two year favorites

All images from google. Compare to 1 year and 18 month favs. Some things have stayed the same and I didn't include in this post. The 'bean' as Beckham says, or his blanket is possibly his night time necessity. He says, "Mama, fix bean." Which basically means he wants me to come tuck him in. I love it. I think the bean will be around for a while, so I didn't find it necessary to include it again-just making a brief mention. Also, he still loves his Jake soap. We have also bought Ninja Turtle soap (which is bright blue) I seriously thought it was going to dye his hair blue, thankfully it didn't! Anyway, here are some of his 2 year favorites.


Bubble Lawn Mower- The bubbles have long ran out, but he didn't particularly care for them anyways. He does LOVE bubbles. That's kind of his and Monica's (aka Munka) thing. Just about every Monday or Tuesday she comes over and brings bubbles. Back to the lawn mower, Grami keeps her lawn in tip top shape so he really loves to mow with her. Uncle B got him this mower last year for his birthday and he didn't really care anything about it until this summer, but now he loves it. He will say, "be right back, going to mow grass".

Thomas the Train Ride-Along- Similarly to the Mickey Ride-Along I mentioned in another favorites post, this is basically the same thing except it's Thomas the Train (duh!). He has grown fond of Thomas the Train recently. I He has an app on the ipad that lets you color Thomas pictures, play a matching game, and watch videos, so he wanted to bring Thomas in from outside and ride it in the house.

the Baseball and LSU hat- Okay, these go together because we have a nightly ritual around here where Butch is trying to train Beckham for MLB plays baseball with Beckham after his bath. Every night Beckham tells Butch to sit on one couch, me on the other (to watch, of course), then he needs his LSU hat- Butch also has to wear an LSU hat; he backs up to the front door and throws the baseball a minimum of ten times. Sometimes he's tired and doesn't want to do it as much, but some nights he'd throw it for hours. He's actually getting really good. We haven't mastered the whole catching thing but he throws the ball really hard. Butch just beams everytime he does it. It's so cute! I need to mention that he also throws the ball with both his left and right hand.

Black and Decker tool set- I'm the worst a buying and giving presents right before birthdays. So, naturally I bought this little tool kit about a month ago, and immediately gave it to Beckham. I should have waited, I know, but it was so cute and the tool look like real tools, which is why I think he likes them. Either way he has hammered every nail in our porch, tries his hardest to unscrew anything possible and carries around his tool box like he's a real handy man.

Beckham's Clubhouse- I couldn't find an exact picture of the Rainbow Play System that we bought, but this one is close enough. It has a rock wall, slide, three swings, clubhouse equipped with captains wheel and telescope, and under the clubhouse can be turned into a sandbox. After Beckham slid down the slide really fast a few times and hit his booty, he is a bit afraid of sliding by himself. Some days he'll climb right up and go, but other times he likes for someone to hold his hand or at least stand really close to the slide so they can slow him down.  He rarely uses the ladder now, he just climbs the rock wall. He has mastered the rock wall completely- doesn't use the rope at all. It was quite expensive, but I knew he would love it for years to come (and he does) so I'm happy with the purchase.

Mickey Mouse- Beckham has a mad obsession with Mickey Mouse, truly always has, but even more now than ever. After setting up the TV and DVD player in is room I bought a few movies for him to watch and the only thing he wants to watch is Mickey. Literally, the only movie that he has ever watched in his room in almost a month is Mickey. I have to find more Mickey movies because he is showing zero interest in any of the other movies I bought. Also, if I would have know how his love for Mickey would grow I would definitely had waited and done the Mickey party this year. However, I am still putting out the big Mickey wooden cutout by the driveway just because...

iPad and iPhone- This will probably never change throughout the course of Beckham's life, but he still is completely obsessed with electronics. I was sick of him constantly wanting to play with my phone I got to thinking about my old phone that he dropped in the toilet; I was wondering if it had dried out and possibly still worked. So, I plugged it in and sure enough- it works! So, Beckham now has his own iPhone. The screen comes on and all of the apps work, thankfully he can't actually text or call anyone (because that's his new favorite thing to do on my phone). He still loves the iPad and plays it almost every day. One of his favorite things to do on both the phone and the iPad is listen to music. He knows how to get to the radio and says "play me a good song" and starts dancing. I know I say it a lot, but he is seriously the smartest kid ever.

Anyways, those are just a few of his favorite things right now. He realllllly loves all things outside. I swear the child would sleep outside if we let him. The mosquitos are terribly bad right now, but he doesn't even pay any attention to them. He loves to do anything and everything outside. I'm what you would call, indoorsy....and it's approximately 1000 degrees right now, thankfully Butch could live outside too; so it's nice that they can hang out together outside (when I don't want to sweat my face off).  :)

high five for Friday

I haven't posted a high five for Friday in so long, but I am about a week ahead in my grad classes, Beckham is napping, and Butch is working in his garden- so I had a spare moment and thought I would share!

1. On Beckham's 23 month birthday we got a clubhouse/swing set thing for his actual birthday! We decided to get it a little early so we could play with it for more of the summer. Since, tomorrow is actually the first day of Summer!

2. Wednesday, I had to do some observations for my online class at NSU and my brother is at school there so we met up for sushi! I only had an hour free and I wish we could have visited longer, but it was still nice to see him! It had been a while!

3. Beckham is obsessed with these costume glasses and it's so cute!

4. We went shopping for some clothes for his 2 year pictures.. ahh I can't believe he's about to be TWO whole years old.

5. Also for his birthday and because we were having sleep in your bed issues. I put up this bookcase, new TV, and DVD player in his room. He loves it!! AND HAS BEEN SLEEPING IN HIS BED!! YAY! Super excited about that. I also found the guard rail for his bed to convert it to a toddler bed. I'm thinking after he turns two I will put it on. Not sure yet. I know it's a big step and I'm not sure if I am actually ready. eeek

he's still a "big drool" I don't think he'll ever outgrow it

Little River Getaway

Over Labor Day weekend we took a little trip about two hours away to Winthrop, Arkansas.... Where exactly is Winthrop you ask? I have no idea. It is the smallest little nothing town but within it lies the sweetest little community that you'd never know existed. We honestly had no idea what to expect- Butch's brothers planned the whole trip and we were just along for the ride. It turned out to be so much fun. We (Butch's parents, brothers & us) all stayed in a house/cabin thing on a golf course and a canal off of Little River. It was a gated community that sat on a golf course but was also in front of Little River, so our front yard was a golf course & the back yard was the river. It was the neatest thing ever. 

They had a pool, basketball court, tennis court, a park, tons of trails, concession stands, plus the golf course & private river. I have seriously never seen anything like it. It was only two hours away but it was so nice to escape for the weekend and relax. Beckham had a great time. He did so well on the ride to & from & was such a champ all weekend. We rode the golf cart until it was almost out of juice & Butch brought his ranger and we ran it out of gas. Literally. Riding anything is Beckham's ultimate fav. We went to the river every day, collected rocks, ate hotdogs from the hotdog stand, homemade ice cream, and cupcakes for Uncle Stevie's birthday. We played Yahtzee, Texas Hold'em & I learned a new game called Cadillac; we let Beckham run around naked & he peed on the kitchen floor (it was hilarious). We played a little golf, slid down the slide & climbed the rock wall at the park, we laughed and made tons of memories. Or as Butch said "more memories to add to the collection". 

I am so thankful I married into a family that is so easy to get along with. I don't know what I would do without my Mother-in-law, all of them really. We had such a good time, and although I was ready to get back to my comfy bed. It was hard to leave. 

this and that

This is probably going to be an incredibly random post.

-The first week of school is officially over. Honestly, this Summer has flown by. I guess it's partly because I only see my hubs half of the time (with his schedule) and because Beckham is growing like a weed. I can seriously remember when he was so tiny that his bed swallowed him and so fragile I cringed at the thought of him bumping into anything. Now, he fits so comfortably in his bed, he bumps into things, falls off of things, and almost kills himself daily. His newest fascination is jumping off of our coffee table, yes into my arms, but still..... the kid is not afraid of anything.


-On the topic of Beckham, he is officially 13 months old today. I am completely blown away by how much I love that little boy. He does some of the funniest things, and makes the cutest faces I think ever existed. What I would give to know what's going on in his little head. Right now we are fighting the allergy cough from hell. He's seriously had a hacking cough for over three weeks now. We've been to the doctor twice, and I've called the nurses three times. We tried a prescription cough medicine for almost a week and a half, with no results. So, the nurse said it's probably allergies and not a Summer cold. We are now alternating a couple different OTC meds in hopes that it will break whatever is in his chest up and help relieve his cough. Here's to hoping. It kills me to hear him cough like he does. Since switching to OTC med it has improved but I (and I'm sure he is too) am ready for it to go away. Anyways- 13 month update: As I said, he's not afraid of anything. He loves to climb on top of anything and everything; all types of furniture, etc. He's eating almost entirely 'people' food, with the exception of the squeeze pouches of organic baby food; and he only has those when he won't eat from a spoon because he wants to do everything for himself. Which means he doesn't want me to feed him, so to say he has a whole lot of finger foods (crackers, cookies, etc) would be an understatement. He also goes through days where he doesn't want to hardly eat at all like he's too busy to sit still long enough to get a meal in....when will that phase end? Another phase (I'm praying) he's going through is the whole, screaming at the top of his lungs thing. Okay, what's up with that? It's not a 'throwing a tantrum' scream, it's just talking realllllllly loud. ugh. I'm also ready for that to be over, as well. Beckham is walking running, climbing, walking backwards, feeding himself, completely done with bottles and pacis. Although, he never really cared about a pacifier to begin with so it wasn't a struggle at all. He is drinking organic whole milk with juice and water throughout the day, and is obviously gaining weight because we are finally in size four diapers- I thought we'd be in threes forever! Bath time is still his favorite although I think riding the four-wheeler might be slowly creeping up to being his all time fav. The whole 'washing his hair' thing is most definitely not his favorite. I hate that I am back at work and don't get to play with him all day, but we have great sitters (family) and I really love my job.

-My friend's grandmother passed away this week. I knew her years ago, but since, she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and wasn't doing well. She was such a sweet lady with the kindest soul. I went to the visitation to comfort my friend but the whole situation was harder for me than I had expected. It reminded me so much of when I lost my grandmother. Through similar circumstances my Mamaw died when I was 15. I spoke at her funeral and although that was eight years ago, I can still remember the letter I read almost entirely. I couldn't compose myself enough to simply talk to everyone that day, so I wrote my family and friends a letter. I would give anything to have my Mamaw back in my life. She was such an amazing, inspirational, Godly woman, and as I write this tears well up in my eyes. I truly think of her everyday and pray I can pass her words of wisdom onto my child(ren). At the visitation, I spoke with my friend's Mom; she thanked me for coming and said, "Mom and Abby had such a special bond, similar to you and your grandmother, I know you understand what she's going through". I broke down. I immediately started crying- whether it was because she simply mention my Mamaw, or because I really did understand what Abby was going through, I don't know. Either way it really hit me hard. I did not have enough time with my Mamaw. She missed (both past and future) so many important parts of my life. And I know she has been here the whole time, but not being able to see her or touch her has been hard. Some people hope to leave a legacy or some type of contribution to this world when they're gone. I am not sure if my Mamaw ever thought of life like that. Unfortunately, I never really had that conversation with her. However, whether she set out to leave the kind of mark that she did on my life, or not, her impact has been huge. I am hopeful and excited that one day I will be able to tell her all of the things I wish I could say to her now.

-Last random thought: Why do the words "four bedrooms" make me go insane? I talking about when looking to buy a house. Why do I have this dream vision in my head of a four bedroom house? Is it because I also have a dream vision of having three kids, and I want them to all have their own rooms? I'm speaking of two imaginary kids....... yeah. I am not sure why, but when I hear that a house is for sale, and has four bedrooms my heart instantly stops. This week I went and looked at a house not far from our current house- it's four bedrooms, two bath, has an awesome 'man cave' for Butch, a fabulous yard and pool, but other than that the house needs some work. The rooms are horribly decorated, like the colors make no sense at all. It's like they removed different parts of the house at different times and went with whatever was popular at the time. So, nothing matches. Some things are rustic, some are more modern, some are extremely traditional, some are more contemporary, and others are just odd. The house itself has great bones, and with a little T.L.C. and M.O.N.E.Y. it could be our forever house. A lot of the 'big' stuff, in my eyes, has already been done. A lot of the expensive stuff, has been done. But, there's still a lot that needs to be done. So, that brings me to my last question... Why do I have this thought in my head that we are going to find our "forever house"? I say those words together all the time when I'm talking about house hunting. I'll say, "I want to find our forever house." or "This could be our forever house.", but what in the world is a "forever house"? What am I expecting to find within our budget? What do I see in my head as our forever house, and is it realistic? I don't know. I said I was asking one last question and that turned into about five, but whatever. My point is that the more I look, and the more I think about our forever house, the more I am coming to realize that a forever house is what you make it. You never know what life might throw at you and turn the plans you have in your head upside down. I have this grand plan to have three kids, but who knows if that will ever happen? I have this crazy idea that our forever house currently exists, but who knows if it does? The house I looked at this week has some real potential and I guess since I am kind of looking at things through a different point of view I am realizing that ANY home we purchase may eventually turn into our forever house. I can't create these unrealistic expectations in my head and keep letting myself down. I have to keep an open mind. And that's what I'm trying to do.

-Whew! This could possibly be the longest post I've ever written. I gave forewarning that it was going to be random. Sorry.

my favorite man

Friday was my hubby's birthday. He had to fly all night Thursday to get home Friday morning, so to say that he was tired would be an understatement. I feel so bad that he has to work like that but the three weeks we have together are so nice. As soon as I get used to him being home, it's time for him to leave again. It's a never ending vicious cycle. I tell him all the time that me and the airport have a love/hate relationship. I love it on Fridays (when he comes home) and hate it on Wednesdays (when he goes back to work). Anyways, Butch turned 35! I absolutely love Birthdays and always try to make an effort to celebrate in some way. He tried to say 'it's just another day, nothing special, blah blah blah' but I wasn't accepting that. I told him Birthdays are special until you stop having them. And that's exactly how I feel. I love a reason to celebrate but especially Birthdays! So, I ordered a cake, balloons, etc. and tried to make him feel special. I know now that we have Beckham, life is really not about us. Everything we do is for him. But, sometimes it's nice to have a day (or even an hour) that's really all about you (or him in this case).

Baby I know you don't read my blog very much but if you happen to run across this post I hope you know how much I love you! We are so thankful for all of the sacrifices you make for us. I can't explain or tell you enough how much you mean to me. You drive me crazy most of the time, but I would rather live crazily than one second without you. I love you and hope you always know you're my favorite man.

I hope you had a great Birthday!
I love you babe!

My mouth was blue from the cake. lol

too blessed to be stressed

That title really says it all. As I reflect on things that have been happening around here lately, it's easy to dwell on a few things that haven't gone as planned, but, honestly I am so lucky. I'm not even sure that I believe in luck, per say. I'm more of a 'create your own ending' type of girl, I like to believe that if things are going the way you think they should or want them to, you can change them. However, I definitely think that God has an awesome plan for me. I've been thinking a lot about getting back into Church. Since Beckham was born I have only been once. Yes, I can't believe only one time in a year. Wow, that's sad. I tried to take him when he was about four months old but it didn't work out. He wasn't having it and of course I didn't blog about it, so I can't link you to a detailed description of the day. But, let's just say he cried the whole time. Anyways, I've decided instead of 'thinking' about it anymore I'm going to just do it. I love the simple church. I enjoy going and need to just do it.

Also, Butch and I are still figuring things out, but things are 100% better. It has been a huge relief to know that I married a man that is in this for the long haul-the ups and downs, good and bad, for better or for worse. He is an amazing man and I am so lucky to call him mine.

I think it's important to remember all that we have other times than just Thanksgiving, so I've compiled a list:
Butch- my husband, my best friend, the keeper of my heart and the first person I can't wait to talk to when I have good news. I am so thankful that we are both flawed humans. I am so grateful that he chose me to live the rest of his life with. Words can't explain what that man means to me. He is selfless and selfish at the same time. He gets on my nerves, under my skin and drives me crazy most of the time, but he is my number one. He is always there when I need him. He makes sacrifices no man should have to make for their family and he does it all for us; our family. I am most thankful for him because he is my baby daddy :)
Beckham- of course my first born (and possibly only, who knows?) My whole life changed when he came into my life. This world is no longer about me. Every decision I make is for him. I am so lucky to get to spend as much time with him as I do. I love this kid more than anything on this earth and his needs are always on my mind. I am also so thankful he is healthy; it breaks my heart to think of what life would be like if he wasn't.
My health- I am so thankful I am healthy. I am thankful I get another day to watch my son grow up and another memory to create with my husband and our families.
My job- I have a job that I absolutely love. The fact that I have a job, at all, is something to appreciate. But, the fact that it is without a doubt my dream job is something to truly be thankful for.
Our home- I am grateful we have made this house our home. This is the house we came home to after Beckham was born. We have made so many wonderful memories in this house; and although it is not our forever home, I am thankful for our home.
My faith- I'm not going to lie. My faith has been shaken more than once in my life already, and although I am sure it will happen again, I have trust in God that this is his plan. I am thankful for my faith because I don't have to worry about the future, I can focus on today. I can absorb these sweet moments in life without fear, because I know there is a God. And Although my relationship with God is not even close to where I would like it to be, I feel like because I'm admitting that, it opens the door.
My family- My gosh my family is crazy. I have so many people I consider to be family that really aren't and vice versa. But, to me family is not always blood, or close relation even. Family means always being there for one another. My 'family' is amazing. My family is my rock. I am thankful for my family because no matter what they will always be there for me. We may not always like what each other has to say, but we listen. We may not always like each other, but we always love each other. My family is so special to me because they have been there for me through the ups and downs and never strayed. I am blessed to be loved by so many people; I don't know what I would do without them.
There are so many more materialistic things I am thankful for but these are the basis of everything. I truly wouldn't have anything without them.

I talked about being blessed here back in February; you can read if you'd like to see how things changed a little bit.

This sweet girl commented on my blog and introduced me to the grab a friend blog hop. So, I'm joining in and linking up with her and her twin.

First Father's Day

I know I had already posted about the stuff I had gotten Butch for his first Father's Day but here's a follow up of the day. I was beyond excited to give him his gifts. I LOVE giving gifts, especially ones that I made or special ordered...you know, those one of a kind gifts! With the exception of this (isn't exact gift, they don't have anymore in stock) everything Beckham and I got for Butch were one of  a kind! I had everything wrapped and ready like 3 weeks before Father's Day so it was torture having to wait to give him his stuff, but I did! Sunday morning my Mom came over with donuts, and I let Beckham give Daddy his gifts. We had fried fish, french fries, hush puppies, coleslaw, pineapple cake, and homemade strawberry ice cream for lunch (YUM) and were basically just lazy the rest of the day. Mom made it home safely that evening and Sunday night, while the guys were watching LSU baseball, me, Beckham, and a friend of mine, Paige, watched the Miss USA pageant! Fun stuff. We had a great day but the best part was seeing how touched Butch was looking at his gifts. He even started to tear up. THAT'S why I love giving presents. I want to show everyone I love, just how much care about them. I know, it's not about the material gift but, each of these were personalized and Butch knew it and that meant something to him, which in turn, made my heart very happy!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads who are involved in their children's lives and those who stepped in as father figures.

Life lately

Birthday party planning is in full force! We are scheduled for 1 year pictures this weekend and I am seriously starting to get excited!!!! 

Daddy is home so we are enjoying spending time with him! 

Beckham has a newfound obsession with the lower cabinets in our kitchen so we had to baby proof everything today. It's just a matter of time before he realizes how to open them, but for now he is leaving them alone! 

Today I....

Slept late- Beckham slept until 11... Yeah I have the best baby ever! Well technically he woke up at 7 but then went back to sleep so, yeah, I'll take it!

Cooked brunch and had some of Butch's fabulous homemade plum jelly!

Played outside, in the dirt, no less! We are trying so hard to grow some grass and it's actually coming in pretty good but of course Beckham wants to play in the spots where it's not growing! Go figure! He's definitely all boy!

Had a mani-pedi! It was so nice to get out and relax for a bit by myself! Plus, my nails and toes look very cute & match! :)

Cooked chicken fajitas & yellow rice for supper.

Stayed up late and blogged....ha!

Here's the usual photo dump:

First Father's Day

I am so excited to give Butch his first Father's Day presents!!! I got him this fishing lure and this photo book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

I just had to share!! June 16th can't come fast enough!!

Blogger fail...

As mentioned in previous posts my computer has some type of virus. I don't really know but I'm seriously slacking in the blogging department so I have spent the past 3 hours getting caught up using my iPad! But, now that I've found the blogger app I'm hoping I'll do better! Anyways....

Today is our last Friday of this school year! Ahhh!!! I just can't believe I've finished my first year of teaching! It's crazy!! Also, we had some great news today- ALL of the 8th graders passed the LEAP! Hallelujah, praise Jesus! I was/am so happy! So, technically the kids have 4 days of school left & I have 5! And I'm going to a PAID workshop in June that's only 4 days total & I get a free retina display iPad, case & keyboard! Yep, great things happening around here!! I am super excited about the next school year but I can't wait to spend this Summer with my sweet baby boy & wonderful husband! I have some fun projects for Beckham and I to do thanks to Pinterest, plus I have already started planning his first Birthday party!

 Yes, in just 57 days (hubby informed me tonight of the count) our baby will be 1 year old. Ugh it makes me so sad to think about him already being a year! My gosh where has the time gone? People really don't lie when they say it flies by. Anyways I plan on thoroughly enjoying the next 57 days while my baby is still less than a year old!

Here's a photo dump of our life lately!

OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT BECKHAM IS WALKING! Yes, at just 9 months old he started walking! It was the craziest thing, he'd take a few steps here and there but the night before Butch came home from Alaska he really started walking, and thank goodness I was face-timing with him so he got to see it all as it was happening! So, yeah it's official, Beckham is seriously trying to to grow up way too fast. I mean come on, crawling at 4 months, walking at 9; he's trying to kill me! 

His first bobo. A big old goose egg because he thinks he's grown & can do grown-up things, like jump off the bed.....yeah, long story.

Walking

Climbing

Swimming

Eating dirt

Being sweet! (5/17/13 10 mo old)

1st Family Vaca

I had been wanting to do something as a family since the day Beckham was born but it just wasn't the right timing so I somewhat gave up and then, Butch surprised me & planned an entire trip by himself! I was beyond excited!! So, we went to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas. It really was perfect because it's only about 2 hours away and we didn't really know how Beckham would do in the car for that long, but he did great!! He literally slept the whole way there & back! We left when I got home from work on Friday and stayed the whole weekend with the only real plan to go to the zoo so our schedule was pretty open. Butch had the hotel and everything already set up, all I did was pack our stuff & get in the car- it was awesome! We didn't get to Tyler unil around 8 on Friday so we just hung out in the room and unpacked everything. I never realized how much equipment it takes with a baby now! We had all of the food supplies, pack n play & not to mention clothes, which naturally, I overpacked! I tried realllllllly hard not to forget anything. So, Saturday we got up and (Beckham didn't sleep very well, btw. He was not feeling the pack n play, even after I brought his big fluffy blanket from home) anyways we went to Panera Bread for lunch. It was so cute- he was sitting up in a high chair like a big boy & was seriously checking out every girl that walked by! He's definitely going to be a ladies man! Butch thought it was hilarious! But, he did so good eating real food at the table & everything! We got to the zoo around 2:00 and had a great time. He didn't really like the stroller at first, but he got used to it pretty fast and did so good! The weather was absolutely perfect. Naturally, I did forget something; the memory card to my camera- ugh! thank God for iphones. We left around 6:00 because he was ready for a nap & couldn't rest with all of the excitement of the zoo. However, when we got back to the room he, of course, didn't want to nap. So, I walked over and got us some frozen yogurt and we just relaxed for a little bit then got cleaned up to go eat supper. Butch saw this seafood place called Breakers, so we went there. It was delicious & Beckham, again did great at supper! We stopped by Target then headed back to the room. Sunday, we didn't really have anything planned so we just played it by ear.... Got some lunch, went shopping at a few stores, then the mall, then headed home. All in all it was a great weekend! I am very lucky and sometimes forget how truly blessed I am!

Feeding the fish & ducks

Gift shop with Daddy

Parking lot of the hotel he needed to stretch his legs & the shorts came off after a diaper change lol

While in Tyler, I happen to notice we were on Beckham Ave (perfect?)