Happy Halloween!

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!!

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...

...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!

Happy Birthday Houston!

We love you!!

Oh Dear

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!

Haarrrrppy Halloween!!

Fall Fun!

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!

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!!

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

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!