A Day at "My Park"

For years Sam has called the school playground down the road from our house "my park". It's a great place and the Beckham family can be found there several times a week as it's a fun way to pass the time between dinner and bedtime (not to mention that our favorite ice cream store is also right around the corner!). Tonight was no exception and I finally remembered to bring my camera....

Carter 21 months

(Sorry! This is a REALLY long one!)

The last time I posted specifically about Carter he was 18 months. Now he's already 21 months and I am just loving this age! He's so darn cute and cuddly and trying so hard to communicate. Lately he's starting to say more words and he's so proud of himself. He especially loves to say "Hi!" to everyone he meets, especially in the grocery store. Yesterday he saw a little old man at Aldi's and said, "Hi Bubba!" Then he did it again at church today to another elderly man. :) He's quite the charmer and will frequently climb up into my lap just to give me a hug and a big wet kiss and say, "Hi mama". He adores Sam and the two of them like to wrestle and play with cars and trains and watch cartoons together. I often find them sitting in the same chair just watching PBS in the morning...melts my heart! Carter also has a soft spot for his daddy and goes crazy when Brian walks in the door..."Hi dada, hi dada, hi dada!" He will say this over and over and it makes us laugh. Unfortuately "no" is one of his new favorite words, but he says it as an answer for everything. i.e. "Carter, do you want to take a nap?" "No." "Carter, do you want a cookie?" "No." Overall, he's such a happy kid, but he's starting to develop a mind of his own and will throw himself to the ground if he doesn't get his way. Luckily, it last all of about 10 seconds and then he moves on to the next thing. He's still a very busy child and super FAST! Recently, our little Hoodini figured out how to open doors, and nearly gave me a heartattack when he escaped outside unsupervised (for a very short period of time.) He also did this to my grandma and she said she had to chase him all the way down the road of her condo complex. I guess he kept turning around to see if she was gaining on him and then he'd take off again laughing. He's also figured out how to get out of his pack n' play and crib. He's only done it a few times and I immediately put him right back and tell him "No, No!" and this seems to be working so far. He can be a little stinker, but his big smile and crazy hair just melts your heart and makes it hard to get too mad. Overall, he's a pretty easy kid...sleeps like a pro, wakes up happy, goes to bed happy (usually), and keeps us laughing all day long. However, his energy level can be exhausting and I hope those warm days from last week aren't a foreshadowing of my summer to come, because he wore me out! He stands at the door and bangs to go outside (especially if Sam is outside and he's not) When we do venture out, he just runs and runs and never stops! Anyone want to build me a fenced in yard? I'm serious! Sorry about the long post, its mostly for me, just to remember how much I love this kid. I wish I could bottle the cuteness of this age! At least we have a video camera, right?

Chillin' with big bro "Sa"watching some 'toons

The bunnies were his favorite animal at the Critter Barn

Manhandling another bunny

Watching the big trucks pick up leaves in front of our house.

Icecream....yum!

(love those curls after a bath!)

The Best Day

Yup, this one made me cry...for sure. I really hope my boys can say this about me someday. I don't know about you but it inspires me to keep on trying even on those days when I feel like all I do is discipine. Yesterday was one of those day, so I needed this today.

Happy 6th Birthday Sam!

April 5 my big boy turned 6 years old! Since it's spring break, I decided to devote the whole day to making Sam feel extra special. It was another beautiful day, so we headed out to the Critter Barn (since he is a huge animal lover) and enjoyed over 2 hours of petting, holding, and chasing baby chicks, ducks, rabbits, and kitties. He LOVED it! In the afternoon, one of my best friends came over with her kids and he showed off all his new birthday toys and they jumped on the tramp. Then in the evening we went to Logan's for dinner (his choice) and he made a grand mess of crushing peanuts all over the floor. :)

Getting a "yee ha!" from the entire restaurant!

I was so proud of him for being brave enough to stand on that chair in front of everyone.

After dinner, he got to open presents from the Beckham side of the family who live out of town.

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A few days earlier, all the in-town grandmas and grandpas came over and we had a great time celebrating, opening gifts, and eating cake. I still can't believe he's already six years old!

He was pretty excited about the CARS cake I made him.

Yes, our little man collected a lot of loot. Sometimes I worry that he gets too spoiled, but what's a boy to do that has 5 sets of grandparents and a load of aunts and uncles who think he's pretty special? Thank you to all who love on our Sammy! We think he's pretty special too!

Happy Birthday Samuel!

We LOVE you!

(I have no idea why this last paragraph is underlined...any ideas?)

Sam I Am Loses a Tooth

Last week all the kindergarteners had a Storybook Parade. Sam loves books, so he had a hard time choosing a favorite book. After weeks of debating, he finally decided on Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss so he could dress up as Sam I Am. Is he clever or what?!

Sam parading down the catwalk and not too excited about all the eyes on him.

Hi mom! Parading down the halls.

I had to take a picture of The Three Blind Mice...triplets in Sam's class! They were adorable!

Big news! Sam lost his first tooth this week! So, not only is he turning 6 in a few day, but he also lost a tooth and mama is feeling like he's growing up WAY too fast. :(

Murder Mystery Dinner

We've had busy but fun-filled weekend around here. I don't feel ready to go back to work yet, but then again, only 4 more days until Spring Break! Whoo hoo!

The weekend began Friday night with a Murder Mystery Dinner with a bunch of couples from our church.

I thought this was going to be a bit out of my comfort zone, but we all ended up having a total riot! I was Ms. Shugga Ann Flower (the sweet town pastry chef) and Brian was Dr. Doctor Dijon (a germaphobic doctor who talks 3 inches from your face). He was pretty hilarious and I did my best to be sticky sweet (see, told you it was out of my comfort zone!) and in the end it turned out I was the murderer! Haha, you never can trust those nice girls!

Here's the hosts and hostesses of the evening at the Anonville Manor:

Pastor Matt & Lena (Butcher & Principal)

Mark & Jen (Hairstylist and Defense Attorney)

Other dinner guests included:

Matt & Stephanie (Mayor & Librarian);

Us (Pastry Chef & Brainiologist);

Cory & Cheri (local TV celebrity & TV reporter )

Erik & Livie

(famous hotel heiress London Wilton & famous golfer Cougar Forest)...I loved their names!

Steve & Cara

(Professor & Tailor)

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MURPHY!

Saturday began with...Murphy's 9th Birthday! Happy Birthday you trusty old dog! He really is a great dog, and while I don't enjoy all the hair at times, he's amazing with our boys. Sam is especially attached to him and insisted that Murph must have a "Frosty Paw" (a doggie iceceam treat) since it was his big day. I forgot to buy some at the store, so we improvised with a cone, some stale vanilla ice cream and tiny bone treats for topping!

Sam was quite proud of our invention!

Murphy dug it too.

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Brian and the boys riding the beloved "tractor" for the first time of the year.

Carter thought it was the best thing ever!

Until he had to get off... :(

But then he found the slide... :)

and the swing...

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Sunday we enjoyed an early Easter dinner as a family and celebrated

Grandpa Don and Aunt Patty's birthdays.

Carter was the ham of the party and kept climbing in a box, then jumping out and saying "hi"!

He thought he was pretty hilarious!

I thought he was pretty darn cute. Such a happy little guy.

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Stay tuned for more pics of my weekend project that took up a lot of my time....creating a costume for the Kindergarten Storybook Parade. Tomorrow is the big day when all the kindergarteners parade through the school dressed up as a character from their favorite book.

Guess what book Sam chose?

Guess what character he wanted to be?

Yup, Sam I Am.

Check back for pictures to be posted soon!