We've Got Personality, Yes We Do, We've Got Personality, How Bout You?

What a man.. what a man... what a man....

WHAT A MIGHTY GOOD MAN!!! (Yes he is!!)

So basically, I'm one of the luckiest girls on the planet. I've got adorable little nuggets who make me laugh and smile,


I've got some pretty amazing parents and siblings, and I'm not doing too shabby in the in-law department either (thanks for the fun chat Tash!)

But most of all... I'm married to this man:



Zach is spiritual, intelligent, funny (sometimes at your expense), resourceful, hard working, honest, a go getter, and of course... tall enough that I can wear heels.
He's a wonderful husband who spoils me rotten, and an amazing dad who is cherished by our little nuggets.





He does all that he can to make sure our lives are full of happiness and for that we say...

THANK YOU!!!
WE LOVE YOU ZACHIE!!

JCrew wannabes

So... I absolutely adore the clothing at JCrew. If I could I would have a wardrobe full of JCrew stuff. Sadly however.... no matter how adorable their clothing is I just can't seem to feel okay about spending full price for any of their items. This is especially true when it comes to their fabulous tissue tees.

I had strong wishes to add this tee to my wardrobe:



But those wishes soon faded as soon as I saw the price tag. No, I will not be spending close to $50 for a tee.

Thankfully, my good friend Jenni posted a way to make your own tissue tees on her blog and for some strange reason I actually believed I could do it (I was also desperate for an activity to do with my Mia Maids). Now, for those of you who know me... you know that all the artistic ability and knack for making absolutely fabulous things out of nothing, all went to my sister Kim (ugh... she can make anything. Love you Kimmy!). So with that being said.... I gave it a go!
I'm actually quite pleased with how they turned out, even if they look nothing like the JCrew tee. It's also quite exhilarating to look at them and know I DID THIS!! Who knows, maybe I got some knack after all!









There is one tee however that no matter the price will someday (hopefully soon) be added to my wardrobe:



It will forever be worn with blue jeans! "Comin'-ah-yeah-hah!!!"

Blayne and "No."

This is mainly a post for me so I can remember the time when I found the word "No" adorable.

*I'm pretty sure he gets the whole high, and low inflection thing from Xander.*

Xanderisms

One thing Xander never fails at is keeping us entertained. The things that can come out of his little mouth are often priceless and hilarious. Enjoy!
*Monday night during Family Home Evening*
Our lesson for the night was on prayer and we decided to teach them a little song to help remind them how and what we say while we pray. As we sang the song again at the close of our lesson suddenly a very low, very deep bass sound came out of our little three year olds mouth. Zach and I tried to hide our surprise and shock at this new developing sound but as soon as a slight vibrato was added we could no longer contain our laughter. When it happened again during the singing of our lullaby before bedtime Zach turned to me and asked:
"Is this the foreshadowing of things to come, that our child will be THAT child who you can always hear over all the other children in a singing group, and he's usually the tone deaf one?"
At first my response was "Oh, please no!" then upon further reflection I realized... well, if that is the case, at least we'll have very entertaining home videos.
*Thursday afternoon*
I was informed that Xander was responsible for sharing a talk about the miracles of Jesus this Sunday in Primary. To get him ready I decided to ask him of all the miracles that Jesus did which one was his favorite. His response was 100% Xander.
"My favorite miracle was when he made the colors, 'cause green my favorite color."
Of all the things to be grateful for... why not colors? They add beauty to the world and give consistency to our lives in the Beck household (I.E. What shirt Xander wants to wear, what spoon/fork he wants to use, what crayon to color with, and what cake to buy for daddy's birthday. Do you get the point? The kid only cares about the color green.)
*Almost everyday for the last few weeks*
The latest phrase that has entered Xander's book goes a little something like this...
"Oh! I ne'er had this be-fo-re!" "Oh! I ne'er heard that be-fo-re!" "Oh! I ne'er ate this be-fo-re!"
With the word 'before' given extra high, and low inflections while said, as though it were riding a roller coaster ride.
And while the phrases may be cute, for what ever experience they are given, they are completely false. I'm pretty sure that in Xander's three years of life... yesterday was not the first day that I had given him some pizza for lunch. Especially since it was left over from dinner two nights before.
*The last two days*
Another fun phrase that has entered Xander's vocabulary is:
"You trust me?"
It has found it's way in both relevant and completely irrelevant moments in conversation. Like:
Xander: "Mommy, come! Come to my room!"
Me: "Why? What's there?"
Xander: "Mommy, just come! You trust me?"

Or...

Xander: "Mommy, I need candy."
Me: "No honey. You just woke up, and we haven't had breakfast yet. Maybe later today."
Xander: "You trust me?"
Me: "Trust you? If you mean do I trust you to still eat your breakfast after you've stuffed yourself with candy? Then the answer is no. No I do not."

I hope you've enjoyed all these little Xanderisms. I know we certainly have!
Love you Xander!!

*This is what happens whenever Rod Stewart's 'Do you think I'm sexy' plays on the computer. Everything is stopped to shake a little booty!*

Princess Sophie

A few days ago these adorable nuggets came to play. Sophie is just a little younger than Xander, and Cole is just a little younger than Blayne. They both are the adorable children of my friend Joy. Couldn't you just pinch their cute little cheeks?!?







Needless to say... from the get go of their little play date, hilarity ensued.
The first words out of Xander's mouth were:
"Come here Sophie, come see my room!"
I figured he was going to show her all his favorite toys but instead he was thrilled to show her... his bed. Yep, apparently that is his newest pride and joy when it comes to his belongings.
They walked into his room and he delightedly pointed towards his bunk bed exclaiming "Look Sophie! This my HUGE bed! Somebody builded it for me!"
Sophie, for some reason, was not as thrilled about the HUGE bed and simply placed a Fruit Loop in her mouth and left the room. *What a little tease!*
For the rest of the morning I sat in amazement watching both of my little nuggets vie for Princess Sophies attention, while poor little Cole was sadly ignored (not that he seemed to mind in the least). I must say that in the battle for affection it appeared that Xander won because she would giggle and smile his way, hold his hand, and ask him every few minutes "Xander, you happy?". There were even a few occasions when she would simply giggle and say "Oh Xander!". Poor little Blayne did not fair as well and was simply told "No" a lot (especially if he were standing anywhere near Cole or Cole's sippy cup), and held at an arms length away. Strangely enough this didn't seem to deter him in the least because with each "No" he just laughed, clapped his hands with excitement, and stepped closer and closer. Really, some guys just can't take a hint. Sorry, Blayne. I guess she just likes older boys with a slight rebel streak. For those wondering.... yes, Xander stayed true to himself and did some naughty things to try and show off.
I will admit that she does have some magic in her because at one point she came up to me with pouted lips and doe eyes saying "I sooo hungry. I need some popcorn. I sooo hungry." I looked at the clock showing 10:00 a.m., giggled at the thought, then quickly popped the Princess some popcorn. Yeah, yeah, I gave in. It wasn't my fault... it was those little doe eyes! I was putty in her hands!
All in all, we had a wonderful time and can't wait for our friends to come again soon!
Princess Sophie....




your subjects await.

Thank heavens for "Papas"!

For my birthday a few weeks ago
(yep, sadly enough I can no longer say that I'm "30, flirty, and thriving")
my wonderful husband spoiled me with many fabulous gifts, and a weekend getaway to Branson, Missourri. My sweet in-laws drove up and joined us for the trip, treated us to some delightful dishes and a very exciting musical of Noah. It was a wonderful weekend and I'm so blessed to have such thoughtful and loving family and friends, REALLY... thank you everyone for all the birthday wishes and gifts, they were much appreciated.
While in Branson we decided to go swimming in the pool at the condo. I really enjoy swimming, getting in a swimsuit... not so much, but swimming has always been a delightful treat. However.... I happen to be the mother of two young boys who, to put it nicely, freak out every time a little bit of water touches their heads or faces. Yes, bath time is always filled with fun shrieks and thrashing. Ugh.
Needless to say, I was expecting much of the same bath time "enjoyment" while in the pool.
Sadly, my expectations were fulfilled.
Blayne did his signature whine and held on to whomever was holding him like he was trying to squeeze the life out of them. Xander really enjoys the water, but only if it stays a safe distance away from his head area.
Then a miracle named Papa Beck came into play. With some gentle and loving encouragement from Papa my little Xander began putting his face in the water to blow bubbles, practicing swimming strokes and kicks, and then (to my great surprise) ended up swimming from Papa all the way to the side of the pool all by himself! He would go underneath the water, kick his legs, move his arms, and then pull himself up onto the side of the pool. I was not only shocked but proud. This may seem insignificant to some but for me it was a BIG DEAL.
Blayne even got to the point where he was splashing the water with his hands and not whimpering every time a little got near his face (I think he was trying to impress a little girl playing near by, little flirt!).
Since our vacation, bath time has been significantly less horrifying and filled with much more smiles than tantrums. Blayne still hates getting his hair washed but the thrashing is down to a bare minimum while I wash it, and he is enjoying splashing more and more with each bath.
Xander is doing remarkably well. In fact, the day after we got home from our little vacation we were in the bath when Papa Kendell called to say hi. Xander got so excited and wanted to tell Papa all about his adventures in Branson, especially all about swimming with his other Papa. While telling my dad about his swimming fun... my wonderful, insightful dad answered with
"Xander, I am so proud of you for doing something that was so scary to you. How great of your Papa Beck to help you discover something so fun. You know, you can even do some of those things while taking your bath. You can lay on your back and let the water wet your head, and you can still blow bubbles from your mouth. Just make sure mommy or daddy is there to watch you." Upon hearing this Xander quickly decided to test Papa Kendells theory and laid on his back allowing the water to cover his hair. This was quickly followed with "Look Papa! Look! I do it!" To this day, laying down and relaxing in the tub is a must for my little man (much to Blaynes dismay, especially when Xanders legs and feet end up on top of him or in his 'space').
I am so grateful to have such wonderful, loving role models in our lives. As if my boys weren't lucky enough to have the best dad and friend in Zach, then we go and give them the best "Papas" anyone could ask for. I apologize to all for taking the two best "Papas" for ourselves, and that they chose to marry the two best "Nanas" around, call me selfish. I hope you all can make due with your semi-fabulous grandparents.




* "Mini-Zach" enjoying his bath time relaxation *