Labor Day at Silver Lake

Things have been a little hectic around the Beckham house lately, so I'm just now getting around to posting pictures from our fabulous Labor Day weekend at Silver Lake. I love Labor Day weekend, but it is always so bittersweet... a great long weekend to spend with family or friends, yet it signifies the end to summer. It's the last big harrah before gearing up for colder weather, falling leaves and crazy back-to-school schedules! This Labor Day weekend was especially gorgeous and we had a great time enjoying the warm temps and fun things to do at Silver Lake...

Swimmer Sam...this kid is a water rat! The water was too cold for Carter, but both boys had hours of fun playing in the sandbox...





All tuckered out after a long day of playing hard!

NOTHING beats a Silver Lake sunset.

Saturday morning, Jen stopped by with Mya and Owen and we took a walk and let the kids play and feed the ducks.




Saturday afternoon we took the boat across the lake to the dunes and spent the afternoon climbing the dunes, fishing, laying out and exploring. It was so much fun!










Saturday evening Brian, Alex, Sam and I headed to Craig Cruisers. We had lots of laughs on the go-carts and enjoyed a warm evening playing mini-golf.



Sunday afternoon we headed to another spot in the dunes where you can watch the dune buggies and trucks tear through the dunes.



I love this pic of Carter. So sweet.

Poor baby! Carter was having so much fun until he totally bit it and ended up with a face/mouthful of sand!

Brian and Sam had fun digging a big hole and then burying Uncle Alex. Grandpa Ron got involved and somehow Al got renamed Alexa....
complete with a rockin' bikini!

Emotionally Tiring Week, plus Sam's First Soccer Game

Whew...it's been a week around here. After a fabulous Labor Day weekend at Silver Lake (will post pictures soon of that vacation), I was not prepared for what this week had in store. Tuesday morning at 1:30 a.m. Brian left for 6 day fishing trip in Canada. I was ready to take on the challenge of single parenting, but clearly we picked the wrong week for him to be out in the middle of nowhere without cell phone reception! The first two days went smoothly and I survived going to back to teaching, getting the kids off to daycare in the afternoon, and even putting Sam on the bus for his first day of kindergarten. I was feeling pretty good about how things were going and how well we had all adjusted to the new "back to school" schedule, but then Thurs. morning came around. At 7:20 a.m. my dad called to tell me that my Grandpa Frego had a heart attack during the night. Needless to say, I was not prepared to hear that kind of news and from there on everything got kind of crazy for a few days. He was transported to Spectrum and was just released this afternoon to come home! They opted to not do open heart bypass surgery because his odds of surviving that were not good. So he's on a special diet and some medications. Our hope is that doing this will enable his heart to function better and ward of any further heart attacks. Prayers are welcomed!
My grandparents...the sweetest couple ever! They are so in love after 60 years!

The highlight of this week was defintely Saturday...Sam's first soccer game and Michigan beat ND!! I've posted pictures of our little superstar below. He had a blast and tried so hard and even scored a goal! He loved playing goalie and made several stop and never let a ball get past him. It was so much more exciting than t-ball and everyone was yelling and cheering...even Carter! After the game we drove to the hospital and it was a full room for a short time. Jon & Jen were there with Mya & Owen and we all said good-bye and gave lots of hugs since they are leaving for California for 7 months for my brother's job. (speaking of...they are probably in the air right now!) That was another emotional moment and I'm going to miss them so much...especially their two little cuties! Thankfully, the day ended on a high note with Michigan beating ND in the last 11 seconds...there was lots of screaming coming from our hospital room! It was a nice way to end the day and definitely lifted Grandpa's spirits. Go BLUE!







By the way, Brian is finally home and I'm just slightly releived! He caught 7 King Salmon and had a fabulous time. Now, when do I get my 6 day vacation? (HAHAHAHA!!!...that's me laughing.)

1st Day of Kindergarten!

Sam started kindergarten today! Our morning began at 7:00 a.m. on the dot. I set both of our alarms and at 7:01 exactly, I had a very excited little boy standing at my bedside demanding that I "get up"! After requesting a little snuggle time, he crawled into bed with me and after about 10 seconds he said, "Mom, I don't think we should snuggle today. I don't want to be late!" :) I did my best to be Supermom and made him a Mickey Mouse pancake (mostly because I was trying to fill up his belly...the kindergarteners don't eat until 12:30!) We were out the door by 7:45 and momma got him to the bus stop on-time!!
Ready to go! So grown up and handsome!

Sportin' his big boy backpack.

Sam and his buddy Asher getting ready to walk to the bus stop. I affectionately refer to Asher as "Sam's brother from another mother". The two of them are so darn cute, but also can stir up trouble when they're together for too long! (When asked after school if he and Asher behaved on the bus today, Sam told me: "Mom, we didn't mess around. We just told jokes instead!" :)

All the neighborhood kids walking to the bus stop.

Waiting anxiously for the bus to arrive.

Here it comes!!

Bye Mom! (as you can see, Sam is clearly unphased about the significance of this moment. Mama was trying to hold it all together and not act like a bumbling fool!)

The next few pictures are from last week at Kindergarten orientation. The kids got to practice riding the bus from the bus stop all the way to school with mom and dad along for the ride. Then the parents attended an informational meeting while the kids got to meet their teacher and play with their new classmates.

Sam is in Mrs. Bos's Elephant Room. He has very excited about this because he can darn near perfectly imitate the sound of an elephant!

Sam's locker

Playing legos with a new friend

Sam coloring at a table with his new buddies while the parents listen to Mrs. Bos share a few important back-to-school tips.

Sam and Asher riding the bus on the practice run. Seriously, these two and their big brown eyes are just too much! Watch out ladies...these two are gonna break some hearts!

Overall, Sam had a great day and mama survived! I was able to sneak down to the cafeterial and have a quick lunch with him before getting back to my teaching duties. He was so sweet and ran up and gave me a big hug and even a kiss right in front of all his buddies! I guess I better soak it up and take it while I can, because I'm sure those days are numbered. When asked "Sam what was the best thing about kindergarten today?" Sam's response: "I got to play with trains!" Go figure!