Back to School Interview

Shonn and I "interviewed" each other about Beckett with the hope that we will answer these questions each year, based on what we know about him at the time.  Enjoy!

Question: Beckett’s…	Shonn’s Answer	Christy’s Answer
Favorite Word?	Mama	Down (which is used for down and up)
Favorite Toy	Tractors	Mommy’s phone
Favorite Game	Tickle Wrestling	Chase
Favorite Food	Cookies	Chicken
Favorite Drink	Milk	Anything with a straw
Least Favorite Activity	Sleeping	Going to sleep
One word to describe him	Happy	Sweet
I think he will be…	A Doctor	A Musician
My favorite trait	Cuddly	Happy and cuddly (I couldn’t pick just one.)
Funniest Habit	Wrinkling his nose and making funny faces	Starts bouncing when music comes on
In school, he will…	Be smart	Be nice to everyone

15-Month Inventory!

I say this every month, but I can't believe he is 15 months old! For his Bright Starts evaluation, Beckett was on or beyond all gross and fine motor skills, and he was above on language.  I didn't get as much advice on what to do next with him as I would have liked, but I wasn't sure if I should stand there while she assessed him or if I should participate or just make myself scare...  The CDS didn't really seem to interested in me, so I just hung out in the kitchen area while she evaluated him.  He easily colored, stacked blocks, kicked a ball, walked backwards, and waved when prompted.  He was very interested in her new books as well as her bag with the zipper. :)

For his 15-month doctor's appointment, Beckett had to get three shots (EEEK) and it wasn't fun.  The nurses normally give shots in both legs simultaneously, but they didn't coordinate, which made Beckett tighten his quad, and then the third shot came out and she had to stick him twice!  It was horrible!  After I picked him up and cuddled him for a little while, he was back to his normal happy self.  He was in the 47th percentile for weight, at 24.5 pounds, and at the 49th percentile for height, at 30 inches.  Right in the middle! 

What the numbers and assessments can't measure is how beautiful his smile is, or how his curiosity helps us see the world in a new way.  No one can quantify the joy he brings into our lives, or put a percentile on how many times a day he surprises us or makes us laugh.  These fifteen months have been awe-inspiring and a reminder of what a tremendous gift life is.

Cookie Monster!

Someone has discovered cookies... And Cookie Monster.  He loves both. :)

Champaign County Fair

Friday night, Shonn, Beckett, and I went to Champaign to visit our good friends, The Waldens.  Chris, Allison, Hadleigh, and Hampton will be on the road until October, so we wanted to grab the opportunity to hang out before they hit the road. We had an awesome time - Beckett even rode his first ride AND won a prize in the duck pond game. (Pretty sure it was rigged for him... :) )  We are so thankful for great friends like the Waldens, and I've loved seeing our kids spend time together as much as I've enjoyed spending time with them myself.



As soon as we arrived, Beckett got a bracelet for entry, which he thought was the coolest thing ever.  He kept showing it to us!  Then, he noticed the ferris wheel and kept saying, "Round and round!"  Then we got to ride the elephant, which he kept saying, "Boom, boom" as he pointed to it.



As you can see, Beckett and Hadleigh are such good buddies!  In the lower right picture, I know he's saying..."Don't go!"  They had a great time on the boat ride and in the duck pond. We will miss them until we see each other again in October!

Beckett's Playroom

We needed a place for Beckett's toys and games to live and a place for him to play.  Happily, the conversion from Sunroom to Playroom is almost complete!  Here are some pictures, and I will update again as I finish the details. (Art project above bookshelves, curtains on map wall windows, etc.)  It has been a lot of fun collecting and repurposing things for him to have a space he can enjoy - and destroy! :)

This is the "Before"

Same wall: "After" I made the PLAY signs out of plywood Shonn bought at Home Depot. I painted colorful designs on each and then painted chalkboard paint on top of that.  I figured with chalk lettering, it could change with the seasons and if Beckett wants something else up there, it would be an easy switch. The wicker chair was in the room in the other corner before.

I saw a pennant I really liked in Pottery Barn, but it was ridiculously expensive, so I made this one.  The PB version was 8 pennants for $40 - this whole project was $8 and I really like the colors.  I also plan to make holiday-themed pennants that I can change with the seasons - it was really easy!

 I found this cute little basket combo at BJ Antiques in town.  The puppy painting was done by my Granny Brown, (love it!), the abbacus was a fifty-cent garage sale find, and the racquets on the table are potential wall art items... Mom and I found them at Third Sunday Market for $3!

This mobile is of fish. I love it and so does Beckett. He points up and says, "Fish!"  Fifty cents, garage sale!

These windows still need curtains, but I'm waiting for next month's household items' budget to get them.  The curtains, by the way, are $10 black-out panels I hung with tension rods and ribbon.  The map, above, is doubling as a roller shade. It also has a world map underneath the US map and you can see what it looks like rolled up in the next picture.

Shonn made these awesome bookshelves again.  The basket is a fisherman's basket full of Dr. Seuss books, and the artwork is a BEckett original.

I found these neat old flashcards at BJ Antiques - a full set for $3.  The frames are actually plastic from IKEA, for $1 each. Beckett now recognizes A regularly, and says "BOO" for b. Not sure if he's referencing the color blue, guessing at the letter, or just happens to say it on occasion.

The treasure chest is full of beanie babies. This desk was a brand-new, in-the-box garage sale find.  It was multi-colored, so I painted it red. It has an art paper roll that ist attached on the other side. (You can kind of see it underneath.) The cool truck puzzle was a gift from Grandma. The cups are filled with crayons, markers, and chalk, and they are from IKEA.

 The CD player in the lower right is a great story. I can now say, "Beckett, can you please put on your music?" And he will walk to the player, push play, and start dancing.  SO CUTE.  Plus, today, he changed the cd for me. :)

I took this shot so you could see that I made a matching pennant for Beckett's playground clubhouse outside. (It's Sunbrella fabric, except the gingham.) 

VBS

This week, I got to help in the nursery during VBS. it was a lot of fun and Beckett really enjoyed making new friends. I only tok pictures one day, and they turned out pretty cute. Next year, I might try to be a crew leader, although I just loved my time with the babies! It was a double-blessing, too, because I was able to play with Beckett at the same time I lent a hand for church.  I think you can definitely see his personality in these pictures... :)

NOM NOM NOM - Cheerios.  I think he ate 580 of them.

Everytime the music went on in the sanctuary, he would drop what he was doing and start dancing.  Note his placement in the center of the room. :)

Get down!

"Maybe if I smile REALLY big, she'll give me some extra Cheerios..."

"Thank you, Dear Lord, for the extra Cheerios."

Campout!

Beckett and I had a fun campout in the luxury of air conditioning!  No s'mores, though...

 

Corn on the Cob

NOM NOM NOM NOM! First corn on the cob!

Argh, Matey

On Friday, mom and I took Beckett to see "How I Became A Pirate" at The Little Theater. The show was adorable, with twelve songs mixed into a storyline based on the book by the same title. It ran about 45-minutes, which was just enough for its audience. Some of my friends from Bunco brought their kids, too.

Cannoli, Records, Sand, and Pizza

After our dance party this morning, Levi got home from working a 24-hour (plus) shift.  We got ready and visited Mazarro's Italian Market and Banana Records before going to the beach.  Then we came home and Mandy made the most amazing homemade pizza.  She is such a gifted homemaker - an excellent cook and decorator!  We had a wonderful day.

Planning for the day with a little monkey on my back!

At Mazarro's - YUM!

Cheese counter - with a buffalo for DAD!

CHEESE! (And wine. Lots of it.)

Beckett was very curious.

More cheese!  And a tie dye cow.  MOOO-Man!

It is such a beautiful market - everything is authentic and fresh, and the atmosphere is so genuinely Italian, with a different counter for meats, cheeses, pastas, breads, desserts, wines, olives, coffees - and everything is freshly made in the store. I guess it is owned by a couple in their 70s who still work 7+ hour days because they love it so much.  It was packed at 10:30 on a Tuesday, and Mandy said on the weekends, it's insane.  I can see why!

The meat counter.

The fresh pastas - they were like pieces of art. 

Outside, Beckett found the tie dye cow's older brother. MOOOOO-Dude.

And a large alligator.

To whom he promptly introduced his hand.

I think we need to talk to Beckett about Florida saftely.  Shonn?

Riding the alligator with Grammy.

YUM!  Some kind of delicious morsel was being sampled after lunch.  Oh yeah - for lunch, you order whatever you want and they make it for you.  We split the sandwich of the day (chicken, goat cheese, sundried tomaotes on chibatti), a Hot Italian sandwich (lots of meat, pepperocinis, and cheese), lasagna, and a tuna wasabi sandwich. (Decidedly un-Italian.)  We also ordered lots of desserts and I got a box of sweets to take home to my sweetie. :)  I miss him so much and wish he were here with us. :(

TICKLE BUG!

After our lunch and desserts, it was across the street to Banana Records, which is The. Largest. Record. Store. In. The. WORLD!  The guy at the counter loved Beckett's shirt (selected with care by Uncle Levi) and invited him to help ring customers when Beckett tried to explore his office behind the counter. :)  Anyone ever take a toddler to a record store?  It was an adventure! :) 

Beckett likes Otis Redding.

And whatever is at the end of the aisle.  Any aisle, actually. :)  HEE HEE! (He was giggling the whole time!)

LOVE his face!

He thinks it's funny when I sing in weird voices.  Even Pat Benatar!

What a sweet face. He's simultaneously thanking God for such a great day...

...and pointing at this fish.

 We talked a lot about what to do next, and then decided to go the beach.  On the way, Uncle Levi had to stop at the Dollar Store to get Beckett some beach toys, including bubbles, buckets, rakes, a water shooter, and a beach ball.

We wasted no time getting to the bubbles.

This is Treasure Island Beach, where we stayed for Mandy and Levi's wedding.  Mandy (completely covered in the back right of the photo) wasn't too enthusiastic about our return to the beach. :)

But Beckett was very happy she brought him back!  We had such a great time at this beach when we came down as a family (me, Shonn, and Beckett) - it is really a nice beach, but much warmer at this time of year than in early March!

Isn't it beautiful?  We picked John Deere green for Daddy!

Talk to the hand - I'm so done with that sand castle!

I love this pic - he's such a little boy!

There's his darling ornery smile.

Aunt Mandy is totally avoiding sunburn.

Grammy is totally seeking sunburn.

Fun with the camera... And teaching Beckett to "sit down, please!"

HEE HEE - Okay!

He loves this chair.

We enjoyed the waves while Grammy and Uncle Levi talked.  Mandy assumed the role of paparrazi while avoiding sunburn. (See previous.)

Picking out some special shells for Daddy.

Thanks, Uncle Levi!

 Then we were on our way home, where Mandy prepared a delicious pizza feast while I gave Beckett a much-needed bath.  (Sand in the scalp. And everywhere else!)

Homemade dough, olive oil with garlic, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, onions, turkey sausage, kalamata olives.  YUM! (And healthy!)

Dessert from Mazarro's - Left to Right: Coconut Cake, Lemon Poppyseed Roll, and Brownie Dreamsicle.  YUM! (And not healthy!)

A beautiful table.  The pizza didn't last long. :)

Fantastic day! I just wish Shonn could have been here, too!  We are so thankful for all of the hard work he is doing while we are gone, and Beckett and I are both excited to see him SOON!  We leave early tomorrow - it has been a fast trip in many ways, but really good time with my sister and my mom.  It's wonderful to see my sister so happy again.  I love her and Levi.