screaming at, and running after all the little kids more than seeing pumpkins. Oh well. Maybe next year he will enjoy looking at the actual pumpkins.

At the end of the Pumpkin Walk, there are quite a few displays for the kids to take pictures with. Beckham was not too sure about putting his face through a hole in the wood for a picture, but he was a good sport for Mom.

 

Beckham went to a trunk-or-treat one evening before Halloween. I think he came home with a total of two candies from there. I had a difficult time getting him to focus on the trick-or-treating task at hand. Beckham was content to run all over and see the little kids. He also would stare (and I mean really gape) at some of the people in their costumes. The whole dressing up idea (face painting, crazy hair, etc) was totally foreign to him. Sorry to anyone who got the stare down from Beckham. 

Beckham was a dragon for Halloween. Let it be known that he was not a fan of the costume. 

We visited a few houses on Halloween day, mostly just family. At some of the houses, he cried. I think he was worried we were going to leave him. Other houses, he was quite happy to take a candy, stare at it for a minute, and then put it back in the house's candy basket. I think it is safe to say that he did not understand trick-or-treating at all.

One house we visited was Grandma and Grandpa's. He was a happy dragon to see them!

And look at what I caught on camera,some dragon kisses.

Apparently, Beckham loved his night out, because he was dosing off in the car on the way home. And being the concerned parents that we are, we decided that he needed to stay awake, so he could have a bath before bed. So, we fed him some candy to keep him awake. Big mistake. That, my friends, will not happen again. He was bouncing off the walls late into the night. 

And that is that. Our Halloween was over in the blink of an eye, which was very nice. However, I have promised that next year, I will make sure to celebrate a bit more so we can make some fun memories for our boy. I must say, though, the memories this year were pretty good too. 

entering the toddler years

It's official. We have a toddler in this house. That's weird to say.  Wasn't he a baby just yesterday?!  He is changing so fast and is one cute little boy, if I do say so myself. Here are a few things that he had been up to that I need to document.  I don't want to forget the moments that we have been having with this kid.

He took his first few steps a couple weeks ago with his mommy and daddy. Now, he is all over the place. His arms are outstretched and he is a bit tipsy, but he is happy to be up and about. 

And now Mom is having a hard time keeping up. Don't let that little innocent face fool you. He is mischief! Yes. Mischief for sure!

Lately he has had a new found fascination with the toilet. I thought the interest would go away, but just yesterday Mr. B put my phone in the toilet. Yuck! I was not very happy and an hour later a lock was put on the toilets in our little house. Yes. That cannot happen again. 

Also, Beckham really, and I mean REALLY, loves to read. When I am home he actually prefers to read stories than play with his toys. He enjoys "reading" the books himself. Beckham will turn each page and babble as he does. He thinks he is pretty big. 

Recently, our boy has been in love with animals and animal noises. He is particularly good at making a quack for the ducks. Beckham also snorts for the piggies. Umm....we are trying to discourage that one. You see, he can make a loud snort right in the middle of sacrament meeting. Hmm.

I really do try to take lots photos of this kid, but I have been a bit of a slacker as of late. I have learned that if I am so worried about taking pictures, I miss a lot of the other things.  I don't want that, so the camera has been a little MIA all in the name of focusing on making the memories. So, my apologies for the lack of photos. 

Case in point: this weekend. It was my 25th birthday (yikes!) and conference weekend. This was a huge weekend for a us and we love it. It was chuck full of fun activities, but I didn't snap one photo. Nope.  Not one!  And, guess what?  It was delightful!  We made some great memories. However, Jason did take a quick photo on his phone, so I guess were weren't completely boycotting the camera.

Here we are.  Our family.  I would be lost without these boys, even with the little one really keeping me on my toes.  Mr. Beckham is already giving both Jason and me a run for our money, but we just love this kid to pieces.  So, here is to the toddler years ahead.