The Beeson Family

Ahh...sunshine and water...finally

2011-06-04T15:55:00.000-06:00

We've been waiting so long for weather good enough to play in water. Noah loves water and had fun playing in a bowl of water while watching the big boys on their new slip and slide. Squeals, squawks, "whoo hoos" and giggles...the sounds of summer outside play! yea!

Our Peaceful Little King

2010-12-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

Noah Ryan, 'peaceful little king', has been such an incredible blessing to us. He smiles more than he blinks, he coos and talks to keep up with the rest of us, and he is so content and happy. His medical condition has brought our family closer and has created a deep sense of gratitude for the family and friends that surround us and for God's perfect provision. He is such a gift to us!

Missoula Maze

2010-10-15T16:09:00.000-06:00

We've attended the Missoula Maze in years past, but this year was the best! They utilized a "knight" theme and the maze was not only hay bales, but corn stalks too. They give you an option of easy, medium or hard and your choice determines the level your clues are. We chose easy because we don't know a lot about medieval times and it was STILL hard. We were lost several times, but the boys LOVED the adventure of figuring out how to get out! They have a small maze, an obstacle course, a petting zoo, a pumpkin patch, food and picture opts as well. Fun night! Even Noah had a good time. He was in his stroller all bundled up and talking to his flower hanging from his car seat. He was so sweet; smiling and cooing at his friend while we wandered the mile long maze. The boys picked out their pumpkins and made plans for the carving which will happen next weekend.

Playful Noah

2010-10-15T15:55:00.000-06:00

This is one of Noah's favorite things to do at 2 months old. We lay him on a "soffy" blanket with the Sesame Street Gang above him. He loves to bat at the toys and his legs go wild while he plays. He talks and talks to the characters, his favorite being the character he sees in the mirror that hands right over his face!

Happy 8th UnBirthday!

2010-06-09T18:41:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Ethan's summer birthday in his classroom this week! What a week. It's the last week of school, he got 3rd place in the Governor's Cup, celebrated his birthday, and is in a play tomorrow!

Slow and Steady wins the Race!

2010-06-09T18:29:00.000-06:00

Without training, Ethan got 3rd place out of 104 second graders in a 3 mile race! I was so proud of him and his strategy was so cute. He told me he was going to keep the winner of last year in sight and let him help set the pace. Then, he said he gave himself 4 breaks of 10 steps of walking and that's all. I asked him what he told himself when his legs were burning (he told me the last lap, he was burning). He said, "Come on, Ethan. You can do this! Slow and steady wins the race!" I asked him where he got that strategy and of course, from the infamous tortoise who beat the hare with humility in "The Tortoise and the Hare." He's got his eyes on next year because now he's more serious about running and training. He was so excited and was beaming from ear to ear! Glad we were able to cheer him on from the sidelines! His time was 25 minutes exactly. Pretty darn good for shorty 2nd grade legs. The winner got 22 minutes and some seconds. Ethan beat his time by 13 minutes from last year!!!! Amazing what a little strategy and determination can do for you!

What a Way to End the Day!

2009-10-31T22:43:00.000-06:00

These pictures were taken while trick or treating this evening....

It's been a jam-packed 36 hours! Both boys attended parties yesterday which started their festivities. Drew decided he would wear the venom costume yesterday and Ethan stuck with his new Batman costume. Then, this morning, the boys were at a friend's house while Eric and I worked a bit. Drew decided he was going to be Robin, Batman's sidekick this morning. We reconveined to have lunch together. Then, it was home to re-energize for the rest of our day! After nap time, Drew changed into his Scooby Doo costume and we went and visited "Aunt" Jeanie for our first treat of the evening! We then met friends to trick or treat with in our neighborhood and when feet were tired and buckets were filled, we moved on to a party! We got pizza and made snacks and I organized games for the kids. They played "lava pit", "pumpkin harvest", "spiderweb crawl", and "monster/pumpkin bowling". After way too much sugar, we loaded up to head home!

Clocks are set back, October is complete! Now comes the best and my favorite fall treat....NOVEMBER! What could be better than my anniversary, my birthday and Thanksgiving all in one month! Whew!

One Fine Fall Day...

2009-10-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

(Click on picture to see them up close.)

Pony rides, petting zoo, no pumpkin patch, what will we do?
We'll climb on tires, swing higher and higher,
Hunt through the maze of hay...
All on One Fine Fall Day.

Summer Tribute!

2009-08-25T13:01:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how fast the summer has gone. I think this is the fastest flying summer yet! When we were in Missoula and not working or traveling to Seattle, Las Vegas, Bonners Ferry or Coeur d' Alene, here's what we did to fill our time. We played on the trampoline with the sprinkler on many hot days. We played on the slip and slide and made sponge bombs. We made soap snakes out of water bottles and washcloths. When we were tired of the heat, we came inside and made mobiles, the kids helped me bake, we played dress up, and read Magic Tree House books. The kids asked their dad to play "wrestle" or "swords" almost everyday when he'd come home from work and a few times, we snuck out to the woods to explore. We made it to the pool and Splash Montana and picked up a small pool at the end of summer clearance sale. We hit the cool movie theater and played in the spray parks around town. The boys enjoyed having a neighborhood friend, riding bikes and Ethan loved his new scooter he got for his birthday. When legs were tired, bodies were hot, and we needed to relax a bit, the kids would play the ever popular game of pretend using superhero "guys", they would play Wii or watch a movie on Netflix. Whew! I'm going to miss the play time I've gotten with them when school starts next week, but I look forward to a new season of learning for Ethan and the changes and memories that comes with fall. We have more of Missoula to experience this fall like a Grizzly football game. Every season has something fun and I want to experience it all! Goodbye to summer and welcome fall!

Sour Candy Experiment

2009-06-19T21:06:00.000-06:00

You have to see these pictures up closer to get the full effect. You can click on the collage to see them closer. The facial expressions are priceless! So, I was given a "sour candy" kit including a pipette, citric acid, corn syrup, flavorings, molds and several directions for making different kinds of candy with different degrees of sourness. The sour scale started at "pucker up" and went all the way up to "help". Boys are the perfect candidates for this kind of kitchen science! They wanted to reach the "help" on the sour scale of course! They followed the directions to make liquid sour grape candy. We dropped bits of sourness on different parts of their tongues to experiment with their sour buds. I think we got a few "pucker" faces. In case you're wondering, yes, I tried it too. It make my jaw hurt and my mouth water like crazy! I've had more sour than that, but I thought they'd added enough "acid" to their bellies for that afternoon! I'll let you know how the sour gummies, sour suckers, and sour marshmallows turn out!

Sunshine and Summertime

2009-05-31T14:29:00.000-06:00

Ah, the good memories of summertime! 8 days of school left and the kids are gearin' up for summer! Every ounce of sunshine is being soaked up here in Missoula. We've hiked by the creek, we've played tennis, we've gone to the spray parks, we've played at the playgrounds, we've walked to get ice cream, we've made coke floats in frosty mugs, we made homemade ice cream, had a sleepover, and played in the sprinklers! We're off to a great start towards summertime memories! We're warm on the outside (burnt on the the shoulders...just mom) and warm on the inside!

My twin Niece and Nephew

2009-05-23T19:45:00.005-06:00

Isabel is the one reaching and Connor is the one awake without his feeding tube! Both are at home and they are 18 days old and doing well. Just talked with Lance and Lisa today and they are adjusting to having life be all about their babes. Mom and Dad are there to help with that and love on their doggies as they adjust to their 2 new masters ;o) These babies are miracle babies and we feel very blessed! We get to go see them for a week at the end of June and for the 4th of July! Can't wait!

Easter with Poppie and Grammy

2009-05-03T21:34:00.000-06:00

Easter morning, the boys helped Dad make pancakes for Easter breakfast. Dad made Ethan a plate sized pancake while he made Drew a pancake face complete with a bacon smile and strawberry eyes. The boys wore their Home Depot aprons to help in the kitchen. We took a few picture before church.

Moser Egg Hunt

2009-05-03T21:26:00.000-06:00

The kids got to have their 2nd egg hunt of the weekend at the Moser's home. Drew likes to find an egg, open the egg, and eat it's treasures before moving on!

Boys and Dirt

2009-05-03T21:24:00.000-06:00

After our Easter festivities, the Moser kids and our kids went out to play in the very large dirt mound in their yard. After a few hours of play, the kids were covered head to toe in dirt. Drew and Brock were pretty proud of their work. We had to strip them down at the door, make all of the kids take baths and showers (thank goodness they have several bathrooms) and we borrowed pj's to put on the kids. Fun times for boys in the dirt!

Easter Family Pictures

2009-05-03T16:53:00.000-06:00

New Furniture: Courtesy of Galey's Showroom

2009-05-03T13:05:00.000-06:00

Furniture fairies visited this weekend and look at what they left us!

Eric the Great

2009-04-25T21:23:00.000-06:00

Most often, I am posting pictures of the kids and all of the joyful events they bring into our lives. It's rare to see pictures of just Eric, and extremely rare to find me in a picture. As I was looking through pictures from this Easter and the most recent spring events, I was enjoying and reliving our special family moments. I find myself incredibly thankful for the family I have and the precious memories we've shared. Eric has been in my life for more years than not. I've known him since I was 14 years old! My most favorite memories always include him and the gift he's been to me. I thought that was worth documenting.

1st Baseball Game

2009-04-24T16:05:00.000-06:00

Ethan (and family) had their first baseball game experience! This is a coach-pitched little league game. I'm proud to say he hit the ball all 3 times he batted. He ran his little heart out and has a mean "ready stance". The game lasted a little long (a little over 2 hours), but the kids have to get the hang of things. The coach gave Ethan and his teammates a huge piece of gum before the game and they were all out chomping on the field. There were only a few times when a few kids sat, but they stood up when coach said "ready stances yellow team!" They come barrelling into home and have such a proud look on their faces! Ethan's first time to home plate, he stood on the home plate until someone told him to come in. I guess he was relishing the moment. He was so excited about his first game, he wore his hat and yellow shirt to school the next day! Ahh, brings back softball memories! Fun times!

1st Annual RCC Easter Egg Drop

2009-04-05T17:39:00.001-06:00

River City Church Missoula has adopted this mission statement: "Do whatever it takes to reach people far from God." We decided to create an access point for this by dropping 20,000 Easter eggs out of a helicopter over the fairgrounds. Slash and the Easter bunny made an appearance. Jumping castles for the little ones and helicopter rides afterwards! The team ended up get prizes donated like a Wii, IPOD, bikes, gift cards, and an X-Box. We partnered with several local businesses. With 30 volunteers, the event was put together. 5000 mailers were sent out and 5000 people showed up! WHOA! (We didn't tell anyone that we only had 30 volunteers to man the whole thing!) Here are a few pictures from the event. The hunt portion was crazy! Wish I had pictures of that, but I was too busy trying to find Ethan in the masses! I'd say it was a hit and right in line with the goal which makes it a success! We're here to make God famous and I'm pretty sure people are wondering why we've made a big deal out of Easter! The buzz had started!

Lance and Lisa's Wedding

2009-04-03T20:34:00.001-06:00

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My Everything

2009-04-03T20:28:00.002-06:00

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American Idol - Ethan

2009-04-03T20:25:00.002-06:00

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Kootenai River Hike 2007

2009-04-03T20:23:00.002-06:00

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Walkin' on Sunshine

2009-04-03T20:20:00.002-06:00

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Summer Fun

2009-04-03T20:16:00.001-06:00

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Christmas Sledding 2008

2009-04-03T20:07:00.001-06:00

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Thanksgiving 2006-2008

2009-04-03T19:34:00.004-06:00

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A Day at Currents with our friends, the Mosers

2009-04-03T15:50:00.000-06:00

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Our Little Idols

2009-03-30T17:15:00.002-06:00

A Smilebox Made by Poppy and Grammy

April Showers

2009-03-30T16:59:00.000-06:00

For some reason, I don't think these kind of showers will be bringing us flowers! Spring has not sprung in Missoula. We are STILL getting snow. It usually melts by the end of the day or maybe the next, but it's certainly not gardening weather!

Peepers Peeking at PEEPS

2009-03-30T16:54:00.001-06:00

The experiment:
What happens to a PEEP when placed in the microwave.

Hypothesis:
It blows up.

Results:
It grew and grew and grew....Mom stopped the microwave before the PEEP blew up. When it came out, he deflated.

Ring in Spring!

2009-03-30T16:47:00.000-06:00

(To view our 1st Day of Spring Celebration up closer, you can click on the picture collage to enlarge.)
You'd never guess that March 20th was the first day of Spring, but we lucked out! We actually had a sunny and some-what warm 1st day of spring to celebrate! It all started with a jump on the trampoline in their undies. THAT wasn't my idea. The boys came up with that all by themselves! Then, they did a large A, B, C puzzle on the back porch. I brought them in for a little spring/summer like dinner that they chose...hot dogs, potato chips, lemonade with the works....After dinner, we baked Bunny Sugar Cookies and decorated our Bunny Hut. Since we've loved the tradition of gingerbread houses at Christmas, the boys and I couldn't pass up the sugar cookie bunny hut to make and decorate (the favorite part being the taste testing of course.) Then, we finished off the eating with infamous peeps. I'll show you our "Peeps" experiment in the next blog! The boys challenged their dad to a wrestling match on the trampline while I cleaned up the spring celebration. Anything and everything is worth celebrating!

Eye Spy a Tired Guy!

2009-03-28T13:14:00.000-06:00

Drew's eyes are very sensitive. I've heard that blue eyed people tend to be more sensitive to light. I don't know if it's true or not, but it's true in this case. Our little blue eyed munchkin has a hard time adjusting to light in the morning and the bright light of the sun. These costume type glasses are his favorite sunglasses. They are actually UV protected. We keep them close by so when we have bright moments and a fussy boy, we can put on the glasses and he seems to be much better. This picture was taken after a drive home from the gym on a sunny day. The warmth through the window and the shades from his glasses allowed for peaceful rest. Too cute.

My LIttle Leprechans

2009-03-28T13:07:00.000-06:00

While I admit that I love themey things, it wasn't for this reason that I created a "green" St. Pat's dinner. I actually had to go back to work that night and Eric was working a late shift. Earlier that morning, when I woke up, I actually didn't feel like dressing in green and going with the whole "theme" of the day. I knew I had to work and wouldn't have time to do much anyway. But Ethan reminded me saying, "Today is St. Patrick's Day, Mom. You are supposed to wear green." And then, after he saw me in something non-green, he said this in disappointment, "You don't have to if you don't want to."
I've been told so many times that the years fly by with children. They grow up so fast. I try to keep this on the forefront of my mind. Sometimes, when I get caught up in day-to-day responsibility and routine, I forget to really cherish the moment and be present in the moment. I mean, what was I thinking? I have 2 little boys that LOVE themes! Now's my chance. So I went back into my closet and put on green and put together whatever I had that was green for dinner. I made green egg salad sandwiches, died their yogurt green and put green cereal on top. I cut up pears and they dipped them in caramel and then I died their water green and they drank it out of green straws. Simple, maybe even stupid, but the boys thought it was great! It won't be forever that I'll have these chances. I need to remember how lucky I am to
have my little leprechans at 3 years old and 6 years old and cherish these pot-of-gold
moments for what they are. They certainly are the rainbows in my rainy day
routines!

Slumber Party

2009-03-28T08:48:00.000-06:00

Ethan's first official slumber party and it was celebrated with the Moser boys. Complete with a Wal-mart trip (mom with 4 boys! Wow!), pizza making, cupcake making, game playing, trampoline, movie watching, and flashlight games...everything that makes up a good slumber party!

Rocky: Every Little Boys Hero

2009-03-27T16:45:00.000-06:00

I think Eric was reliving some good memories when I showed him the pictures of boys activities for the afternoon. A few weeks ago, Ethan watched Rocky III and was completely inspired (sounds just like his dad.) He put on a wrestling singlet (Drew decided to be Buzz) and they headed out to the trampoline for their "training". The weather was 40 degrees, but Ethan faired the weather and boxed, kicked, exercised and dodged balls. He then watched Karate Kid online and the next day was wearing a bandana to school and taking "karate lessons" from his friend Brayton during recess. He told me that they use one recess for exercises and other recesses for drills. He even told me he needed more brocolli at dinner to make him strong! Way to go Brayton. I am thinking Karate might be good for Ethan!

Spring Fever!

2009-03-27T16:38:00.001-06:00

At the beginning of March, we had a day that was such a tease! 60 degrees and bright sunshine! The boys had spring fever and pulled out the sidewalk chalk. They decorated the whole back porch including coloring our back steps in solid chalk. Note to self: Don't sit in chalk art. The boys were COVERED in chalk due to their decision to cover the entire set of steps. I had them strip down outside before coming in. It was fun!

Scooby Drew!

2009-03-27T16:32:00.000-06:00

When Drew was home sick, he and I watched a lot of Scooby Doo. He wanted me to "do his hair" like the characters in the show. We did them all, Daphne, Velma, Fred, Shaggy and even Scooby! We liked Scooby the best so we sprayed it to keep it that way. Here is his Scooby Drew ears! He was quite pleased.

Bedtime Story Memories

2009-02-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Thought this moment was awfully sweet. A daddy and his boys reading a good ol' Berenstain Bears book before bedtime.

Jesus is a Big Boy?

2009-02-25T19:55:00.002-07:00

And you thought the potty talk was done! Tonight as I was tucking Drew into bed, he asked me where Jesus was. I told him he was with us all of the time. I told him that tonight, he was paying close attention to Drew and was healing him. He then asked where Baby Jesus was. I said that Baby Jesus grew up. "He grew up?" Drew asked. "Yep. He's not a baby any more" was my response. "Jesus is a big boy?" Drew clarified. "Yep. He's a tall person." "In big boy undies?" Drew assumed. I giggled and said, "Yeah I guess so." "He has some? Some Iron Mans?" I told him, "Yep, I bet he'd like Iron Man undies." Don't you think? Drew turned over, conversation complete. He was satisfied with Jesus' whereabouts and about his underwear.

More Potty Talk

2009-02-25T19:50:00.002-07:00

Obviously when potty training, everything in your life and the life of your child revolves around potty. You're talking big boy undies, you're asking if they need to go, you're teaching technique....and that leads me to wiping...

Today, Drew was standing before the throne and he had just given his offering. He didn't need to wipe, but he wanted to and I thought it was good practice. I tore off a sheet of toilet paper and he proceeded to wipe his bottom, look at it, dab at his frontal privates, look at it and then he did something that almost caused me to wet my own pants.....he took that same piece of tp that he had just wiped with and blew his nose! This all happened in less than 30 seconds and it was as if it was the way you're supposed to do it...one right after the other! He's just taking care of it all at one time I suppose!

Mission Accomplished! Drew is Potty Trained!

2009-02-22T16:26:00.002-07:00

Earlier this week, I wasn't sure I liked the idea that Tina, his babysitter at the gym, brought up the whole idea of potty training Drew. He seemed to take an interest in in when she said she'd get him candy and when I told him I had special underwear at home. On Wednesday, I brought him home and showed him the special undies with Ninja turtles and spiderman. He wanted to wear the "turtles". I explained that it meant he'd have to go in the toilet. Thus began the mission...Potty Training. We set the timer for every 20-30 minutes and we'd have him try going. When he went, we'd give him candy. He wasn't hungry for much else for a few days and candy was the only thing on his mind. I was thinking we might get rid of diapers, but we might gain a dentist bill! Then came the issue of doing the #2 job. He was convinced that the toilet wasn't the way to go. He was going great with going #1 at the gym, he'd had a few accidents at home with #1, and was blatantly refusing to do the do. Finally, on Friday, I came up with an idea...the PooPoo Prize Potty. I'd draw a toilet, make a flip lid, Ethan would draw poopoos and every time Drew would go, we'd move a poo in the toilet. When he'd get 3 in the toilet, he'd get a prize. It didn't seem to motivate him at first. He just needed a sugar nudge. I had made peanut butter cookies with kisses in the middle. Eric and I sat on the bathroom floor with the light off and the fan on. I went and got a cookie and told Drew that if he could make a "toot", I'd give him a bite. Sure enough, out came the first one and he got a bite. Unbelievably, he tooted 5-6 more times and got to eat the entire cookie around the kiss. I told him that he could have the kiss if he went #2. So, with one more effort, it was done! Drew went #2! He got the kiss, we moved a poopoo in the toilet poster and there was only 2 more to go! That night, he went again for the babysitter and then again in the morning which sent us on our way to Target to get a prize! Yeah! He is now telling me when he has to go and we've had no accidents this weekend! Thankfully, it was much easier than I thought it might be after he put up quite a complaint about the potty earlier this week! We lucked out with finding the right tool. I will give credit to God for that too. I prayed that he would help us teach and help him learn ;o) I'm sure God likes taking credit for the PooPoo Prize Potty, don't you think?

Valentine's Eve '09

2009-02-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

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Valentine's Eve '09

2009-02-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

Our Celebration

Hearts, confetti, and red balloons,
Nuggets, chips, pop, and tunes.
Writing reasons why we love,
Giving thanks to God above.
Monster cake frosted red,
Sugar high before bed.

Pawprints left for Drewby-Doo,
Scooby Snacks left as clues.
A chocolate dog in a house
Little bites gone by a mouse.

A super hero on a mission with hints,
to find the Valentine treasure for him.
His watch, a sword and a bomb ball too
helped to find each and every clue.

To end the night, we watched tv,
of the night on video made by me.
The kids enjoyed starring in the show,
They're loved more than they'll ever know.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-11T20:06:00.001-07:00

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Snowboard or Wakeboard?

2009-01-29T15:50:00.001-07:00

Ethan is anxious to try out his new snowboard from Grammy and Poppy. He was also excited to go swimming for Drew's birthday. So, he got his swimming gear on, put his snow boots on and got a feel for his new snow toy.

3 Years

2009-01-29T15:33:00.005-07:00

Drew brand new, we loved you.
Drew turned one, we had lots of fun.
Drew turned two, he's our Drewby Doo.
And now he's 3, it's hard to believe!

Ho Ho Ho Highlights!

2008-12-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

We were SO excited about the Wii from Poppie and Grammie. He even did a little celebration dance! Drew played with everything he opened. It was summed up at the end by Drew picking his nose...we struck gold this year!

All Done!

2008-12-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

Ok! No more pictures, Drew! I think he was mad that we wouldn't play with his new play-do set right at that moment as well. We hadn't had breakfast, all the presents were opened and they were very tired. But it was all better after cinnamon rolls.

Jolly Elves at Christmas

2008-12-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

We struggled to get this photo so no, not everyone seems too happy, not everyone has a great smile, but at least everyone is in the picture. That's the best we could do. In fact, I'll post what followed after this photo shoot!

Thanks for a Wonderful Christmas!

2008-12-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

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Merry Christmas!

2008-12-05T19:32:00.001-07:00

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Gingerbread Boys

2008-12-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

Last night, we enjoyed creating an edible masterpiece. The boys made sure the frosting and candies tasted good enough to be on their creation. If you click on the collage to make it bigger, you'll see Drew and Ethan have white frosting remnants on their faces and I caught them a few times with fingers in their mouths. What's the fun in making a candy house if you're not going to eat the materials?

We're Thankful for....

2008-12-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

The dogs; Maddie, Mogli and Emmy too...
Our kids; Ethan Michael and Drewby Doo...

Fun memories; snuggling and playing Wii,
Smoked turkey and a Christmas tree.

We made a "chain of thanks" for these,
and celebrated with our family.

What a Treat!

2008-11-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Missoula for Trick or Treating. The roads are flat, the neighbors are either retired or young families and the houses are fairly close together which is nice for little ones (and big ones too really ;o) After the first few houses, Drew figured out that if he said "Trick or Treat", he'd get something in his bag. We worked on our manners with our "thank you's" and did well 90% of the time. The other 10%, Drew was distracted by clowns, puppies, or the other costumed kiddos standing at the door with him. They were pretty proud of their stash when we came home and dumped them on the floor. It brought back memories of the good ol' days for Eric and I. This didn't end our night! We answered the door for a few trick or treat visitors and then went to another neighbor's party where the kids watched the "Cars" movie and we visited as parents. Around 10pm, we called it a night. Good thing it was Friday! The kids had a great time (and so did the parents.)

Our Superheroes were Super Ready

2008-11-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

We finished up our photo shoot on the front steps before we went to one of our neighbors party. We ate and the kids played before heading out on our Trick or Treat adventure.

Eye See You!

2008-11-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

This pumpkin carving was inspired by the kids' book "Mr. Pompo's Nose". The boys are doing their best impressions of our new friend.

Halloween at Ethan's School

2008-11-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

Drew decided he wanted to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle to attend Ethan's school party. We brought goodie bags for Ethan to hand out to his costumed friends (including his Ironman twin in the bottom right corner.) Drew got to share in the snacks and goodies with the big kids. This was our pre-function warm-up for the rest of our Halloween night.

Beesons at Bensons

2008-10-16T21:28:00.000-06:00

The Beeson family took a trip to Benson's farm where we picked out our pumpkins. The kids had fun picking out their pumpkins as well as checking out the farm surroundings.

Brotherly Love

2008-10-16T18:39:00.000-06:00

After a little teamwork, they felt a little brotherly love. They were posing like crazy so we continued our photo shoot.

Salt Dough Pumpkins

2008-10-16T18:35:00.000-06:00

This was the boys' first time to co-chef in making a creation. It's become a tradition, just like making a gingerbread house, to make these salt dough pumpkins each year. It's as simple as 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, and a 1/2 cup of water mixed with a little food coloring. You mold your creation, put it on a paper plate and heat them in the microwave at 30 second intervals until they harden. When they cool, we drew faces on our pumpkins. Ethan helped to twist paper sacks to make gnarly, leaveless trees for our scene. They were pretty proud of what they made.

A Pumpkin Mouse House

2008-10-16T17:50:00.000-06:00

It's pumpkin carving time and I thought it'd be fun for us to make a pumpkin mouse house as a family. I sent Ethan and Drew on a mouse hunt (looking for rocks that look like mice) as I set up the table for the pumpkin innards. When they returned with handfuls of mice (seen in the bottom pumpkin picture on the right) we were ready to hollow out the house. You can see that Drew was very hesitant to touch the pulp and Ethan had quite the face as he touched it. Not what I expected for two boys. Eric dug in and helped separate the seeds for roasting (which I did later.) After the pumpkin was hollowed, Drew lost interest so that left Ethan and I to carve the house while Eric entertained Drew. Then Ethan and I went and trimmed some limbs off of our front tree to make sticks for the windows, door and stairs to the house. Once it was complete, we turned off the lights and lit up the house. Ethan invited Drew and Eric back to check out the creation. We didn't finish making the mice, but we'll add a tail and a few eyes in the next few days. We plan on making 1 or 2 more carved pumpkins. Maybe on Saturday. I was abandoned to clean up the mess myself. The boys were put to bed as the pumpkin seeds were roasting in the oven. Later, when I was finishing up cleaning the kitchen, I looked out onto the couch and it was down to one; Eric was asleep. So, I finished my evening with trying out my roasted pumpkin seeds as a snack.

Snug as a Bug in a Rug (and Time Flies)

2008-09-01T14:30:00.000-06:00

Time seems to move slowly on some days and then there are days like today when I wonder how when it moves slowly it could leave so quickly? I can't believe I have a 1st grader and a little toddler in a big boy bed. Yesterday, I declared it our 1st Weekly Family Day. I thought we would designate a time each week (even for an hour) when we'd just spend time together, on purpose, doing something that each of us liked. We'll take turns being the decider on food and activities. Yesterday was our first time and it was Ethan's turn. He had me make "Caramel French Toast Bake." It's one of those recipes you only make at Christmas or Easter or birthdays or something because it terribly good and terribly bad for you all at the same time! That was Ethan's pick, so we made it, ate it and loved it! Then, he wanted to play a game. We put Drew in bed early (he missed a nap) and then we played Blokus (thanks Grandma Judi.) We had a great time. Ethan and I finished our night by coloring our new September calendar. If you have spent any length of time with Ethan, he can talk your ears off about Ben 10 or superheroes or a movie he's watched. So, last night, as he and I were side by side, coloring our calendar, Ethan talked up a storm. He literally talked for an hour straight about Ben 10 toys, the new aliens, the new toys, the Wii game.....I told myself several times "LISTEN, Jamie...." I tried my best and I'm sure glad I did. At the end of our coloring, (I did most of it because someone else was really busy talking) Ethan said, "Mom, that was really fun; talking and coloring and stuff. I love you, Mom." It's that simple. I just needed to listen to my son to make him feel loved. I know it wasn't the coloring that was fun for him. He's not too into coloring. It truly was the talking (and me listening) that was fun for him! (Sounds like his mom, huh?) Now I know how Eric feels! Anyway, lesson learned for this mom. Even when hours seem to pass slowly when kids are fighting and fussing, the days pass SO fast. It's simple to sit and listen and if that's all it takes to make my son feel loved, accepted and appreciated, then I'm in. I want these moments to look back on (for both of us) knowing I did my best to show him he's loved, and I want him to say he knew he was loved.

"Daddy Yook!"

2008-09-01T14:20:00.000-06:00

"Yook!" That's Drew's version of "Look!" Yook at beeg boy in beeg bed!

"SUPER" big boy!

2008-09-01T14:17:00.000-06:00

This was our next big milestone this week! September 1st, the beginning of a new season (I always jump the gun a bit for fall. It feels fall today; rain, cold, breeze, I'm in sweats...) Why not transition to a big boy bed! So, away went the teddy bears and plaid and in came the Superheroes! I think someone thought it was a "super" idea! We'll see what Mom and Dad think of it after we learn whether or not Superboy stays in bed!

The Lochness Monster Surfaces

2008-09-01T14:14:00.000-06:00

Sudsy Buddy

2008-09-01T14:13:00.000-06:00

Cool Cat 1st Grader

2008-09-01T14:12:00.000-06:00

1st Grade Picture Taking

2008-09-01T14:11:00.000-06:00

1st Day of 1st Grade 2008

2008-09-01T14:10:00.000-06:00

Milestone Month

2008-09-01T14:07:00.000-06:00

We've enjoyed a few new milestones in the lives of our boys this week. Ethan started his first day of 1st Grade this week. He has a male teacher, Mr. Byers, and all in all, the attitude is similar to most 1st grade boys, "I like recess best." These pictures were taken on Ethan's first day. (Drew wanted to be a part of the photo shoot as well.)

2008-08-20T17:07:00.000-06:00

Peek-at-you,
Peek-at-me,
I see you in that tree!

2008-08-20T17:04:00.000-06:00

This is the root system of a fallen tree. Eric was tired of picture taking, but I wanted him to stand in front of it for perspective. So, imagine a person standing in the center where their head would only be half way up the picture!

2008-08-20T17:02:00.000-06:00

Good job, Eric. Usually our heads are cut off or something!

2008-08-20T17:01:00.000-06:00

Yes, that is the actual color of the water. No food coloring or photo touch up there!

2008-08-20T17:00:00.000-06:00

Avalance Lake at the top of our hike. See the waterfalls in the background?

Our Trip to Glacier

2008-08-20T16:59:00.000-06:00

Avalanche Gorge.

Shake it!

2008-08-20T16:57:00.000-06:00

Bustin' a move in our livin' room!

Dog Walkers

2008-08-20T16:56:00.000-06:00

When Mom and Dad came for a visit, this was the ritual. When it was time to "potty" the girls, each boy got a leash and out they went with Grammie to "walk the dogs." They loved it!

Binky Be Gone!

2008-08-20T16:55:00.000-06:00

Lucky, lucky us! Something in parenting came easy! Drew has been a binky boy from a few weeks old. He grew a fond attachment to his binky through pain and sorrow. He'd call for his binky in moments of tears and tiredness. I had talked with friends and contemplated just how we were going to part with his dear friend. I had all kinds of ideas. But, August 17th was the last day we saw it. Over the last month or so, Drew began chewing on his binkies which started to create small holes. Granted, we never did graduate him from a baby binky to a toddler binky so they were growing weak from all of the sucking and dishwasher treatments. We noticed that Drew wasn't really liking the holes in his binkies and he wasn't using it much during the day. We were down to 3 binkies and eventually, we were down to 1. When naptime rolled around, we couldn't find it anywhere. So, I told Drew that it was lost. He didn't seem too upset so we continued with our naptime rituals. I laid him down and didn't hear a peep! That night was going to be the real test, but again, when he asked, I told him "It's all gone." He said "All gone?" "Yep, all gone." No protest! Wow! It was that easy! He's asked for it a few times in moments of tears, but I've replaced his object of comfort with a reminder that a love from a stuffed puppy can feel awfully nice. He's been ok with that idea. Today, I told him we need to take a picture of him because now he is a big boy who no longer needs a binky. He said, "Yeah!" So, here he his. Proud as can be, no plug in the mouth, and no need for binky!

Tuckered Out

2008-07-07T20:24:00.000-06:00

This is a rarity. My boys are known to fight sleep (excluding Eric.) You know they are tired when they fall asleep by accident. Ethan loved being the lap for Drew. He tried to recreate this scene today. Ethan is such a "connection" boy that this warmed the cockles of his heart to have his little bro fall asleep on him.

6th Birthday at Triple Play

2008-07-03T23:20:00.000-06:00

What a day! Ethan's first waterslide experience, go karts, bumper boats, lazer tag, gooey cupcakes, and dinner at the Olive Garden. Can you beat it? What was even better is that Kevin, Shelleigh, Aidan, Poppie, Grammie, and Grandma Judi were all able to celebrate with us! Triple Play is a great way to spend the day. All that's left is 2 tuckered out kids and 2 tuckered out parents. Time to get some triple rest.

His Newest Feat!

2008-06-22T11:10:00.001-06:00

I think the 2 missing teeth in front was a foreshadow to what happened today! His teeth fell out so that they wouldn't catch bugs as he zips through the neighborhood riding his bike with no training wheels! You know, his front windshield is gone so the bugs won't hit and splat. We took Ethan's training wheels off a week ago after the Moser's got here. Seeing his friends ride their bikes with no training wheels was inspiration. So, we had a practice run with mom and dad holding the seat. That ended in frustration and Ethan saying, "I'll never ride a bike again!" My thought was we'd let him be re-inspired after trying to keep up with his speedy friends and we wouldn't say a thing. Sure enough, not even a week later, Ethan wanted to get back out on the bike. We noticed he was having a hard time figuring out the balancing thing so Eric brilliantly had him practice coasting down our slight incline of a driveway with his feet up the air. Then, we had him coast and put his feet on the pedals. We encouraged him to start pedaling and after only a couple times and a couple days of trying this, he is riding a bike! Last night at the Moser's we saw him pushing Abby's bike with both of his feet to gain momentum (simulating our declined driveway) and then putting his feet on the pedals and pedaling. Then, this morning, he coasted down our driveway, pedaled and kept on pedaling! He is loving going up and down our flat sidewalks. We went and bought him a new Ben Ten helmet, but it doesn't fit right. We haven't solved the problem of getting frustrated and expecting perfection on the first run of things, but at least the biking is under his belt. I'm sure I'll blog about the first real biking accident. (And yes, Grandma's, he was wearing a helmet this morning, but he took it off when I went in to get my camera. He thought he was done. I wanted him to get back on so I could do a photo shoot!)

Drewby Too!

2008-05-30T15:37:00.000-06:00

Drew was standing and watching his big brother get pictures taken of his lost teeth. So he says, "Drewby too!" He took his binky out and tried to show me his teeth so I could take a picture!

All I want for my Birthday is my 2 Front Teeth!

2008-05-30T15:36:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Ethan and I went into the bathroom to wash his hands after school. He looked up into the mirror and of course, my gazed followed his and much to our surprise, his snaggle tooth was gone! It seemed that it was hanging on by threads for a week, but it must've lost it's grip! Ethan said, "Where's my tooth?" I told him he must've eaten it. His first response was, "Do I still get paid?" I told him I'd work that out with the tooth fairy. He says, "You ARE the tooth fairy." He knew what business needed to be taken care of at that point! The last tooth he lost, he asked if he could get $19 for his tooth. That happened to be how much money it costs for him to get a BEN TEN watch, a toy/watch that he's wanted for awhile. So, no, he won't get $19, but his tooth is still worth something. I just don't have to throw it in the garbage. It's been disposed of for me!

dollhouse pic that didn't post last time

2008-05-10T13:57:00.000-06:00

Every boy needs a dollhouse...

2008-05-10T13:47:00.000-06:00

...full of helpless dolls in distress! Spiderman and superman were on duty last Saturday when this large mansion in the pleasant view subdivision of Missoula, Montana was ransacked by a band full of dirty rotten "bad guys." Drew and Ethan enjoyed my childhood doll house as a place for their superheroes to practice being superheroes. They played a couple of hours out in the sunshine while I sat on the patio, burned my shins and read nutrition logs of my clients....riveting action! Glad the dollhouse is getting some action since I don't have any little girls wanting to play house. This will do!

Giggle-o-nite

2008-05-10T13:43:00.000-06:00

This superheroes weakness isn't kryptonite....it's giggle-o-nite! Big brother was making up silly words and it hit the infamous "funny bone" on Drew-man. He couldn't stop giggling! He'd toss his head back, giggle left and right, take a deep breath and start all over again! This went on for about 5 minutes which is a long time for small abs!

This calls for some zzzzz's

2008-05-10T13:38:00.000-06:00

This is what happens after an eventful week like his! He crashed for an afternoon nap. I just thought it was cute how he had his hands folded in peace.

Eventful Week for Mr. E

2008-05-10T13:36:00.000-06:00

Ethan had an eventful week. Starting Monday, he celebrated his "unbirthday" at school. It's nice of his teacher to allow the summer babies to have a birthday party in honor of them during the school year. We brought rice crispy treats made with cocoa crispies to share and he got to wear a birthday crown (in the picture) all day. Yesterday, the Kindergartners had a safari day at school. They've been learning about the safari environment as well as animals on the safari. Then, each classroom collected boxes and paper bags to make safari huts. The kids made binoculars and safari hats and toured the classrooms. Last night, Ethan lost his 3rd tooth. The other one on top is hanging loose too. Pretty soon Ethan will be toofless in front! A busy week for such a small guy! Although, he is finishing up his Kindergarten year and will be turning 6! I can't believe it!

Boys and their Toys

2008-03-30T10:47:00.000-06:00

Those of you with boys or who have raised boys will relate to the pictures I've posted today...mud puddles, throwing paper at each other, making messes and.....shooting guns. Drew is aiming the dart gun, shooting it at the ceiling and you can see the dart deflecting off of the ceiling and falling in the background behind him. He's learning early!

Easter Egg Hunt Montana Style

2008-03-30T10:43:00.000-06:00

So, it was windy and COLD on the Friday night before Easter. SHEC (South Hills Evangelical Church) was smart to put on a community Easter egg hunt inside of their gym. Not so smart to use millions of scraps of shredded paper to fill their floor 1 foot deep to hide eggs for the kids. I bet that was fun to clean up. They transformed their gym into an easter basket (walls covered in paper painted like basket weave, a big handle with a ribbon hanging overhead, and basket filler on the floor of the lifesize basket.) We were the last in line so the pickings were slim. They had 400-500 children come through their "basket" that night. The kids had fun in the hunt and found other things to do to entertain themselves!

That's What Boys are Made of

2008-03-30T10:35:00.000-06:00

Mud puddles, snails, and puppy dog tails....that's what little boys are made of! As a family, we walked out the door of SHEC's indoor Easter egg hunt into the parking lot. What seemed like an ordinary parking lot to an average adult was a wonderful lot of adventure and mud to a 2 year old boy! He spotted the puddle...I saw the look in his eye...I said, "Drew..." and without a moment's hesitation, away he went...right into the puddle! Nice white shoes gone muddy...a perfect ending to a young boy's day!

Messy on Purpose

2008-03-30T10:29:00.000-06:00

Ethan's been on Spring Break this week and it's now clearly obvious to me that he desperately needs recesses (at school AND at home.) Unfortunately, we've had snow, wind and cold SPRING days so we've been couped up in the house. We did have an indoor picnic yesterday at the mall with Eric. We packed lunch and went to the mall to eat and play on the train. Today, there is sunshine so there is hope for sanity today! I thought we'd start the day off of a "purposed mess" of fingerpainting. They've done such a good job of messing the house all week, I thought I'd give them a chance to be messy. Drew was hesitant saying "mess?" "mess?", but Ethan dug right in. The plan is to have them head outside as soon as the day warms up for a little sidewalk chalk and backyard golf.

Swimmin' With the Grizzlies (literally!)

2008-02-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Drew tried this slide once on his own, but there is water that shoots out from the sides at the top of the slide. He didn't like the spray in his face so he preferred to take a lap down the slide!

Swimmin' With the Grizzlies!

2008-02-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Drew's birthday, we took the boys to an indoor waterpark 2 weeks ago. Ethan is standing under the fountains. You can see the water droplets coming down.

Mmm Cake!

2008-01-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Pile it on! He made sure each bite was worth the slow and careful trip to the mouth. Every spoonful is packed full by use of his other hand. "Licious!" He says after his brother says "De---licious!"

Strange Guests!

2008-01-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

Drew had some strange party guests show up for his birthday today like this Sharkboy/Buzz Lightyear character!

Happy Birthday, Drew!

2008-01-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

Drew is 2! We can't believe it! We celebrated with a "Pooh" birthday as a family today. He picked out the plates the other day at Walmart so we went with Pooh at 2. We had hamburgers and hotdogs and cake and ice cream of course. Later today, we'll be headed to Currents, an indoor waterpark here in Missoula. Drew had no idea it's his birthday, but cake tastes good any time of year so why not?