We played outside all day today! (SPF 55) It was so much fun!
Beckett kept dumping this bucket of water on himself.
When Lexi barked at the neighbor's dog, he would bark, too. (Which is what is going on in this pic.)
I buried his toes and feet and he was very interested in finding them!
He is saying "Round and round" and spinning the wheels on his dump truck.
He loves this sandbox Grandma got for him! She also got him the fun toys, which he loved playing with all day today. Here, he proudly displays his boat, just like his dad!
I guess we'd better get the "No Girls Allowed" sign hung up. The turquoise bathing suit behind Beckett belongs to Riley! This is at the doorway of his fort.
The weekend of April 28th, I got to present at the International Reading Association Conference in Chicago for MAX Teaching, which was awesome. We decided to make a weekend out of it, so Mom, Dad, Beckett, and I took the early (like really early) train from Mattoon to Chicago. I wish Shonn could have gone, but he had to work on landscaping.
So we left at 5:30 a.m. and arrived in Chicago at 9. We went to Shedd Aquarium and got to spend a lot of time with Maria, which was wonderful! She was an amazing hostess, of course, and we had a great time. Here are some pictures from our trip!
It started raining just as we began boarding the train. Beckett slept for about an hour and a half while we made our way north. We had an easy ride! Although it was CRAZY early, I'm glad we took that train because we had 1/2-day longer in Chicago.
Shedd Aquarium is amazing - Beckett got to see aquatic life from all over the globe, and he was particularily interested in the stingrays and turtles. He also liked the glow-in-the-dark blue fish, which you can see in the fourth picture down on the far right. The sharks were really cool, and Mom and I also loved the sea horses and sea dragons. (If you click on the picture you can see the individual images more clearly.) The place was PACKED, and I'm glad we got there early, because when we came out, the entry line snaked around the block. Yikes.
Maria is the best hostess. Her house is gorgeous and she made all kinds of delicious food for us while we were there. While I presented on Sunday, she spent time with my family and made them feel so at home and welcome. She is a wonderful friend and person. And Beckett loved her. (I like how he is following her around in the middle bottom picture.)
At the Children's Museum, Beckett was fascinated with the gears and wheels on the firetruck. THere is his new bear, Squishy, that Maria got him at the Build-A-Bear Workshop on Navy Pier!
It was a fantastic weekend! I'm very thankful Grammy and Gramps could come - such wonderful memories!
Beckett's first phrase: Round and Round! He makes his hand go in a circle and points at ceiling fans when he says it. He has also discovered that wheels and steering wheels do it, too. In this picture, he's saying, "Round and round," as he spins the wheels. I think he's pretty much a genius.
Beckett's birthday present was installed on Monday, and when we got home from Springfield Tuesday evening, he had to try it out:
Today he played on the baby swing (which isn't installed in these pictures), and went down the slide a few times. Mom and Dad sent me some pictures of him peeking through the windows of his fort, too. I have a plan for a cool sign to hang on the top part...just as soon as I get a few minutes to do a craft. It's been a hectic month!
Here are some pictures of Beckett's Goldfish-themed first birthday party from April 7th. It was so much fun - he loved the cake, and many of our friends were able to come.
Smiling and ready for the party!
I got a tricycle from Grammy and Gramps!
I love GG - I think there are some similarities in this smile.
Our friends, the Waldens, only 3 days before Hampton was born!
Gramps let us use his camera when Mommy realized she had forgotten the memory card. Then Daddy bought a new one!
We all loved the real goldfish!
We had some banners I made on my friend's Cricut machine.
His cheeks are perfect for smooches!
Kaylee and Casey - We've missed you!
Here are some of my friends! Notice this shirt, which was the replacement after the cake smashing.
Kiptyn was all over the place - so energetic and cute!
Thanks for coming, Chris and Marissa! I love the clothes and the John Deere tractor!
My middle school friends - Monica took the picture on the fireplace mantle. Katie and Megan helped take pictures at the 5 month shoot, and they are all three such great people!
These pictures are totally out of sequence...Here we are opening some of Beckett's presents. He actually got involved in it this time, especially with tissue paper.
Love this face during the cake smash!
More friends...
More presents... (Don't you love that Hadleigh matches the party theme?)
My Uncle Matthew sent me two books - one of his favorites and also The Little Prince, passing the title down. :)
A Year of Monthly Photos
Favors. (Catch ya later!)
Amazing cookies from Miss Ingrid were the favors. YUM!
Tammy brought lots of sweets, including tarts and cookies. Ingrid made the bagged favor cookies, and we also had sixlets with goldfish in them.
I love Kaylee.
I made this shirt for the cake-smashing festivities. It had a 1 on the back.
I loved the sixlet favors.
I also loved this suckers from Vintage Confections on etsy. I painted blocks from the Dollar Tree to hold the suckers.
PREPARE TO SMASH! It was way too cute to smash...
He started so dantily.
Emily and Nathan had a good time, too!
I had water bottles with custom labels, including cute ingredient lists... And they got left at home. Haha! So we will be drinking to Beckett's first birthday all year long. :)
Thanks to everyone for coming and for your well-wishes. It has been an amazing year. We are so very blessed! (And thanks to Shonn for letting me plan this party - I had a blast doing it!)
I can hardly believe this, but Beckett is a year old. Wow. What an amazing year it has been! He is such a joy and develops into his own little person more each day. Here is some information about Beckett at one year:
Eating:
He isn't picky, but loves MEAT! He will eat just about any type of meat, but if he has to chew it for too long, he will spit it out. He still likes baby food, but eats whatever Shonn and I have for dinner. Most recently, for lunch each day, he would eat 3 chicken nuggets, a baby food jar of veggies, and applesauce or other fruit. He is now drinking organic Vitamin D/whole milk and loves it. He is also still nursing, but mostly at night, and he uses it as a sleep soother more than anything.
Sleeping:
He naps in his own bed during the day. At night, we are still co-sleeping, which I love, but it's hard on our sleep. Plus it's going to be a huge challenge to transition into his own bed this summer. In the meantime, I'm loving the snuggling! (Shonn equates it to sleeping with a wild boar, which is hilarious and accurate at the same time.)
Physical Development:
Beckett is 30" tall and weighs almost 23 pounds. He has eight teeth! His hair is very blond and usually pretty crazy! He loves to lift things up and carry them around the house, especially if they are heavy. We have a wooden duck that weighs about 5 pounds and he loves picking it up and carrying around while groaning and quacking. It's hilarious.
He has been walking for about two months, but only really well for about a month. He almost runs sometimes he gets going so quickly! When he falls, he waits for our reaction before he reacts. He is SO busy and loves opening and closing doors (big and small), and wheels or gadgets he can manipulate.
Personality:
Beckett is SUCH a happy guy. He smiles almost all the time, and has started developing a twinkle in his eye when anticipates getting tickled, chased, or "getcha"! (See video, HAHAHA)
Shonn and I can just give him a look across the room and say "I'm gonna..." and he starts giggling and scrunches his shoulders up to his ears. He is ticklish mostly on his back and thighs, so Shonn says he's girl crazy. :)
He has started vocalizing when he wants something more, but doesn't have the words to specifically request what he wants, so his "MMM!"s and baby grunts are more emphatic depending on how much he wants something. He fusses when he is tired or if he is getting teeth.
He is also INCREDIBLY cuddly. (Thank you, God!) I love this part of his personality so much. He snuggles all the time and is happy sitting on our laps. He's so sweet.
With his friends, he is eager to connect physically. He does this by putting his hands on their shoulders, arms, and sometimes faces. He also tries to bump heads with them and us. (Not too sure what that one means, except maybe eskimo kisses. ?)
He can intently focus on something, especially books. He loves books and has a few favorites. Since we are working on animal sounds so much, he is drawn to books with animals like cows, pigs, chickens, roosters, and dogs.
He is such a blessing and delight. I am so thankful to God for the incredible gift of being a mom, and especially to such an amazing little guy.
Look what I found waiting for me when I arrived in Champaign! Good thing I kept the claim check!
Beckett made friends with everyone on the plane, in the airport, at the hotel, and everywhere in between. He travelled great again - the plane didn't bother him as much as it did me. My right ear wouldn't pop, but he didn't seem bothered at all. We got a cool video of take off this time, too.
