The House of Hild: September 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Extra Special Visitors!

This was the week of the Great Grandma! Beckett got to spend time with Greaty-Grandma Cox and Great-Grandma Mary. Shonn's Grandma Beard came to spend the week with Janis, so she got to come down Sunday night and Thursday night. I think Beckett enchanted her with his sweet smile, too, because Thursday night she said, "Well, Janis is always going on about how great he is, and I thought, 'How great can he be? He's a baby!', and now I'm talking about how amazing he is, too!" It was awesome. She hadn't seen him since Emily's wedding, which was in June, I think. He's grown so much since then.

Mom came over on Friday to take some pictures of them together. Wednesday, my mom got to have the same special experience, too! Greaty Grandma Cox came to play. Beckett is so intrigued with her face and hair. He concentrates when she talks to him. I wish I had a picture from that day... Maybe my mom took some on her phone.

He loves both his Great-Grandmas and I am so thankful they came to spend time with him this week. They are special women - we are so lucky.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Pumpkin Patch

This picture (below) is of Noah's Ark - the vessle has two-by-two varieties of pumpkins in each window. So cute. Noah, on the other hand, is looking a little old and weathered...

This cool sign collection is right when you come into the patch. The nice lady at the gate took our picture. Shonn joked that we should have turned around and left after she took it.

One of the cool displays is this white pine path. It's covered in rust-colored pine needles and the branches whisper in the wind. It reminds me of our family's old tree farm near Eagle River, Wisconsin.

They have this neat sign: How Tall This Fall? Beckett is over two feet, at 27 inches, but it doesn't quite show in this pic. It will be fun to see the difference each year.

My FAVORiTE part of the Pumpkin Patch is the animal displays. They have the Three Billy Goats Gruff, the Three Little Pigs, bunnies, chickens, roosters, sheep, llamas, and my favorite - GOATS. Beckett loved the animals - especially this goat, who he tried to kiss (or eat).

Little Mr. Independent wants to go climb on the pumpkin house. Good thing Shonn had ahold of him!

you can either buy a pumpkin that is on the ground, pre-picked, or go out into the fields and find the perfect pumpkin for your family. If you choose to pick one, you have to weigh it here to determine the cost. Our little pumpkin was off the charts.

I can imagine him saying, "But WHY can't I take it with me?" Or, "Only one?" We did buy one little pumpkin for his room. I didn't want to get too many yet, because we are having a Halloween party, and I wasn't sure if they would last that long. We'll have to go get some to carve when we get closer to the party.

Shonn took this picture and was especially impressed with his photography skills. It did turn out pretty cool! those plants in front of the pumpkins are actually sunflowers. That will be gorgeous in about 2-3 weeks!

Here are some of the pictures of Beckett with the wide variety of gourds at the patch. It was actually featured on Martha Stewart's show and in her magazine for their extensive collection.

The Rainbow of gourds:

It was a great time, capped off with some delicious Amish Pumpkin cookies with sinfully rich cream-cheese icing. Uh-mazing.

We had a great day with our little pumpkin!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Lil Pumpkin

I'll take the one in the middle, please.

Shonn and I took Beckett to The Great Pumpkin Patch today. It was so much fun to see him taking everything in. I took over 200 pictures and am sorting through them to pick the keepers. I will post more about our trip when I've edited the pile to my faves. These two made the quick cut. :)

Nomnomnomnom

So on Friday night, Shonn and I gave Beckett a strawberry pop. He wanted something to suck on and his teeth seemed to have been bothering him...He was sucking on his fingers all day. We thought it would be a nice little weekend treat for him. He loved it, as usual! This time, though, when the strawberry was sucked away to nothing, he got ticked! He clearly wasn't finished and wanted some more. This is the first time I've ever seen him get mad about wanting something that was gone. I guess this month starts the developmental process of wanting toys when they are taken away. That same logic could probably be applied to food when it's gone, I would guess. His cute little fit further proved my hypothesis.

I also can't believe he's able to hold this and move it around to get in his mouth at the perfect angle. He's becoming a little boy, right in front of my eyes. A little boy who likes strawberries.

A Braid?

Shonn and Beckett both would kill me for this...

Aunt Mandy

Something about this picture reminds me SO MUCH of my sister's baby pictures. I think it's half expression, half collick... Love it!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Camera Tricks

Our new camera has a bunch of cool settings. It was frustrating at first, and then I realized it came with this handy little thing called a User's Manual. Wow. It helped! Here are a couple of pictures from today when I was messing around with some of the settings, including "Vivid" and "Posterize". Both = Darling. Maybe it's the subject? :)

Sweet Dreams

I love how Beckett fights sleep and then passes into this complete abandon. His face is so peaceful and innocent. He definitely sleeps best when cuddled up against someone.

Ready for Dumbledore

I feel like Beckett stepped out of wizardry school in this sweet little outfit. He looks so collegiate, but something about it makes me think of a Quidditch match and team crests.

Love it.

In this picture, I feel like Beckett is challenging me to a lacrosse rematch or something equally east coast. Rowing, perhaps? Polo, anyone?

Oh, the stories I could create with him as the main character... Poor kid!

Smooches

Beckett has the most kissable cheeks. I LOVE them. Here, he's wondering..."What time is the game on?"

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Sick of being Sick.

I love the fall. But as i indicated in the post, Allergies, it's tough in terms of itchy eyes, a stuffy nose, and sinus headaches. This year seems worse than usual, and I don't know if that's because the farmland behind us was full of beans this year or what... But I have lost my voice (I think Shonn's secretly thankful - haha) and I have been up three nights in a row coughing like a hyena. (If hyenas cough really loudly like their lungs are coming out in chunky pieces.)

I've been trying to avoid medicine because I'm worried it's bad for Beckett. But my friend from work, Anne, told me to try Emergen-C. It's basically a vitamin-packed drink. My doctor said it was okay, so I've been drinking it with warm water. I think it's helping. Today I took a half day to go to the doctor. Then Beckett and I came home and took a snuggle nap, which was wonderful - just what the doctor (didn't, but should have) ordered.

The thing is, as bad as I feel, it's ten times worse to see Beckett's sweet little button nose run or be clogged. SAD. I would be this sick (or worse) forever if it meant he would never be sick. Maybe he'll outgrow allergies. I pray he does!

Sitting Up

Our little guy has a new favorite thing... Sitting up! Beckett loves his new perspective and works really hard to pull himself up. If we put our hands anywhere near grabbing range, he will take hold and pulllllll until he's sitting. It's amazing! He wobbles every once in a while, but he is really sitting on his own. I feel like it makes him look so much more like a little boy instead of a baby. Bittersweet!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Spoiled!

I don't know who is more spoiled since Beckett came along - the kids or the grandkid...

Mom made us stuffed pork chops, sweet potatoes, asparagus, and apple pie tonight! On Monday, Janis made white chicken pizza. We are lucky!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Go BEARS!

We loved watching the game together this weekend. We felt bad for Jay Cutler. In this picture, I'm pretty sure Beckett is wondering what's going on with the offensive line...Right, Uncle Jay?

Allergies.

My poor baby seems to have inherited my allergies, which I inherited from my dad, who got them from his dad, and... you get the picture. When I was a baby, my eyes would sometimes get sealed shut. I clearly remember one time when I was about 5, waking up and thinking one of my eyes was blind. I cried out and ran to my mom and dad's room. Mom took me to the bathroom and used a warm washcloth to loosen up the allergy gunk. I sobbed and she hugged me until I felt better. Sadly, I think my little bear may have the same manifestation of allergies. The difference? He doesn't cry, which breaks my heart even more - he's the happiest little guy and smiles through his sniffles and sealed lashes.

So the fall is an interesting time of year. I love, love, love the weather and the smells, the way the corn looks, and the football-back-to-school feelings. But it always comes with the price tag of a stuffy nose, itchy eyes, sore throat, and eventual sinus infection. It's an annoyance for me, but now that Beckett may have to suffer through the same feelings, I'm sad!

A silver lining for my guys? Said allergies have left me with no voice tonight.

Fruit Maniac!

In my most recent Baby magazine, there was a product by Nuby that was designed for teethers. It is basically a net fastened to a handle. But cuter. On a completely unrelated shopping trip to TJ Maxx, I stumbled across them in the baby section. I thought it was worth the $4.99 for a set of 2 to give them a try. (Especially since the magazine had them listed at $12. Always the bargain hunter.)

Anyway, I am SO GLAD I got them, because the little brick LOVES them. I (unaware of the apparent risks) started him on a frozen strawberry and he smashed it to his gums and went. to. town! He was giggling and sucking away. I started to wonder if he had a sugar high. (You have to realize this kid has had milk, milk, and more milk, and that's about it.) So, Sunday after church, Shonn dropped me off at IGA to run in for chili ingredients. I also picked up a bag of Dole frozen Blueberries and a Tropical Fruit mix. (The marketing team sold me on the "EXTRA IMMUNITIES!" claim, which cost me about $1.50 more than the store brand. Oh well.) When we got home, I put a couple frozen pineapples in the little Nuby net (don't know what it's really called) and Beckett LOVED it! Here he is, enjoying his little treat. Such a little cutie!

Oh, and the strawberries didn't hurt him at all. Maybe the extra Dole immunities saved him.