photo shoot with grandpa

Grandpa had a photo shoot with Asher while we were visiting. He just sent me the pics and I had to share.

Asher with the azaleas (take note of the pose, you will see it alot).

By the stream.

Posing in front of the house with Grandma peaking through the window.

Down with all the bamboo. This one is my fav!

Down by the creek.

Checking out his stepping stone in the garden.

Playing a mean game of crochet with Grandma.

And yes, in case you haven't noticed, my in-laws have a fantastically beautiful yard.

the party

We drove up to Virginia on Friday night for a family birthday party for Beckham.

 

Here is the birthday boy in his adorable birthday shirt. With the help of my fab sister Mallory, we went with an owl theme this year. Here is the adorable invitation she designed.

And here is the birthday boy in front of the banner she designed.

And then there was the cake. I was so happy with the way it turned out. Only my second fondant cake ever and already such an improvement over the first one!

 Birthday boy with Daddy

Cara, Chloe, birthday boy and me

Thanks to Grandma we had a delicious dinner of grilled flank steak, roasted asparagus, roasted potatoes and mushrooms, bread, and green salad. Everyone ate and enjoyed themselves.

Beckham started to get super cranky so we had to hurry up for the festivities.

Asher was super pleased to be helping out.

 Everyone sang happy birthday.

Beckham made a huge mess of the cake (for some reason none of these photos are in focus...sorry!)

Of course Asher helped him open all his gifts. He got a fancy sight and sound table from Grandma and Grandpa, some little people super heroes from the Boxers and a zhu zhu pet from the DelHoyos. Mom and Dad gave him a little people garage set with cars.

Immediately after we finished Quinn whisked Beckham upstairs and put him to bed as he was done for the night. He had a great party. He woke up the next day with a fever and a runny nose and is still under the weather today.

While we were in Virginia we also made Beckham's stepping stone from Grandpa and Grandma's garden. I think it turned out really well.

We woke up on Sunday and leisurely had breakfast and got ready to leave. We started the drive back south. We had just pulled into Cary to get Quinn's car when Asher started to cough and coughed so hard he started throwing up. A LOT. Thank goodness we had just stopped. But he seemed immediately better afterwards. We cleaned up, got him something to drink and eat and headed home. With Beckham still sick, we are taking it easy at home today.

one

Can you believe this little guy turned 1 year old yesterday? I know I can't. 

 We just love him so much. I mean, let's be serious...aren't his blue eyes to die for?

Beckham is the cuddliest little guy. He loves to snuggle and both Quinn and I eat it up. He is mildly obsessed with Quinn. If Quinn ever walks in the room he immediately walks over to him and begs to be picked up. Beckham loves to play with Asher and most of the time they get along great. He loves to go to the stairs, go up about 3 stairs, turn around to see if I'm watching him and then race up the stairs before I can catch him. He can say "mama" and "gaga" (his version of dada). He can clap, play peek-a-boo, and give you a high five. He is a walking pro and a fantastic sleeper. He sleeps from 7pm to 7 or 8 am everyday. He is fighting the morning nap a bit so we may have to reevaluate that soon.

We took him to the Dr. this morning for his check-up. It was my most stressful check-up yet. He cried hysterically over everything. He is fully entrenched in the stranger danger phase. But once we were able to calm him down enough to get his measurements he checked out healthy and strong.

He weighs in at 21 lbs and 11 oz (33%)

He is just shy of 31 inches long (80%)

Long and lean.

Last night we gave him a cupcake and sang Happy Birthday. He devoured the cupcake.

We are heading up to VA this weekend for a proper birthday party with family. So stay tuned for details on that.

Happy Birthday Beckham!

Easter

We had a fabulous low-key Easter. We started off the festivities on Saturday afternoon. Quinn hid eggs in our back yard and then let the kids go crazy.

 Nothing like retrieving a hidden egg from the top of the septic tank!

 Quinn helped Beckham find the goods.

 Easter morning the boys were thrilled that the Easter Bunny had found them. Asher was especially thrilled that James (from Thomas & Friends) was in the basket. He has been longing for him for quite a while. And I should note, that the Easter Bunny had to visit several stores to find him.

 We even managed to get some pictures of the boys in their Easter outfits before church.

 If you can't put your boys in pink shirts on Easter, when can you?

  And finally, a picture of Asher after he had devoured his chocolate bunny in about 3 minutes with the encouragement of his father. I was sure he was going to be sick.