Snow

Snow, snow  go away.  Come again another day.  This boy and I are ready to go play outside in the sun all day long!

We spend countless hours at the window lately talking about the weather being too cold to go outside.  It sure puts a damper on our day.

Oh, and Daddy showed Beckham how to make faces on the window.  At least now we can giggle when we press our faces to the glass to peer outside at the bitter cold.

a first cut

Beckham had his first hair cut, and now he looks like a little boy.  No more baby around here.  

Thanks to Aunt Jess for giving him his first cut.

What an exciting day!

New Years

We did our best to ring in the new year the right way, but some of us were a little tired, as if you can't tell from the pictures below.

It was a fun night nonetheless.  We had a little KFC chicken, which Beckham surprisingly loved, and a bit of candy.  And, we rung in the new year at about 9:00 p.m. before zonking out.

 It had been a wonderful year for our family. As a recap, here are a few things that happened in 2013. 

**Our baby turned into a toddler right before our eyes. 

**Jason finished his last semester at Utah State. 

**We took our very first family vacation. 

**Jason received a job promotion and I began working part time. 

This year had been a great one and we are hoping that this next year is just as wonderful. Here's to a great year ahead!

one more Christmas party

My family had their Christmas party the Saturday after Christmas Day. Genius. Seriously, and we got to prolong the holiday.  It was fantastic.

And the night before, Jason and I got to go to the temple thanks to some pretty great babysitters, and they got to sleep over too! It was so nice and Beckham loved having his cousins babysit him.  

 On Saturday, our entire family met at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Mom put together a grilled cheese bar (yum!) and soup for everyone. 

 The children played and played with each other and Beckham thought that was great. Sometimes he had a difficult time sharing Grandma with all the cousins, but he loved every minute with all of them. 

We had a little nativity reenactment, and Beckham was a shepherd. He was a bit tired at this point and was not too happy about being in costume. 

There was also a gift exchange, which was so fun to be part of. Beckham loved the barn and animals he received, and we are so excited to try out our snowman kit. 

The rest of the afternoon was filled with games and riding on sleds.

It was a wonderful day to be together and celebrate Christmas. 

Christmas 2013

Let it be known that we had a white Christmas, and it was beautiful.

On Christmas Eve night, we enjoyed a family part at the community ballroom with our extended family and had a wonderful time.  We had a great dinner and visited with all our family members.  Beckham l-o-v-e-d ever minute of it.  He ran all over and explored the big building.  He really made himself quite at home.

 My cousin directed a children's Christmas nativity, which is one of my absolute favorite Christmas traditions.  Beckham was a shepherd this year and quite enjoyed preforming in front of every one.  At the end of the production, everyone clapped for all the children, and Beckham was elated to think that all these people were clapping for him.  He squealed and jumped for joy and clapped in return.  Jason got a video of it, and I will forever treasure that memory of him as the littlest shepherd in the Hall nativity. 

My aunt prepared a family gift exchange which was really fun.  We each received little gifts and afterwards Grandma said a few words.  She ended with a famous line from my Grandpa Hall.  "I love every jack one of ya!"  She even stared us down and pointed at each one of us.

The party ended past Beckham's bedtime, which Beckham was trilled about.  He had a bath at Grandma's and we went home.  Beckham fell asleep in the car after about two minutes of driving.  We hurried home for Santa to come.  Jason and I were so excited for Santa to come, but I am pretty sure that Beckham had no idea of what was going to happen in the morning.

Santa Claus came and visited us!  Beckham and I walked downstairs and saw all of his toys.  I believe it was a bit overwhelming for him.  Actually I know it was, because Jason and I had to open some of his gift to get through it all.  He loved all of his toys and thoroughly enjoyed playing with them.

Beckham actually only got fruit snacks in his stocking, which he as completely content about.  But, we wanted to give the full experience of Christmas morning.  He had a few Kit-Kats from our stockings before breakfast.  He liked it, but was not a fan of the mess.  He likes to be clean.

After a little candy, we had a breakfast feast.

Here is Beckham in his Christmas outfit.  What a stud!



 And, later that day, we went out and visited our Grandma and Grandpa.  It was actually a rather small gathering for Christmas at their house this year consisting of  Beckham's Great-Grandma Richards, uncle Courtney and Whitney who were all here for Christmas. Mom made a great Christmas meal, and we enjoyed spending time with each other.

Beckham loved all the attention and particularly enjoyed playing with the toys, Grandpa's Christmas train, and reading storied. 

While he slept, Jason and I even played with Grandpa's present, the 4-wheeler.  Brr!  That was cold!

We watched Christmas videos and had a nice relaxing day.  Before we knew it, the day was gone and we were ready for bed.  It always amazes me how much preparation and anticipation come with Christmas, and it ends so fast.  That's okay though, because this has been by far one of the best Christmas yet. 

Christmas visit to Nanna and Bumpa's

The weekend before the Christmas holiday, we had the privilege of going to Bumpa and Nanna's house.

Beckham loved playing with the toys and running all over the house. In fact the night of our arrival, Beckham woke up at the wee hours of the morning just aching to play. We made him wait until 6:00, and the moment the door opened, Beckham  bolted for the toys, knowing exacting where his toy of choice was at. 

 We played and played and played! Even this Mom and Dad played a mad game of Settlers of Cataan with Jayme, Tammi, Aunt Jane, and Uncle Tony. Even though I am not good at that game, that was fun!

Beckham loves Jilly Milly, Nanna's cat. Like he really, really, really loves that cat. He was so fascinated and enjoyed watching her!  (She even let Beckham pet her.  That's one brave cat!)

 

We also opened a few presents, and Beckham loved every bit of it. And he is still loving all of these toys! We were all spoiled!

 

Like all our trips to Burley, it ended too fast, and before we knew it, we were home. Hopefully we will be back soon.