November-Fall finally arrives in Henderson

Well this year we stayed into the 80's until November. It made some really pleasant days. Beck and I enjoy time at the park now more than ever. Not only because he can actually play and climb, but we can enjoy a nice picnic without melting.

Just a month after learning how to walk we have also learned how to conquer small obstacles like crawling into bathtubs. I found this one day while I was folding laundry. At least he is also learning to be independent and play by himself, right?

 Before Thanksgiving I decided to start decorating the inside of the house. We will be spending Christmas at home this year so it needed to be decorated and we had free time. Im normally opposed to pre-turkey day Christmas but this year it made life more simple.

 Now that our house was all nestled and snug with its Christmas glow, we took off to Reno for the last time this year. It was a might colder in Reno. The cold didn't scare Beck at all! He still wanted to play outside all day.

 We worked on Beck's basketball and softball skills. He has a long time before he enrolls, but I feel confident that he will enjoy sports. Just like every healthy kid should.

Thanksgiving was full of food, family, and fun. All but one of Kipp's brothers (and his family) were able to make it to the family feast. Also my father-in-law's mother, sister and her life-long man friend were able to join us. It was the traditional thanksgiving and just lovely. Beck was dressed up for such a fancy feast. 

 This is a post-dinner picture.  I think his turkey is sticking out just a bit further than before.

With so much of the Stodtmeister family together, it not being that sides year for Christmas, we decided to have a mini- Christmas. Its always nice to share holidays with loved ones. 

While we were gone in Reno, Henderson turned cool. We now have highs of low 50's. Unfortunately there is always a cold strong wind that makes 50 feel more like 30. Doesn't feel much like the Christmas time. I however, do enjoy not having to shovel snow. 

Finishing October

Fall was slow to arrive this year but the holidays keep us on track a little. Beck has been a busy, busy boy since his birthday. A few days post his birthday he decided it was time to walk. Which is wonderful, but I always pictured a child taking just three of four steps their first time. I was rudely awakened when Beck took almost 20steps to try to escape out the church doors. I was not ready with my camera (since I was at church) and so I captured this video a few days later, it doesn't show his full range of ability but it was the first steps captured for memories.

Mid-October Kipp had a break and we drove up to Reno. His entire family was there so we took the opportunity to take family photos. It was perfect when Kipp and his twin show up wearing the same outfit (purple top, brown pants and shoes).

 While in the process of the large family photos we ended up with some of just our little family.

 We left Reno just short of Halloween. Spending Halloween in Henderson for the first time we prepared with a large bowl of candy... but we ended up with a trick and a treat.

 Trick: not a single person came to our door. Treat: we enjoyed the entire bowl of candy.

 Or Rather Someone in the family enjoyed the entire bowl of candy.












Every day he just kept getting better and better. He is a different child now that he is able to get into everything. However, looking back this kid was trouble before he walked. In his life he has unrolled toilet paper and paper towel rolls, poured olive oil all over the kitchen floor,  shattered a floor lamp, cut open his eyebrow on the tub, and the one we caught on camera... played in the flour. Man I can't wait to see what the next few years will hold. 

We have a One Year Old!

Beck had his birthday last weekend. It really doesn't seem like a year could have possibly gone by already, but alas it has. We threw Beck a party that consisted of my mother, my in-laws, Kipp's twin Kyle,  his wife Terra, and several of Kipp's classmates.








It was a lumberjack themed party. I made Beck his own banana cake (which we finished for him). Our little guy was the perfect birthday boy, he had fun, smiled, and was just trying to take in the whole party idea. One thing is for sure, he loves attention and cake!

Beck is already learning how to share, which is so sweet normally. In this case eating cake off his slobbery little hands I was not to keen on, however, Kipp was a good sport.

The aftermath. As I said earlier, Beck loves cake!

                                      

He is one precious little man. I am blessed to have him and so many wonderful family members in our life.

I am looking forward to many more birthdays with this handsome devil. 

Post party weekend: Beck helps water the yard every day. Now that he can stand on his own, I tape the spray handle down and I get to relax while he works. Such a good helper.

Wrapping up the summer

The summer went by fast, yet the heat is still here. Vegas takes a little longer to cool off than most places but we are finally into the low 90's high 80's, now that we are into October.  I am once again way behind in posting pictures of summer events.

This summer we were visited by my mother, Emily and the girls along with dad and Sherri. While Emily was here we took the kids to the Wetlands park here in town. They have some nice little walking trails, where we saw a roadrunner, and an interactive museum. I think they enjoyed it, even Emily got to color a little bit.

Dad and Sherri also came during the time Emily was in town and they took us swimming (it was 117degrees that day) and also help us watch the kids at a splash pad another day. 

July is a rough month to visit because of temperatures but we all survived with the help of popsicles.

Once everyone left, Beck decided it was time to sprout some teeth. He held out for ten months and then finally gave in to the bottom two. 

At the end of August I could barely stand the heat. Beck and I left Kipp behind and when to visit his family in Reno. Playing in cooler temperatures and having a large yard to play in was very helpful in keeping a little boy happy. 

While in Reno, Beck learned a few new sports. He has taken up golf. And has decided that driving is pretty fun, even it it is in a girly car.

With the development of teeth, the desire to sink them into everything also developed. He sure does love nectarines.

                             

And that wasn't the best of the food. The annual rib cook off was while were were up there. And like every good mother I let my son chew on a bone. It was serious business, I wasn't ever able to get a smile, he just kept pointing for more meat. 

One of the perks of Reno is that there are two wonderful lakes near by. The first weekend we took Beck to Tahoe for his first time. He did not love the cold water but still all smiles. 

  The other weekend we were in Reno we went out to Pyramid (the usual spot to find the family in the summer). Here Beck took to the sand, and found it to be the best toy around.

 The last great thing about our trip was that we met the newest addition to the family. The Alex's have a new baby. Meet Tallahassee. He is a boarder collie, blue heeler mix. I think this two cousins will have a long lasting relationship.

Little Summer Fun (long post)

Kipp and a few classmates decided to get together for Memorial day and have a BBQ and swim. It was delicious and Beck got his first crack at swimming. He was not a fan of the icy water (they do not heat pools here in Vegas, go figure). But after some time acclimating he enjoyed a good bob with daddy.

Beck and I then ventured to off to Oregon to see Grandma Jo, and help her enjoy her first week of summer. We had a lot of fun! There is no better way to start summer off than a nice trip to the zoo. Beck was not interested in the animals, but more in the people watching. I on the other hand fancied the lion and kimono dragon better. I tried to get Beck interested in the dragon, but as you can see he was not amused. 

Grandma had a wonderful chariot to pull Beck around and we enjoyed the slightly cooler than Vegas weather, actually venturing out for walks. 

Grandma Jo's friend Jolene was kind enough to provide us with a pool when the days became to hot to spend outside. Having a warm pool out of the sun was just what the doctor ordered. Not only did I get a little exercise, but Beck took to the water very well. He was able to kick on both his stomach and back, and did not fuss once. Watch out summer Olympics we have a future Olympian on our hands.

With all things that are fun, we seem to tire. Beck was so tired he was playing one minute and the next, I looked down and he was sound asleep. 

 Beck insisted that we go and provide him with a walker so he could keep up with the cats, mom and I. Unfortunately, he never learned how to propel himself forward, only backwards and the occasional side walk. He will keep practicing and soon enough I think he will get the hang of walking. 

 When traveling you tend to visit as much family as you can while in the area, and we sure did. Not only did we have lunch with Uncle Scott, but we introduced Beck to a Great Grandma & Grandpa Lamb for a generational photo (Ok so this might be a little odd, but it is good family history).

As always when you go home it isn't all fun and games. One morning we watched Grandma work hard outside. As you can tell it was mighty tough work. 

Later in the week we played with yogurt. Grandma thought we were crazy, but it turned out to be a very fun experience.

We were a little sad when the yogurt was all gone. 

We had so much fun that we even tried to share with our newest, best friend Lady. 

As I mentioned Beck gained a new best friend. Lady was constantly by his Beck's side and even allowed him to grab fists full of hair, multiple times and didn't eat him alive. Beck smiled ear to ear every time she came to the room. 

He even tried to share his sleigh bells with her.

A trip wouldn't be complete with out a sporting event. This trips choice....bowling. Nothing helps a child build a good immune system like touching and licking things in a bowling alley. 

All together it was a very nice trip to see Grandma. Her yard was beautiful and she provided a good change in routine for us. Grandma's are the BEST! They read to you, provide you with toys, take you for walks, help you experience the world. Thank you Grandma Jo, see you soon.