high five for Friday!

1. Saturday we headed to Yaya and Grump's house to celebrate Mom's birthday a week early and catch up after their Alaskan vacation. We had a great time. We road in the boat, swam in the lake, all that fun summer stuff. It was a great time. I shockingly didn't get that many pictures- I guess we were having too much fun.

2. This week started off very crazy. While at my Mom's over the weekend, I got a call Sunday that my Dad had to have emergency surgery. My Dad rarely gets sick so I was a bit nervous. Beckham and I ended up leaving a little earlier than planned on Sunday so I could be at the hospital when Dad got out of recovery. Everything went as smoothly as possible but he was in a lot of pain. I ended up staying the night at the hospital Monday and came home Tuesday after lunch. To say I got little sleep is an understatement but I was happy I could be there for him. He even said, "boy I would have been in a bind if you hadn't stayed." That's his was of saying thank you. :)

3. OMG! I got Beckham's 2 year pictures back! I'm only going to share a few (or four) because I have two other posts in mind before his birthday so I'll be posting more later. I absolutely LOVE them!! I literally printed 107 total (5x7s and 4x6s) and got a 16x20! Ah! I'm obsessed!! I have never really been completely happy with any of his other pictures, but I am beyond pleased with them. Shout out to Sarah Farmer Photography.

4. I am in full on birthday planning mode. Cakes are ordered, decorations are being made, goodie bags, ordered tables, chairs, other random things....it's all coming into place. We are going this weekend to get food and a few things we've still got left to get on the list. I am sooo excited and utterly shocked that my baby boy is about to be two years old. It's sad and exciting. But, mostly sad! I just want him to stay little, but I am truly enjoying watching him grow and learn everyday. I could go on and on, but again...another post. :)

5. Lastly, today actually Thursday-  Beckham got an early birthday present from Maymay and Daddy Mac since they will be cruising on his actual birthday. They literally walked over a trampoline. It was amusing and scary seeing them cross the road, but they made it and boy, was Beckham excited to see it. He had jumped on a similar trampoline at a friend's house, which gave them the idea, but he loves it. He immediately wanted to get in the "jumpaline" as he calls it. It was so cute and wore him out, which always helps since he is a ball of energy 24/7.

high five for Friday!

Happy Fourth of July!!

Three in a row...I'm on fire! :) OMG It's July!! Where has the time gone? The Summer? Wow! Only two weeks left until Beckham's birthday...geez I'm not ready! This week was pretty uneventful. We had a pretty laid back week, which was nice. So here goes my recap.

1. Last Friday was my best friend's Gender Reveal Party. I 100% thought it was a boy. I was so confident- never for a second did I think it could possibly be a girl, but boy oh boy (no pun intended) was I wrong! It's a GIRL!!! I was shocked at first, in actual disbelief...but now I'm super excited!! Her name is Keely Kate (which I love for obvious reasons). Of course she'll be Beckham's little girl friend. Ahh I can't wait!

2. Saturday night was a rare occasion where I got to have a Girl's Night! I hadn't been out with my girl friends since Amber's birthday in January...yeah, way too long! Anyways we had a fun night out of the house and did a lot of little shopping for Keely. It really made me excited about her arrival in December. Girl stuff is so cute!

3. Random picture of Beckham throwing pears for the deer to eat behind Grami's house. He is definitely an outside boy!

4. Yesterday we had a play date with Kevin, Erin, and Jake. Beckham and Jake are only seven months apart and it is so fun to see them play together. Jake is just starting to talk and it's so cute how he says "Beck Um". We basically just ate, visited, and watched the kids play. I'm telling you...pretty uneventful week.

5. Our Fourth of July festivities included swimming, grilling, and eating red, white & blue popsicles. Ha! Butch grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, pork chops, and sausage and sauteed onions and squash. I made a peach cobbler with some fresh peaches. It was all delicious! Beckham actually ate two whole hot dogs and two popsicles. He didn't nap at all today and passed out around 10:00pm-which is really early considering how late he's been staying up.

Tomorrow morning we are headed to my Mom's to celebrate her birthday a little early. We also haven't seen them since there trip to Alaska, so I'm excited to hear about there travels and Beckham misses his Yaya!

That's all for this week... :)

high five for Friday!

We have had so much fun this week and I felt the need to share. ;) FYI: I am staying about a week ahead in both of my classes and that is really helping on my stress level!

1. Monday we went to Splash Kingdom, which is a local water park that a church bought a few years ago. I got an email at the end of the school year saying that Caddo Parish employees got $7 off an entry so I thought it would be something fun to do. I didn't exactly know how much Beckham would be able to do, but it turned out that they had three separate "kiddie" areas and he absolutely loved it. Since it is a water park, I couldn't exactly walk around with my phone all day, so this is the only picture I got....and it was close to the end of the day, we were all hot, hungry, etc. So, he doesn't look thrilled-but trust me. He had a blast!

2. Beckham has officially mastered the rock wall to his club house. He doesn't understand the purpose of the rope, but he climbs without it, so I guess it doesn't really serve a purpose to him. We are really enjoying the outside time playing on it. He didn't really have much to do outside before so it has been a real treat.

3. Random things:

      1) We took Hannah and Kaylan to their hair appointment Tuesday and Beckham was being a total ham with these sun glasses.  He's seriously a baby model. :)

      2) Daddy caught some fish and Beckham really wanted to hold one, until he was actually holding it. Then, he didn't know what to do with it. It was funny!

     3) Beckham is officially a night owl. I mean will not go to bed before 12 every night this week. A couple of days he took a late nap, so I expected it. But, this is becoming an every night thing so I'm really going to have to get him more on a schedule because this Mama can't hang every night. Wednesday he stayed up until 2:30am....YES. I'm dead.

      4) My Mom and Stepdad are currently on their Alaskan vacation and Beckham needed to see his YaYa.

      5) Butch has an awesome garden garden this year and we finally enjoyed some fresh product. Actually everything we cooked was fresh. Butch said it was a real country supper and it was not only delicious but about 99% FREE! I'm counting things like salt, pepper, milk, etc. as things we had to pay for. You get it. :)

4. Thursday (yesterday) we attempted went to take 2 year pictures and I was so beyond excited because I was using a new photographer that I have seen nothing but greatness from....but, as I have learned, Beckham calls the shots around here- it doesn't matter what I have planned. Long story short, he did not get a nap, was a total grouch, fell asleep on the way, then had nothing to do with the pictures what so ever. Like, he wasn't exactly being bad. He wasn't throwing fits or anything, he was just exhausted. He just stood there for the longest time, wouldn't move, smile, or anything. Then, he kept wanting me to hold him, saying "Mama, hold ya." which means, hold me, Mama. It was sad and aggravating at the same time. The photographer was super understanding and we are rescheduling. This time, he. Will. Get. A. Nap.!!!!

5. Last but not least.... today we find out if my best friend, Amber, is having a GIRL or a BOY!! Tonight is her gender reveal party and I. Am. So. Excited. I totally think (and have thought the whole time) that she's having a boy! I don't know why, maybe I'm just hoping, so Beckham will have a little BFF, either way I think it's a boy. However, I really don't care. I told her the other day to stop pinning girl stuff on Pinterest because she was having a boy. She said, "and what are you going to do if it's not, miss confident?" and I responded, "love her anyway!" Which is completely true. I'm just ready to know so I can get shopping! And I know she's ready too! :) YAY!

New bath crayons!

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

18 month checkup at 22 months

I said in this update that we didn't make the 18 month doctor visit so here's technically the 18 month update although he was 22 months old...don't judge. I had good reason to not take him to the doctor in the middle of flu season. And I stick by my decision!

So last week we finally made our 18 month check up. Beckham at 22 months weighs 28 lbs and 6 ozs (75%), he is 34 inches tall (50%), with a head circumference of 19.5 (90%). His pediatrician was happy he was back in 75th percentile weight range since he had been in 50th for so long. She is still pushing for us to switch to whole milk, but his stomach just can't handle it. It's no fun, and not worth it in my opinion. He's not a skinny baby- he's all muscle. Beckham is seriously talking up a storm. He now says 4 or 5 word phrases. His favorite phase has got to be "Sit Mama's lap, play phone." Seriously, he could/would play on my phone for hours if I let him. And the sad funny thing is he's usually watching videos of himself. My favorite thing that he says is, "What's that about?". It's so cute. Speaking of cute, he loves to show me random things like blocks, puzzle pieces, etc. and say "Awww cuuttee!". He also loved to wear sunglasses, or any glasses actually and look at himself in the mirror and say, "too cute". I've given up trying to count how many words he says, however he has a book of 101 first words and he knows every single one (and it doesn't have most of the words that he says), so I'm guessing he knows around 200-300 words total. Our pedi was shocked when he said "sit Mama's lap, play phone" while we were in her office. She said that was a 3 year old phrase.

Although he does so much beyond his age, we are having a few issues. Namely, his bed and potty training. First of all his bed- he officially hates it. I have NEVER been one to put him in our bed, we would play in the bed but never lay down for bedtime in there. However, he wakes up like clockwork around 12:00 every night crying and saying Mama a million times. I put him in our bed the first few times and now it's an every night occurrence. I. Don't. Know. What. To Do. He usually falls asleep watching TV in the living room, so I'm thinking when he wakes up in a different place he is scared. I honestly don't know. I'm just trying to rationalize an almost 2 year old. So, we put a big bookcase with a TV and DVD player in his room and I am hoping that will help and he will want to stay in his bed. I think it's a little early to transition to toddler bed, and then I am dealing with the whole -stay in your bed- issue. I'm not ready for that!

Now to the potty issue. Okay so, he HAD a lot of interest in the potty, he even went 6 nights in a row using the potty before his bath, so I thought it was time to try to potty train. I set aside a few weeks to stay home and have some consistency. I bought all kinds of underwear, pull ups, a potty seat, all of it. We talked about how the underwear were different from diapers and big boys wore underwear. We talked about how if needed to use the potty he needed to tell me and not go in his underwear. The first day he did great. We only had two accidents and before his bath that night he used it before his bath. The next day he would have nothing to do with it. That morning I said, "let's go try to use the potty" and he said, "no". I kept asking if he wanted to go try and he kept saying no. UGH! So, I have no idea what to do about that either. I don't want to force him because he is still young, but I don't understand how we had a good first day and from then on he wants absolutely nothing to do with the potty. At. All. I'm at a loss. Therefore, we are holding off on potty training for a while, hopefully in the next few weeks he will show interest and we can make it his idea to use the potty. I just hope it's before I go back to work in August.

That's pretty much all we've been dealing with lately. He completely runs the show around here. It's undeniable. Monday we are getting his playhouse- which is an early birthday present. I'm so excited about it and can't wait to see his face when it's all put together. I opted to get it early so that we can play with it all summer and we'll have it for his birthday party. Speaking of birthday party, of course I am in full-on planning mode. I can't wait. But, I also can't believe he is about to be 2! WOW! It seems like a month ago I was planning his first birthday. :'( Anyways, that's what has been going on around here lately.

Goodbye Summer

I started the list here and then updated it here and the last update was the end of July, here. Summer is slowly but surely coming to a close. The lows are around 60 with highs still around 90, but tomorrow is October 1st so I figured it was officially time to say goodbye to Summer 2013. :( It was a good one!  *things we've done since last update...

Summer To Do List:

Go swimming

Go to the park*

While on our Little River trip we went to the park. I talked about it here. Beckham loved the slide, but some bigger kids came and he wanted to play with them but they didn't really know what to do with him, so we ended up cutting our park time short.

Eat ice cream

Build a pillow (and blanket) fort

Visit family

Go to Yaya and Grumpy's

Paint with pudding*

Beckham's new favorite thing is Go-Gurt. So, technically we didn't paint with pudding but he is pretty obsessed with letting the Go-Gurt fall on his tray and spreading it all around. Does that count?

Bake cookies*

We actually made three different types of cookies (peanut butter, chocolate chip & Nutella cookies) this summer, three different times and I did not get a picture any of those times. fail...... I let him smoosh the dough with his hands..he loved it!

Read LOTS of books

Go for walks

Lay in the grass

Play in sprinklers

Eat sno-cones

Go to the lake

Take lots of pictures

Put those pictures into an album**
I'm starring this although it hasn't actually happened yet. I did give out all of Beckham's 1 year old pictures to friends and family, and I have ordered copies of a ton of pictures I have on my phone and I already bought an album, so I'm prematurely saying that I've already done this because it. will. happen. :)

Play in the mud*
Mud/dirt/water/bugs are Beckham's BFFs. He loves getting dirty. It didn't rain for like 3 months straight so he just recently played in the actual 'mud' and of course I didn't get a pic. Just trust me. I'll be sure to snap one in the near future. I did however have this picture from him playing in the water sprinkler.

Eat s'mores

Build a fire

Watch the sunset

Stay up late

Wake up early

Go to a Gymboree class

Go shopping

See a baseball game

Go fishing

Write with sidewalk chalk

Finger paint

Eat Popsicles

Take a trip

Ride in a boat

Have 1 year old pictures made

We didn't get everything done on the list but we had an awesome Summer. Life is so much better with Beckham. I honestly do not know what I did before him. Each day with that little boy is so special. He has a smile that can light up a room, a laugh that will force a smile from anyone, and the sweetest, gentlest soul. He is truly my greatest accomplishment. I am so lucky to be his Mama.

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.