Beckstrand Bunch

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

I'd like to say I'll be better at blogging, but let's face it, it's been OVER a year since I last posted anything! So here's a small attempt to be better! But be warned, I'm not the kind of blogger who writes much, so just enjoy the pictures!

She's Here!!

2010-10-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm a terrible blogger! I never seem to get around to it anymore... But I figure the birth of our daughter is definitely something to take time to share, especially since she's so cute :)

Here are the stats!

Name: Braelyn Lee Beckstrand

Date of Birth: October 4, 2010

Height: 21 inches

Weight: 7 lbs 13 oz

She's got lots of long, dark hair (although she still has nothing compared to Scott and Whitney's girls!), and she has Derek's long, skinny feet (including his raptor toes!). She's incredibly mellow (so far), is eating wonderfully, and is only slightly jaundiced. Houston is up and down on his opinion of her, but for the most part he likes her since she apparently came into the world bringing him a new truck that he's in love with.

The delivery was smooth and relatively uneventful... not that that's a bad thing! I was supposed to be induced Thursday morning, but all the maternity wards filled up with women in actual labor, so I was pushed back until Monday morning. Too bad my mom drove out almost a week early... Sorry Mom!! But thanks for staying!! The staff at the hospital were SO nice, especially since they felt bad that we had had to wait so long. We got the best room (and the rooms there are wonderful anyways!) and the nurses were so attentive and nice. They started me on the pit at about 6:30 Monday morning, I got my epidural with no problems (yes, I'm a wuss and will ALWAYS get an epidural), then a few hours later they checked me thinking I'd be dilated to about a 6. Surprise! Braelyn's head was right there! The doctor rushed over, everyone piled into the room, I pushed twice, and she was here!

So there's the story... now for the good part! The pictures! Enjoy!!

It's A...

2010-05-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

...Yep, cliffhanger to force you to read my blog post... especially since they're so rare and so few lately!

Night 1 in a New House:

8:00 pm - Put Houston to bed and end up holding him for 40 minutes while he cries himself to sleep. New surroundings=not so fun night for the little man.

10:00 pm - Exhausted, so attempt to zonk out. No luck. Not until midnight anyway (according to the last glance at the clock).

12:30 am (yes, just a 1/2 hour after zonking) - Woken up by the train conductor who has to try to set the Guiness Record for longest train whistle blowing in the dead of night.

3:00 am - Repeat of fabulous little 12:30 event. Jerks...

5:00 am - Derek wakes up for work, and the shower decides to make this loud, blaring screechy sound for the next 15 minutes.

5:40 am - Houston wakes up terrified in his new room, runs in with Mom, continues to freak, pukes on Mom, gets cleaned up, falls asleep on Mom, snores in Mom's ear for the next hour while she tries not to wake him

7:00 am - Houston gets up again with Mom, wants breakfast, there's no food, so we eat Goldfish and Grape licorice. Delish.

7:15 am: Houston plays while Mom freaks because she's now a homeowner and has no idea what she's doing.

7:30 am: Mom gives up freaking out and plays her new piano. Bliss!!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my house, I've just never been one to handle big changes very well... especially with a 2-year-old who is the same way as me and with the hubs at work all day.

Now for the fun news! We're having a girl!! She's healthy, active, and due October 3rd. YEAH!!

Hi Peanut!

2010-03-10T14:52:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Houston!

2010-01-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

We love you!!

Oh Dear

2009-11-17T21:26:00.001-08:00

Never good when you find your son sporting your high-heels...

Houston loves making "nests" with his blankets. Odd, but very cute!!

He's never cared for TV of any kind (not that I mind!!), until the day we found him perched like this, by himself, laughing like crazy at "The Simpsons." Great.

For those of you personally keeping in touch with Houston, you know that he just recently has started breaking away from the fluent Chinese he was speaking to give English a try. So cute!

Arrrrr Matey!

2009-10-31T19:53:00.001-07:00

Haarrrrppy Halloween!!

Fall Fun!

2009-10-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

We've had bunches of fun this Fall! This last weekend my mom came out (this time for fun... not because Sarah got her appendix ripped out of her guts!), and we kept her more than busy!! A day a Thanksgiving Point was just one of our many stops.

Sarah, Mom, and me looking our best.

Houston in his chariot. He loved it!

Does it mean anything when you're the only adults on the slide?

Houston got mad at us when we took him out of his cow ride.

This thing was actually creepy. I'll admit, Sarah and I screamed at one point while lost in its guts...

Rock out!

Derek and Sarah rode the mechanical bull. It was awesome! They both came away with battle wounds...

A Trip to the Zoo!

2009-09-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day, Houston and I tagged along with the rest of the Beckstrands on a trip to the zoo. Houston loved the water globe at the beginning and the monkeys the most and had a great time hanging out with the family.

Get Your MAC on!!

2009-09-04T14:51:00.001-07:00

I usually post to share pictures of our adventures with Houston. Period. Not today. Today I am posting to inform you all that I'm sitting pretty on cloud 9 today. We got a new computer... and not just any computer... my DREAM computer! Yes, we got a beautiful, sparkling new iMac, and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm already totally in love with it. In fact, the REAL reason I'm even bothering with this post is just to give myself an excuse to use it. :)

Potpourri

2009-08-08T19:40:00.001-07:00

Pot-pour-ri: n. a medley or miscellany; mixture.

That's exactly what you're going to get in this insanely over-due post!

Houston's very first ice cream cone! He loves it, can't you tell??

Archery in Colorado! We used to practice with my dad all the time growing up, so it was fun to do it again after so long. I hit the bullseye!!

My dad, Derek, and Daniel honing their skills...

Playing in the sprinklers on a hot afternoon in Colorado.

Houston "clipping" his toenails. He mimics EVERYTHING now.

Houston meeting Hoot at his first Orem Owlz baseball game.

Houston LOVED riding 4-wheelers with Grandma Tammy and Grandpa Jim at Henry's Lake in Idaho (part of the Condie family reunion in Yellowstone).

Family photo at Yellowstone!

Father and son.

One of the zillions of bison we saw at Yellowstone... although most weren't in the restroom parking lot...

Houston and I watch my niece Avery, and the two cousins love playing together...
most of the time :)

Houston refuses to let me feed Avery anymore. HE has to be the one doing it! Poor Avery gets a bit messier during lunchtime now...

Derek being Derek while on a family outing to Thanksgiving Point.

A trip to the duck pond! Houston loved it, and didn't even mind getting bit by a couple of over-zealous ducks!

going...Going...GONE!!!

2009-06-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

going...Going...GONE!!!

This last weekend Sarah, Gabe, Daniel, Dad, Derek, and I all got to go river rafting down the Arkansas River in Colorado. My dad and I have been several times and Sarah's been once before, but for the rest of the boys it was their first river rafting experience. It was a fantastic trip, and we all survived without being thrown out. YES!! Thanks Dad for treating us to an awesome ride!!

Happy Father's Day Derek!!!

2009-06-21T19:26:00.001-07:00

It was all about fishing this year for Father's Day. Derek got to sleep in late this morning (in part due to Father's Day and in part due to working the night shift), and when he woke up he had a treasure hunt to keep him busy. He followed the clues around our apartment, each written on a fish with something at each stop like goldfish, gummy worms, and Swedish fish. At the end was a new fishing pole and all the gear for it. Yeah!! Who saw that one coming??Then, because I'm still a teacher at heart and can't get rid of silly themed ideas, we had salmon for dinner and worms in "dirt" for dessert.

Happy Father's Day, Derek!! You're the best!!

Goats, Sprinklers, Pools, and Cupboards

2009-06-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

So I realize that it's been almost 2 months since I've updated this blog, but I have some fairly good excuses. I've been on several small vacations here and there (with several more to come!), babysitting my adorable niece Avery, getting sick along with the 2 kids, doing the typical duties of a wife and mom, and spending every available moment in between trying to keep Houston entertained and cleaning up after him when he finds his own means of entertainment. So here I am on a Saturday night making up for my disgraceful lack of blogging. :)

We spent Memorial Day down in Meadow this year. It was so much fun! Houston had a fabulous time outside, and one of his favorite things to do was feed the goats with Grandma Tammy. There aren't any pictures of it (yes, I'm a horrible photographer!), but Houston kissed this goat on the nose a couple times. So cute!! Houston feeding the goats... or himself... along with his cousin, Hailie.He had a distressed look on his face and shivered the whole time he played in the sprinkler, but he was captivated nonetheless!This was playing in the pool luxury-style. Grandma Tammy and Aunt Amber made it warm with pots of hot water, and Houston loved it!

Who needs expensive toys and elaborate playgrounds when there's a good cupboard around??Houston will get up in the morning, head to the bathroom, unload everything from the cupboards, then play in there off and on for the rest of day. Cheap entertainment :)

A Week of Easter

2009-04-16T22:13:00.001-07:00

Houston, being the insanely lucky boy that he is, got to start his Easter fun a week before the actual Easter. We were down in Meadow with Derek's side of the family where Houston got his first Easter basket ("basket" being more like, "freakin' awesome dump truck") from Grandma Tammy and Grandpa Jim. He LOVES whacking everything with the carrot bat (including me), and has to push the growling monster button on his monster book at least a million times a day.... but who's counting?? :)Then the following Saturday, we met up with Aunt Sarah at Macey's where Houston got to meet the one-and-only Easter Bunny! Houston didn't cry, but he didn't look too thrilled either. Maybe his mind's been warped by his dad's strong, often violent, opinion of rabbits....
After that we went on an Easter Egg hunt throughout the store. Sadly, after Aunt Sarah slaved away for hours on a pair of stellar rabbit ears, Houston would have nothing to do with them. So sorry, no cute pictures.Then we all went back home where we (Aunt Sarah, Gabe, Natalie, Derek, Houston, and I) all dyed eggs and decorated cupcakes.

**Special Note** I married one heck of a warped man. His idea of decorating a cupcake involved a cupcake, a decapitated Peep head, and a lot of red frosting. You do the math...We ended our festivities on Sunday. After hitting up church we headed over to (get ready to follow this chain) my cousin's husband's sister's house where we had a fabulous Easter dinner and Houston got to enjoy another egg hunt. Only this time the loot went to mom and dad. :)

Just Because He's So Cute...

2009-03-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

Houston in his incredible fort

Just being his happy self

With his cousin, Avery. He loves sitting and watching her. Cute or creepy? :)

2009-02-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

Houston's been walking for some time now, but just a few steps here and there, and of course it's never when I'm ready to catch it on tape. I finally got it! Houston's only problem? He's trying to run, not walk! For anyone who knows Houston, this really isn't a surprise at all. In the second video he's so wound up and going so fast that he crashes into me and sends me flying. This kid cracks me up! Oh, and in case you didn't notice, Houston's laughing in both videos. He laughs every time he walks. So cute!

Happy Birthday Derek!!!

2009-02-09T11:40:00.001-08:00

Today is Derek's 27th birthday!!! We love him tons and are so proud of all he does and all he's accomplished. He's a fabulous father and an awesome husband. Happy Birthday Derek!

Happy Birthday Houston!

2009-01-26T17:15:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it, but a whole year has gone by since Houston was born. We had a blast cramming everyone into our small apartment to celebrate this last Saturday. We had a wonderful time, and we're so glad that our family was able to be there. Happy Birthday Little Man!!Opening all his loot!! The kid made out like a bandit!!

COOLEST book ever!! Thanks Amber!

Ball Popper from Ashley, Eric, and Avery. He hasn't quite figured it out yet :)

Hailie and Houston

Mom, Dad, and our 1 year old!

Houston with Gabe and Sarah

Houston with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Tammy

Jen, Houston, and Sarah. Wow.

Happy Birthday, Houston!!!

Am I Surprised? Not Really.

2009-01-17T15:15:00.000-08:00

With a little help from captions, I'll let the pictures tell the story. Please note, this all happened within about 3 days. He had to shred each little piece, too... The look of a job well-done. The trash bags! And Mom's cookbook... that he pulled off the table. The look of a job well-done. Oh, AND the Q-tips. Oh, and another look of a job well-done!!

Christmas Recap

2009-01-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

So much went on this Christmas that it would be crazy for me to write it all. Instead, I've posted a zillion pictures for your viewing pleasure. They're in reverse order because I uploaded them wrong and am too lazy to fix it. :)

Christmas morning with the Lathens in ColoradoKate and Houston hitching a ride

Sarah, Kate, and Houston jammin' away!

Frosting cookies. Houston's face cracks me up.

Kate, Whitney, Daniel, Derek, and Houston

Whitney and Kate

A Beckstrand family portrait?

Cuttin' a rug to Christmas tunes!

Nuggets/Blazers game at the Pepsi Center in Denver

Scott and Whitney at the Nuggets game

Taking a walk with Grandpa Lathen!

The first, failed attempt at that walk with grandpa....

Christmas at the Beckstrand's in Meadow, Utah. I love the way Houston's hat makes him look like he has an elf ear...

Houston with Grandma Tammy on his first pseudo Christmas!

Houston's Gingerbread Party

2008-12-06T15:33:00.001-08:00

Houston got invited to his first party! He got the invitation from Madonna, a nurse that Derek works with. Her kids have all grown, so she wanted to have a Gingerbread Party with her "boyfriends." We made gingerbread houses (while Houston tried to destroy them), decorated gingerbread men, ate pizza, and opened a fun gift from Madonna. I didn't get any pictures at the party, so these are after we got home. If you look closely, Houston's shirt is now pink thanks to the peppermint he snuck into his mouth.

On another random note, Houston likes to eat things. Everything, actually. He can't even pass the dishwasher without trying to eat it.

Brushing Teeth

2008-11-26T19:02:00.001-08:00

Because Houston has so many teeth (6 already), and thanks to having a dental hygenist for a sister, we decided we need to start brushing Houston's teeth. We bought the smallest toothbrush we could find, brushed his teeth with warm water, and then Houston decided he wanted to do the brushing. He LOVED brushing in front of the mirror. So cute!

He's Such A Boy

2008-11-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

Need I say more?

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

We had a blast for our first Halloween with Houston! Some of you might be thinking how sick it is to dress up a cute baby as a VAMPIRE, but you have to understand a little something about Houston. He is getting his teeth so quickly, but in the wrong order. His little vampire teeth on top came in before the middle top ones, so we had to take advantage of it and make him the perfect vampire while we could. Isn't he so cute?? We tried to get him to flash a perfect smile to show off his teeth, but this is as close as we got.

Hilarious, isn't it??

Of course, we also had to carve our pumpkins. What kind of parent would I be if I didn't let Houston live it up and get down and dirty?? He loved it!

Trip to Colorful Colorado

2008-10-31T19:52:00.000-07:00

A week ago I got to take a trip to Colorado with Houston and my little sister, Sarah. We had a blast!! I haven't been back in almost a year, and I can't believe I ever went that long without my Colorado! We had so much fun hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Lathen and Daniel.

Houston was so afraid of the leaves, especially when we tried to rake them. Derek's got his work cut out for him!Among many other things, we all went to a corn maze near Chatfield. So fun!!

Houston and Grandma Lathen

Houston and crazy Grandpa Lathen

Holy cow, Houston is in LOVE with kettle corn!!

Porcelain Always Wins

2008-10-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago Houston got in his first fight with none other than the toilet! Surprisingly it wasn't from pulling himself up onto it then falling down... which is how he receives most of his battle wounds. No, he decided to ram the toilet full throttle with his forehead. He's Derek's child, not mine!! The pictures were taken right after, so now he has a beautiful, purple bruise over his eye. Round One: Toilet!

My Little Monkey

2008-09-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, he's done it. Houston is barely 8 months and is now pulling himself up onto things. I was doing dishes and glanced up to find Houston standing up on his bouncy chair thingy, and he's been pulling himself up onto things ever since. He's no longer content to just sit on the floor or scoot/crawl around. He HAS to be standing.

Houston's Very Own "Playground"

2008-09-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

The new love of Houston's life is the dining room table and the shower curtain! He can be well entertained for fairly long stretches of time with those two things. What I wouldn't give to be so easily amused!

Check out his cute vampire teeth!

Ducks Are Awesome!

2008-09-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

Derek, Houston, and I went to the duck pond just south of the BYU campus today. Houston and I had been there before with my little sister, Sarah, but this time Derek got to come, too. We could never get a good picture with Houston looking up because he was so fascinated by the ducks!

Sometimes Houston decided he'd rather eat the bread than give it to the ducks...

Those were some hungry ducks!

They were eating right out of Derek's hand... and caught
hold of Houston's hand a couple times, too.

Hangin' With Mom and Dad

2008-09-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

As Houston grows we get to do more and more things with him. We've taken him swimming several times this summer, and he absolutely loves it! We're so sad our apartment complex is closing the pool already.

We also went and checked out Discovery Park here in Pleasant Grove. It was incredibly fun... but it would probably be better if Houston could move around on his feet rather than his belly! We can't wait until next summer. Then we'll take full advantage of living so close to that awesome park!

We also had a fun time hanging out with Aunt Sarah (who came back to finish up at BYU) and Grandma Lathen (who came as the moving crew).

The whole time Grandma was here we were hoping that Houston would figure out how to sit up on his own. And guess what?? As soon as she left, he figured it out! And check out those teeth!

Battle at Flaming Gorge

2008-08-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Derek went fishing at Flaming Gorge with his friends Jared and Kyle. As you can see from the pictures, he was just a little successful. They caught lake trout, bass, and crawdads. The first day Jared's dad caught a 20 lb lake trout, and Derek got skunked by 6 of them. He was thoroughly disappointed but resolved to make up for it the next day. And I guess you could say he was fairly successful. After fighting with the fish for 20 minutes, he reeled in a 30 lb lake trout!

Houston's Growing!

2008-08-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well, Houston will be 7 months old this week, and I can hardly believe it. I was putting away his old clothes, and it was so sad to see how little he was when he was born. He's grown up so fast!

Houston was holding his head up the day he was born and even since has proven to everyone that his goal in life is to be mobile, not stationary. As a result he has absolutely no desire to sit but instead has been trying to crawl for the last month. If I can get the video below to work, you'll see that even crawling can be over-rated! He obviously can get around just fine without it! He's already attacked some of my dried roses, meaning it's time to me to redecorate! And by redecorate, I mean pack stuff up so it's out of reach.

Houston's also enjoying the wonderful world of teething! Yeah!! While the two teeth he has are adorable, he has days where it just hurts. I feel so bad for him... and just wait till those molars come in! Yuck! Hopefully someday I'll get a picture of him with his teeth, but for now he doesn't even like showing them off to Derek or me.

Up And Running!

2008-08-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ashley, my wonderful, talented, beautiful, and technology-savvy sister-in-law, the Beckstrand Bunch Blog is finally up and running... for the most part! We still have a long way to go to get this thing where we want it, but at least it looks cute! At the end of the week Derek will be taking a 3-day fishing trip with his buddies up at Flaming Gorge, so I can guarantee I'll be putting a lot more on here while he's away. So come back soon and hopefully you won't be disappointed!