Reunion 2013

This past weekend, our little family traveled to Eden, Utah for a family reunion with my family.  It was a beautiful place right close to Pineview Reservoir.  All of the family was there minus one brother, who was greatly missed. We enjoyed a weekend jammed full of family fun.  Mom plans great reunions every year for our family, and we appreciate her time to create such a wonderful weekend for all of us.

After everyone arrived on Thursday evening, we sat around the campfire and listened to pioneer stories.  They always amaze me. We have such a great heritage.  Some of the grandchildren shared some family favorite pioneer stories.  Dad shared a story that I had never hear of before (I need to write it down so I don't forget them!).  And, Jenn retold the story of Old Ephraim, a favorite.  Who doesn't like a good bear story?

Friday, we spent the day at the lake.  A sea-doo was rented for a few hours (so fun!), and now Jason is convinced that we should get one.  This was Beckham's second time swimming, and first time with his dad.  Our first experience at a pool was no fun at all. Surprisingly, Beckham loved being in the water at the lake with Dad.  Jason splashed and played with him.  He loved it!  And, Jason and I loved it too.  Beckham fell asleep for some of the time and played, played, played the rest of the time.  He took a long nap after we got home.  What fun!

That night, there was a talent show, where all the grandchildren preformed something special.  We do this every year.  I was so impressed!  These kids are so smart and have some amazing talents.  Beckham thoroughly enjoyed watching his cousins preform.

We had a bit of a movie night afterwards.  Jason and Brandon projected a video for the kids outside, some of the adults watched 42 in the family room, and a few others watched Up! in the theater room.  We ate popcorn and candy and completely relaxed.  It was a perfect way to spend an evening.

The next morning, we got cleaned up and took some family pictures before we left.

A few side notes to add...

This whole weekend was full of games.  There were a few Minute-To-Win-It games that we played.  A ping pong rivalry commenced.  Air hockey was a little out-of-control.  My sister, Stephanie, even prepared some games and crafts for the younger kids.  It was simply fun.  We had a blast!

 

Mom gave everyone certain food assignments, so each family prepared one full meal.  Wow.  Yummy food!  We have some good cooks in this family.  Thankfully, Rob took care of the homemade root beer.  This delicious beverage is a little dear to my heart, and the family festivities would not have been complete without it.  Thanks to my brother for saving the day!

Beckham was just beside himself.  He was so excited (no, ecstatic!) to have all his cousins around.  Beckham loves them all so much!  

He realized that one of them, Sara, is right close to his size.  She is actually only a few months older than he is.  Beckham really wanted to be everywhere she was.  He thought Sara was wonderful and just could not leave her alone.  I think she was not as thrilled as he was to have him following her every move.  They were pretty cute together, nonetheless.

 

In actuality, our family reunion only lasted a total of about two full days.  It was pretty short, but I would not have missed it for the world.  I love getting together with family.  We missed my brother, who couldn't make it, and I hope to all be together again soon.  Thanks for a great weekend, everyone!

just mom and dad

Sometimes the parents around here need some time together, just the two of us. Not at home. Just out having fun. Thanks to Jason's work and Grandma, we got to do that.

Can you believe Jason has never been to Lagoon?! Yes. Crazy.  That is just sad!  At the young age of 25, he has his first experience.  We road the big roller coasters and got a little wet. 

 

 And we acted a bit silly. (Good thing we didn't see too many people we knew!)

We only stayed a few hours and only got on a few of the rides, and it was so so nice to have a little time to ourselves to have fun.  I must admit though, we found out that we are getting old.  Jason and I got sick after a few of the rides (What the?!).  Some of the things that I thought were fun back-in-the-day just wore me out.  We were ready to leave shortly after lunch, a few hours after we arrived.  There were so many young, half-dressed wiper-snappers all over trying to be bad to the bone (How did I not notice this before and why am I taking note now??).  Wow.  I guess this is a sign. We are getting old.

10 months

How can my sweet little boy be 10 months already?! Good grief!  Beckham is growing fast. Here is what he has been up to these past two months.

Photo courtesy of my sister-in-law, Jessica.  You got some great pictures of him!

* Beckham is not a crawler yet. He is strong and can get up on his hands and knees, but he is not too thrilled about staying in that position.

* This boy outgrew a few things recently.  We took down the changing table.  That was an accident waiting to happen.  He was getting really close to rolling off of it and rocking the whole table back and forth.  We also had to buy a new car seat.  I think he is more pleased with this one, because he can see out the window and is not so crammed. 

* He can, however, roll where he needs to go. And, this boy has decided that he likes to attempt climbing. Beckham's new trick is to roll and maneuver off mom's lap and scoot off the seat. After he feels his feet touch the ground, he lets out a deep breath and shows off a satisfying smile. What an accomplishment!

* That being said, this little one loves to stand by himself.  I remember when he first stood alone. Beckham would concentrate so hard. He would take big deep breaths as if he it was all he could do to focus. Now he is more confident and can stand alone for quite a while. 

* Beckham grew two teeth. They are on the bottom and more are coming on the top. I love to see his silly grin with two tiny teeth showing on the bottom. 

* Recently, Beckham has been sucking and biting on his bottom lip.
 
* Have I told you that Beckham likes to get into things? He does, and I know that I  really in for it when he is fully mobile. He is very good at emptying my drawers, laundry, refrigerator, and food storage. What a helper.

* Beckham still uses the binkie, and he is now starting to share with Mom and Dad.   It's funny. Jason and I will just be talking either to him or each other and he will randomly try to stick his binkie in our mouths. 

* I think we might have a little drama king on our hands.  He is starting to throw little fits if he doesn't like something or mom takes away a fascinating object.  He throws his head back and will kick and cry.  I hope this is just a phase and does not last

* One of the highlights of our day is going to get the mail. Beckham loves to be out of the house for a short minute. He likes to hold the mail keys for me and sift throw the mail with me.  Sometimes we check for the mail multiple times a day knowing full well that the mail man had yet to come. 

* We also like to go on walks. It's so fun to be outside!

* Beckham enjoys his story time. If I start reading a book that he does not want to hear, he lets me know by reaching for another book to replace it. He is particularly fond of the touchy-feely books.  His current book is That's Not My Bunny and Baby Animals.

* Bath time is also a highlight of our day. He is quite the splash-er, due the the encouragement of his father. Sometimes I come in to the bathroom and it looks like a hurricane came through. Water on opposite walls, on the door, and covering the floor.

 

* He also has figured out how to turn the shower on, and every time he does, it always surprises him. 

* Speaking of water, Beckham is not afraid to put his head in the water. However, the mere fact of sitting in a pool scares him to death.  When we go to the city swimming pool, we usually end up sitting on the grass and watching other kids swim from a distance.

* Beckham has generally been a good little eater, but now he is getting a little picky. He is not as willing to eat anything in front of him.

* We have a talker.  Beckham babbles all the time at home.  He is getting very good at saying rarararara, mamamama, babababa, and dadadadada.  He has not associated those words with anything yet.  He just like to hear himself talk.

* Beckham is getting pretty good at imitating. He will spit his tongue out when we do. He has been trying to sing along with everyone in church. After Jason gives me a kiss, he follows suit. Sometimes, he pushes Jason out of the way to plant a slobbery kiss on my lips. It's pretty funny.

Oh this little boy is fun to watch!  We enjoy having him around.

9 month check up

It was nearly his 10 month birthday when Beckham went for his 9 month check up.  It was not the best appointment we have been to.  Although he only got one shot, Beckham was not too pleased to be there.  It was right in the middle of his nap.  I will have to plan better next time.

 Here are his stats at the 9 month check up.

Weight: 22 lbs 6 oz      -    75th percentile
Height: 28 3/4 inches     -    60th percentile
Head Circumference: 48 cm   -   95th percentile

He is starting to even out.  I was actually surprised by his weight.  I thought he would weigh at least a few more pounds, or so my arms thought!  Beckham still has a big noggin, though.  The doctor also showed us that he has three teeth coming in soon.  He said that Beckham is a healthy boy.  Way to go!

Nanna's Birthday

The day after our Independence Day celebrations, we traveled up to Burley for some more celebrations.  It was Nanna's 50th birthday.  We drove up and played the entire weekend and celebrated a big birthday.

Beckham's cousins and aunts and uncles were there, and he was oh-so happy to play with them.  We have missed them!  He loved to have little ones to play with.  I think it is fun to watch him try to interact with other children.  He just wants so much to be like the big kids; walking and talking.  He sure loves his cousins.

It was too nice of a day on Saturday to be inside.  We pulled out the swimming pool and spend the afternoon playing in the sun.  Beckham was a huge fan of the pool and playing with the people in it.

We even pulled out the volleyball net and played a few games.  Goodness!  I need to practice!  It was an excellent way to spend a summer afternoon.

Beckham kept a close eye on everyone from his stroller.  He was so happy to be outside.  If I would have let him, I'm sure he could have spent all day in that stroller simply because he was outside.

Later that evening, Jason and his dad made a delicious dutch oven meal for us.  It was wonderful.  We love to cook out in the summertime.

We didn't forget the cake.  It was ice cream cake.  Yum.  And, yes.  There were 50 candles on it.  With the help of Kayson, Nanna managed to get the candles all blown out.  I love the look on his face in this picture.  This is serious business, you know.

 And on Sunday, we spent a nice day with our family after church.

 Thanks for posing so well for me, Kayson!  What a fun cousin Beckham has!

Happy Birthday!