Beckett's First Birthday

Beckett's ONE! Can you even believe it?! One of the biggest perks of surviving this year was being able to throw Beckett's first birthday party. It was so much fun to plan!! Brittany (my sister in law) and I have recently started a small event planning business (check out our page here!) so it was good practice for us!



We went with a rustic moose theme, based on Beckett's toy moose that we all love. Almost all of the decorations were made, borrowed, or something we already had! I was pretty impressed with myself for working on a budget. :)



Brian definitely had his work cut out for him for this event. With all of the wood work to be done, he stayed busy. His dad helped too, which made for sweet father-son time, and made us that much more happy to have moved closer. Brian even got a new saw out of the deal.



The moose head is made from old deck wood we found for free on Craigslist! The flags are made from pants I bought at the thrift store! Is that gross?

Beckett at ONE YEAR!

One year! We've got a one year old! It's been the best year ever. {You can check out pictures from the last year here!}

Little man has grown SO much just in the last couple of months. He weighs 27 pounds (the same as his 2.5 year old cousin!), and is off the charts in all areas for his age. We're ok with that. :) He's gonna be a football player!

He LOVES singing. He's the only person in the world who thinks I'm a good singer, but I'll take it! He likes to sing himself too. His favorite is the alphabet… He's only got "f" (which sounds more like "eh") and "g" down, but it's cute to watch him try! 

 

He's still a happy go lucky, easy going baby, with a few exceptions. He's learning how to throw a tantrum! They aren't very often (yet) but they sure are heart-breaking. I'm determined not to give in to whatever he's tantruming about, but it makes me a little sad and a little entertained at the same time. 

He's also just started walking this week! He's just too cute toddling all over the house. He wears this big proud grin on his face like suddenly he can conquer the world. He's definitely keeping us on our toes.

 He likes shooting hoops in his little tykes hoop, playing with hot wheels, any kind of ball, and blocks, hanging out at the front window & watching the cars, almost any food you put in front of him (in large amounts, please!). 

Beckett at 10 Months

It's been a while since I've done an update on Little Man. So much has changed since he was five months old! I thought it was about time I jot down a few of those little things we know we'll want to remember! So, here are a few of the likes, dislikes, and milestones of Beckett at 10 (and a half) months!

Likes!

Food

The kid loves food. But can you blame him? He gets it honest.

He started out on purees and soft foods (mostly avocado) at about 5 months. Now he eats whatever we eat. And he rocks it.

Guacamole & Tomatoes - 7 months

Chicken & Avocado - 9 months 

Greek Yogurt - 9 months 

Grilled fish & Squash - 9 months 

Ribs! 10 months

Music

Hopefully he doesn't get his musical talent (or dance skills) from his parents, because this kid looooves music and dancing.

A Midnight Adventure through Air Vents

Once upon a time, we decided to buy a house that needs to be renovated, top to bottom. Jump forward just over a year, and we are still living on sub floor in the master bedroom. For some reason, we don’t even have the vent covers on the vents. Why, you ask, would you not cover a good size HOLE in your floor, sitting right next to the bed? No clue, but I bet after this night, we'll make a valiant effort.

One fateful night (aka last night, but that's not nearly as dramatic), at midnight, Brian managed to drop his cell phone down the vent. WAY down the vent. It sucks to lose your phone down the vent. What sucks more is that in five and a half short hours, that phone is going to echo an obnoxious alarm throughout our maze of a ventilation system. Lucky for us, the phone is 100% charged and won't just die anytime soon. Echoes for hours, friends. Even luckier for us is tonight we happen to have THREE sleeping children in the house, as opposed to the usual one. What a night to choose to have a sleepover with the niece and nephew. So the trial and error begins. Of course, we start with reaching our arms in. Not even close. So Brian grabs out his camera and manages not to drop it as he reaches it in to take a photo of our new obstacle. When he reaces in, the vent runs parallel under the floor for about a foot - just long enough to aim the lens straight down a forever long drop.

Look closely. That baaaarely visible litte white speck is Brian's iPhone. The one we still have a year of contract on before we can upgrade. Waaay out of arms reach. So, naturally, we Google some options and decide to start with the shop vac. Oy.

Fall Family Party!

So last night we got to have our first sleepover with Eli & Avaya! And it's about time! In celebration of my VERY FAVORITE season, we decided to have a fall themed party. It was so much fun to hang out with these two cuties and get in some quality time. Here are the highlights!

The first stop of the night was Aldi so the kids could each pick out their own pumpkins. It was a hoot hauling these three (and two carts) through the grocery store. It's definitely good practice for these wanna be parents of 4-5. Of course we got lots of compliments on the cuteness of this trio, and they the older two had fun picking out their own pumpkin. Beckett was more interested in people watching, but can you really blame him?

Third Anniversary in Algoma!

I think most people, when talking about time passing, seem to think time is flying and how they can't believe it's "been 3 years already." Well, while I feel that sometimes, mostly I feel like Brian and I have known each other forever. I know I say this often, but he's my best friend and my favorite person, and we have SO MANY memories together!

This week, I got to celebrate our third anniversary with this sweet man. When we first got married, 3 years ago, we determined to try and take a trip every year around our anniversary. For our honeymoon we swept off to Antigua. For our first anniversary, we cruised to Alaska. Then last year we had an amazing adventure driving down the Pacific Coast Highway (which apparently I didn't record in a blog).

This year, with life being slightly more chaotic (including the addition of Beckett in our lives) we decided to take a shorter trip, closer to home. Even though it was only 2 nights, 3 hours from my mom's, it was an INCREDIBLE few days! It was just what we needed.

We found At the Water's Edge B&B in Algoma, Wisconsin on living social. We chose the Nautical suite. I was nervous about staying in a B&B because I had never had this experience before and was worried about privacy. Looking at the website & pictures (which I thought were fairly cheesy), we were expecting a quaint old couple to host us, but actually we had a hilarious biker-like lady in her 50s. We had great conversation and yummy breakfasts, but definitely didn't lack privacy at all.

We spent most of our time relaxing around the B&B, playing cards and drinking coffee or wine. It was amazing!! So, without further ado, some highlights and pictures:

Enjoying some coffee and the beach behind the B&B. It was chilly (just how I like it!), & beautiful. Of course, Brian prefers warmer weather, so we've agreed to go someplace warm next year!

In the yard behind the B&B.

Spent Friday morning playing chess & drinking coffee. We were the only couple there, so it was particularly peaceful!

We also spent some time enjoying the town. It was nearly deserted and totally adorable. We checked out a few cute antique shops and ate at some yummy restaurants. 

Our favorite food experience, hands down, was Skaliwags. Several people told us that despite its "hole in the wall" exterior, they serve the best seafood we'd ever have. They weren't wrong. We had some DELISH seafood nachos and a chef's sampler with shark, tuna, and bacon wrapped scallops. YUM. Brian also got to try chocolate milk beer. Brian enjoyed it. I don't recommend it.