Outside, finally.

We have enjoyed the last week of healthy Beckett. We had about 2 full weeks of everything from GI viruses to perforated ear drums, but (knock on wood) we are doing well now. We have also had an unusually long and cold winter; however, yesterday the temperature got into the 50's. We took this opportunity to stop by the park and play outside for a little bit. As always, Beckett enjoyed himself on the slides.

Beckett has started talking a lot more and also is into reciting his numbers and letters. They don't always come out in the right order, but we are getting there. He does do a good job of repeating, though - you can see that in the video.

And, mom, this one is for you... sorry about the quality, we had to rotate it so the proportions are a little skewed:




Hope everyone out there is staying warm and healthy!

Modern Comfort

A little while ago, Derek thought it would be cool to buy Beckett his own TV chair. You know, the kind that a guy claims as his own and no one else would dare occupy. The chair that only the owner respects and appreciates. The chair that most women secretly desire to sell in the next yard sale... well, I think Beckett has really figured this one out. In other words, I don't think we are going to be getting rid of this chair any time soon.

White Christmas in TX?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! We spent a great holiday week with our family in TX. Here a few pictures of the experience.

Beckett loves putting hats on his head. But, he also needs to make sure he isn't missing any more presents from any stocking big or small.

Due to the snow, we had to improvise the traditional reading of the Night Before Christmas. We didn't let that stop us - Zachary and Hayden listened to Pap Pap on the phone. This picture was obviously taken towards the beginning of the story because Beckett's patience only lasted for about 75% of the book. Not bad for a 20 month old, right?
You can never go wrong with dino nuggets! Thanks Gamma. Maybe next year I will learn to love the Pull Apart Bracken breakfast tradition.

Yes, this is Bedford, TX. We were there to experience the first white Christmas since 1926.

Roar...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Before:
After:
Well, I was going for the record of the longest time not updating the blog. A lot has happened since the last update, but I will spare you (or really myself) from the photo documentary at this juncture - maybe next time.

So, as you can see, Beckett was a lion for halloween. He enjoyed his costume for about 10 minutes. That was my fault. I bought the 24 months size against my better judgement - it looked too slender. Beckett is not what I would call slender. The poor thing couldn't move it was so tight. He couldn't walk, kneel, move or anything. On top of that, it was hot and humid - not the weather to wear the nice acrylic lined flammable lion outfit. Oh well, better luck next year. On a positive note, Beckett now does a mean impression of a lion.

Friends in Low Places

Please link over to Ben Brady's blog to see this week's update. They are the cutest kids in the world and provide more entertainment than the VMAs with their dancing.

A Month (or so) in Pictures

It has been a great month, but very busy for all of us. I spent 2 weeks traveling for work and Derek has been busy getting better from the knee injury and working - yes, he accepted a position and has been working for the last few weeks.

Enough about us, the thing you really visit this site for is to find out about the little monster. Beckett has officially transitioned from baby to toddler. He is super cute - but very busy and in to EVERYTHING!

Leave your eyes off of him for a second and he will be into whatever drink or food is available. As they say, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" he would love to be able to down the dew. Daddy, what do you say about that?

His facial expressions are priceless. He has mastered the art of the tantrum and won't hesitate to use whatever he can to get what he wants. Here he is leveraging his cuteness - he knows that works better than the tantrum.

The whole family was invited to Jon Fozard's wedding. We tried to remind him that 15 month olds really like the sound of their own voice, especially when everyone else is quiet. Oh well, they now have Beckett recorded for posterity's sake.

Back to the mall for another ride on the carousel. This time it went much better. Beckett actually likes it now.
Early in August, we went to TX to visit family and friends. We went to dinner with Brian, Dawn and new baby Nate. He is about 20% the size of Beckett. But, he was about 200% better than Beckett at dinner.

One afternoon, we went to a Bounce House with all of the Bracken cousins. Beckett had a lot of fun. He did do his best to follow his cousins, but he is still a little small for the larger houses.

With the good comes the bad, Beckett spent the majority of the time chasing after his cousins and mimicking whatever they did. This included pulling the baby chair over to the wall to climb up and flick the light switch on and off. Yes, this was the beginning of the climbing... thanks guys!

Double trouble... Beckett was definitely interested in everything Zachary did... even time out.

Here they are - the three musketeers: Zachary, Hayden and Beckett at Gamma and Pap Pap's house. Too bad they don't get to spend more time together.

After we got home, we spent a few moments at Play it Again sports looking for a bike for Derek so he can continue re-habbing the knee. It is getting better, but he still has a little way to go. (No, this isn't the bike we got, this is what Beckett chose to ride around the store).

And, finally, we had a great evening out last weekend at the Bulls game with Leah, Joe and Alex. No picture with Wool E. this time, but maybe next time. We almost went the whole summer without going to a game. Thanks to the Houdes for the tickets.

(and, Mom, note that only one of the pics has the pacifier. We are down to only using it while sleeping. He is definitely a big boy: no bottles, no rocking before bed time, and no wake time pacifier usage.)

I guess that is it.

The Gardens

After what felt like an eternity, I am home again. We decided to spend some quality time at the Duke Gardens this morning. We had a great time.

And, as usual, Beckett is not short of personality. This is my best representation of his performance around one of the large trees at the park.

Summer in Durham

Over the summer we have been spending some time at the Museum of Life and Science (thanks for the membership, Gamma and Pap Pap). Beckett loves it. And, true to form, he loves the things that make the loudest sound the most. Drums are always a big hit.

Remember the note about the swimming... note: we don't have a local swimming pool... Because of this, we have officially done something that I thought only redneck families do. The local mall has a water play area right outside the parking deck. There are signs that invite visitors to come and play in the water - but, do normal people really do that? Well, we did. And, Beckett loved it. It is likely we will be back.

Peek-a-boo

Is there anything cuter?

Tadpole

We went swimming today for the first time. Yes, I know, most of you out there have a pool in your yard or your neighborhood so this isn't a big deal. However, those of us who are slumming in Durham aren't as lucky. We went to one of the local lakes and this took a lot of coordination.

Beckett was a big fan of the new outfit including the little water shoes. The water and sand, on the other hand, didn't receive such a warm welcome.

After a few minutes in the water together, he seemed to catch on a little bit. I think it is going to take several more visits before it becomes fun. We start baby swim class in a few weeks; hopefully, it will be fun by then.
Unfortunately, the sand didn't make it anywhere close to the fun list. Beckett refuses to walk, sit or play in the sand. He finally did give in and play with the sand, but only if he was safely on the sidewalk.