Sunday, October 3, 2010

Summer 2010 (finally)

I know, I know. I am JUST finally getting to a summer update! Well, better late than never, right? :) Here's some of the highlights:

JUNE: We had such a great time in Seattle, Washington. I fell in love with the city, as I knew I would. Garrett has always gone on and on about how great Seattle is (he lived there before we met in Ohio.) Well, he definitely was right. And if Seattle wasn't good enough by itself, my parents met us there, and made it even better. Garrett had fun showing us around his old stomping grounds. We packed a lot in: Pike's Place Market, a ferry to Victoria Island, hiking in Mt. Rainier, meeting some of Garrett's old friends, and going on a winery and brewery tour. Lots of fun was had and I decided I would be more than happy if the Air Force sent us there for an assignment.



JULY: Right after our trip with my parents, we spent the second half of our vacation in Montana with the Knowlans. Another amazing place I had never been before. Man, was it beautiful! Garrett's parents were able to find us a great place where the whole family could stay, right along the Yellowstone River, with mountains surrounding the home on all sides. It was like a postcard shot at every angle. We were able to get lots of family time in and the cousins finally got to meet! Beckett enjoyed hanging out with Audrey and Claire, his aunts and uncles, and of course, Gram and Pa. We took a few trips into Yellowstone National Park; hiking, fly fishing, picnicking, and just enjoying our precious time together. We also got to spend some time checking out Bozeman and ate a fantastic brewery. The only thing missing was our brother-in-law Matt!



AUGUST: Garrett got to head down to San Diego for work, getting the chance to spend 3 days on a Navy aircraft carrier (USS Nimitz). So Beckett and I chatted about it and thought the best idea was to join him (or at least head to San Diego--we didn't go on the boat! :)). We even talked my mom into joining us. So while Garrett was on the boat, Beckett, my mom, and I spent time discovering San Diego. We enjoyed some great meals including the BEST fish tacos ever, had fun visiting Coronado Island, found a cool farmer's market in Little Italy, saw Balboa Park, and did some shopping. Garrett also had a blast on the ship, getting to see first hand how the Navy does flight ops on the carrier. He even got a flight off the boat in an aircraft called "the Cod" to come back to San Diego and meet us. He was quite impressed with it all and also left with a greater appreciation for the Air Force (you don't have to live in small, uncomfortable quarters at sea for 6 months at a time). It was such a fun week!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Beckett is 9 Months

I have said it every month since Beckett was born...time is flying! The clock seems to tick a whole lot faster now that I have a child. Being able to witness his growth has been amazing! I can't believe how much he's changed, especially over the past couple months. He had his 9 month check up today and he weighs 17.4 pounds (5th percentile) and measures 27.5 inches (25th percentile).

Beckett has become quite the mover. He loves standing up and crawling, which leads me to his new favorite pastime: crawling after our obese and grouchy cat, Jack. He seems to tolerate Beckett's crawling. Once Beckett works so hard to get right next to Jack, to finally grab a hold of his prized possession, Jack takes off, and leaves a broken-hearted Beckett behind. We haven't broken the news yet to Jack that this strategy will only work for so long...

Beckett has also become quite the social butterfly, taking after Garrett. He laughs, smiles, and "talks" to any child he sees. He still gives us that great belly laugh...Garrett and I just can't get enough of it!

And taking after mommy (I should be so proud) is his love of food. He has always been such a good eater. He loves almost anything we feed him. His favorites these days are sweet potatoes, bananas, and banana puffs. This boy loves him some puffs!

Here's a slideshow of our 9 month old...

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

a blessed summer

As the end of the summer nears, I am so thankful for all that we've been able to experience this past season. I have been a terrible blogger on updating. But I thought I would start with a backwards recap. Starting with this past Labor Day weekend...

Garrett and I were back and forth on leaving for the weekend or just hanging out at home. We decided last minute to book a house on the Strand (a walk/bike path right next to the beach) in Hermosa Beach with some of our friends. This ended up being the best decision we could have made. Ocean view condo beats our desert home any day in my book. Beckett loved standing next to the waves, feeling the icy cold Pacific on his feet, and swinging on the beach. Mom and Dad loved playing beach volleyball and going out for a dinner date two nights in a row! Thanks to our friends, Jeremey and Tammy, for watching B! It was just what we needed before heading back to the desert and Garrett getting back into the thick of things with Test Pilot School. Just a few more months left til he graduates. I can't believe it...time has flown!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

update

We've had such a great summer so far! I am behind on our vacation update. I've had so many photos to upload and sift through...788 to be exact! While I'm working on that, I thought I would put up a few new photos of our growing boy.



Thursday, June 3, 2010

Wide-Eyed Wonderment


Yesterday evening, storm clouds rolled in and saturated the sky. Then, that great deep thunder resonated throughout the backyard. We headed inside and watched as rain poured in. Oh, how I love me a good rainstorm! It makes me feel like a kid again. Beckett has seen a rainstorm before, but this time he was so fascinated. We stared out the back door for awhile and took it all in.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Pea & Carrots

We have been enjoying this new phase of Beckett eating solids. It's so fun to watch his expressions when he gets his first bite of a new food. Overall, he has liked almost everything we've given him, even though the photos below aren't too convincing. Which one do you think he liked more?

Peas



or carrots?


Fun times at Granny and Grandy's

Beckett has discovered that he doesn't really need toys at Granny and Grandy's when he has:

a new perspective on the world (he's sitting up now)...
bright green grass to discover for the FIRST time...

a newspaper to read...

leaves to touch...

and his favorite so far, a musician (who just happens to be his grandpa) to listen to...

Monday, May 24, 2010

we made it....pheeewww!

Yesterday, Beckett and I set off for a second trip to Ohio. As excited as I was to get back, weeks before the flight I also started to get nervous. Then as days approached, I started to get real nervous. And as we walked into the airport, baby in arms, saying prayer after prayer, I experienced pure terror. Beckett was a perfect angel last time we flew to Ohio but times were a-changing. He has what we call "almost 6 months active boy syndrome" and I feared the following:

1) that the close quarters of an airplane seat might not be adequate for 4 hours
2) that I might run out of breast milk (and he doesn't take a bottle or even a pacifier)
3) that he would get a dirty diaper and I would have to attempt changing it in the germ-laden miniature bathroom
4) that he might cry, drawing negative attention in my direction. Let's face it, bringing a baby on an airplane already casts negative attention in your direction. Everywhere Beckett and I go people stop me to coo and make all over Beckett. "How old is he?" "What's his name?" "Oh, his smile is SO cute!" Then, as you approach your gate, you see the pure distaste for my sweet baby. You know they are questioning, "Is this baby on OUR plane?" and thinking, "I hope he's not seated next to ME!" I see it written all over their faces. And no one gives him an ounce of attention. Even the airplane stewardess gave me "the look"

All of these fears came true...

And on top of #3, he wet through his clothes forcing me to change his clothes in that bathroom, which is like wrestling an alligator in a closet. When #4 occurred, I pulled out toy, after toy, after every stinking toy I had crammed in my diaper bag. When that didn't work, I resorted to pulling out the baby food. And all I have to say about that is: don't attempt baby food on an airplane! NOT a good idea.

We survived and I thanked the dear Lord when we landed, breathing in a sigh of a relief. I'm happy to be here in Ohio and look forward to catching up with family and friends. And getting a little break, thanks to my parents. I scheduled a massage for tomorrow morning, which I think is much needed after yesterday's events. :)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Top Two Tuesday

Top Two Favorite Activities from this past weekend...

1) Riding and flying a glider for the first time. Even though I got pretty air sick (no puking though-thank you!) I was so glad I got to take part in this awesome experience! We had Spouse Fly Day on Saturday and all of the spouses got to enjoy one of the many flights our hubbies go on. The pilot even let me fly for a little bit. Something I'll never forget!





2) Garrett and I took our first date since having Beckett. It was AWESOME! It's funny how we took "dinner and a movie" for granted pre-baby. Now, it was like we were in a different world. No diaper bag, no car seat carrying, no interrupted dinner, adult conversation in a nice restaurant! After our delicious dinner, we saw Date Night. It was a movie about a couple who had gotten in the rut of day-to-day life/taking care of the kids, and finally decided to take some couple time--a perfect theme for the night. We love our time with Beckett but realized a date night is more than needed every now and then!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

And the verdict is...

Beckett likes his rice cereal. He tried solids for the first time today. At first, he didn’t seem too sold on it, as you can see in the video. But after a few bites, he started fussing if I wasn’t getting it into his mouth fast enough. He finished the entire bowl.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Guess what day it is?

So for top two Tuesday today, I thought I would post two of our recent family photos.  These definitely aren't my favorite, though, because Beckett looks less than happy in both.  We're finding it's pretty difficult to get a 4-5 month old to smile AND look at the camera.  Between Garrett's busy schedule and not always having a camera around when we're with others, we rarely get a family photo so we'll take what we can get. :)

This shot was taken after our spouse photo.  All of the spouses of Garrett's Test Pilot class took a photo together that will go in the Test Pilot School, along with every spouse photo since the start of the school.  We got to take it in front of the planes that his class flies, and since our class motto is bunnies, we all wore bunny ears. 


This other one was taken at the poppy fields close to where we live.  They were gorgeous and only bloom like this for a couple of weeks.  It was freezing this day (I know...in the desert!) so we were only able to snap a few shots before poor little B froze.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Top Two Tuesday

Today's topic:
 My Favorite "I don't feel like Cooking" Recipes

Now I know these dishes may sound less appetizing, but they definitely are tasty.  These are two of Garrett's favorites that I make.  They are both recipes I was raised on by my mama.  I love that they don't require a recipe card.  They both are cheap, quick, and easy go-to recipes, when time is of the essence.

Hamburger, Rice, and Cabbage
 You need:
1-1.5 lbs hamburger (I use turkey burger to make it healthier)
3-4 servings of rice
1/2 head of cabbage
soy sauce (we use low sodium)

1) Brown the hamburger
2) Slice cabbage into small shreds
3) Once burger is browned, add in the cabbage on top
4) Pour in about 1/3 cup water
5) Cover pan and steam cabbage over medium heat until tender
6) Stir in soy sauce to meat and cabbage mixture and serve over rice

Creamed Eggs over Toast
You need:
hard-boiled eggs
toast
1 T butter
1 T flour
3/4 C milk
cheese
salt/pepper
canadian bacon or ham

1) Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat
2) Stir in flour to melted butter
3) Once the mixture is blended, pour in the milk gradually
4) Continue stirring until sauce thickens
5) Add cheese, salt, and pepper to taste
6) Cut bacon/ham and eggs into slices and stir into sauce
7) Pour over toast

Monday, April 26, 2010

New Toy



Beckett loves
his new
Johnny Jump-Up
Jack, the cat, is not too sure about it...
as Beckett now creates a blockade, from his beloved self-feeder.  This could be a good diet plan.




Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Top Two Tuesday

In an attempt to get myself blogging more regularly, I'm going to start Top Two Tuesday and list a top two of any random topic every Tuesday.  Today's topic:

Favorite Websites for Finding a Deal
1) The first one is a tie:  Fat Wallet and Slick Deals
Both websites are great for finding deals among tons of other websites.  From these two sites, I've found tons of great deals and saved lots of money!  My most recent deal was a $130 bench for $25!

2) Baby Steals
My sister-in-law, Erika, mentioned her fondness of this website.  So I checked it out and love it!  Everyday at 9am MST, they list a new deal on a baby product that they sell until sold out.  Sometimes items get sold out in about 10 minutes or so.  I've loved almost every product I've seen listed on the site.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Monday, March 22, 2010

Beckett's Big Trip: Part Two

After our fun time with family in Missouri, Garrett headed back to California for school and we flew to Ohio.  One of my good friends, Heather, was getting married so it was a perfect excuse to come back for a couple of weeks.  We enjoyed Mom's cooking and spending time together each night.  Beckett loved being with his Granny and Grandy while I loved being able to have a first few baby-less nights with friends.  It was even fun to hop into the car for a quick run to Target, without pushing a stroller and hauling a diaper bag in tow.  During our stay there, against my will, Beckett decided to have another growth spurt.  When I got back, I had to sadly put away his newborn clothes.  During his time in Ohio, he started rolling over more, learned to self-soothe to sleep, shared his deep thoughts in long conversations, and found out his hands taste really good.

Beckett met lots of friends and family, including his Great-Great Grandma!  We drove to visit my Great Grandma Betty, who is about to turn 101, and still lives on her own.  She made us a huge delicious lunch, complete with my favorite banana salad and an apple pie.  Wish I could eat lunch at her house everyday.  She also showed us lots of old photos in her photo album.  We came across this one that is a 5 generation photo, where she is the baby:



When we were there, we were able to take our 5 generation photo.  It was pretty amazing that she was connecting 10 generations!!! 


We enjoyed our time in Dayton and look forward to coming back in May for my friend Katie's wedding.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Baby Pictures

We thought you'd enjoy seeing a couple baby pictures side by side.  Here is one of Garrett at 6 months & Beckett at 3 months. 

Beckett's Big Trip: Part One

This past month was filled with lots of firsts for our little man.  Garrett, Beckett, and I traveled to Missouri on his first airplane ride so that he could meet his Gram and Pa.  Lara and Spencer, his aunt and uncle, were able to make the trip, too!  He was also able to meet his Great Grandma Peterson, Great Grandad, and Great Nana while we were there.  He loved making googly eyes with his pretty Aunt Lara, hanging out with his Uncle Spencer, singing with Gram, and playing "Pony Boy" with Pa.  We really love our family and cherished every second of the visit.  It definitely went way too fast! 

                                 

Monday, February 8, 2010

Friday, February 5, 2010

Mama knew there'd be days like these...

Beckett seems to be turning over a new leaf this past week.  We've been going through the challenging task of dealing with colic.  It's been one of the most difficult things I've ever done!  It's been hard to say the least...many days filled with not only baby tears, but mama tears, too.  Everyone keeps encouraging me that, "this too shall pass."  This week it seems to have passed!   

Yesterday when Garrett got home, I told him, dare I say, that Beckett was laid back the whole day.  He really was!  He's been actually taking naps and not crying very much.  Lately, he's let me put him down, without crying, for 15 minutes to sometimes closer to an hour!! (Definitely helps me to get dinner made or finally work on some laundry!)  He is able to focus easier now and loves to look at lights, toys, his swing's mobile, and his favorite: the Fisher-Price Rainforest Lights and Sounds attachment on his crib.  My favorite time with him is talking and cooing together, sharing smiles, and mimicking each other...



I know next week could look a lot different, but Mama's hoping that these days continue.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Sweet Smiles

A few weeks ago, Beckett showed off his adorable smile for the first time.  He is smiling and cooing more and more each day.  We've been able to capture some smiley moments on camera.  So for your viewing pleasure...

  
  
 

Monday, January 25, 2010

23 Confessions of a New Mom

1. I never knew how much I could unconditionally love til now
2. I love Bourdeaux’s butt paste…it works wonders
3. I use the crib as a hamper…why? He refuses to sleep in it
4. I don’t mind handling baby poop
5. I refer to myself as the “Milk Lady”
6. I pray constantly for God to help my baby sleep and breathe (I have a crazy paranoia of my baby’s airway)
7. I accidentally got baby poop on Beckett’s forehead…don’t ask how
8. I melt, I mean turn into a pool of giddiness, when Beckett smiles at me
9. I’ve learned to do many daily activities with one hand
10. I’ve cried many days out of frustration of a fussy baby
11. I never understood the word selflessness like I do now
12. I never realized how hard this thing called parenting really was
13. Some days I don’t change out of my pajamas
14. I’m amazed at the ways my husband serves us everyday
15. I’m thinking about hiring someone to clean our house
16. I have dust bunnies running rampant all over the floor (see confession #15)
17. I covet those whose families live nearby
18. I appreciate my parents more than I ever have now that I’m starting to realize what they went through for me
19. I’ve become a master at eliminating yellow poop from baby clothes
20. I’ve learned just the perfect combination to get Beckett to sleep: a rhythmic shush in the ear, a tight hold around the feet and bum, a blanket placed over his head, while doing squats and lunges in the bathroom, with the lights off, and the faucet running.
21. I hate picking out something to wear…material just doesn’t hang the same way anymore, if you know what I’m saying (see confession #13)
22. I miss an uninterrupted dinner, cuddling with my husband on the couch, “me” time, running errands easily, date nights, and SLEEP!
23. I praise God daily for the gift He has given us and treasure every second… even the tough ones.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Big Changes

It's been such a long time since I have blogged and much has changed in our daily lives!  We've gone from living right by the beach, as newlyweds, with almost anything right at our fingertips...restaurants, shopping, beach volleyball, Hollywood, concerts, etc, to moving a a hundred or so miles inland of Manhattan Beach to the Mojave Desert at Edwards Air Force Base.  Garrett changed jobs within the Air Force, moving from working on GPS in LA to working towards his second masters degree in a challenging 1-year program in flight test engineering--Air Force Test Pilot School.  We are far, yes very far, from civilization.  We miss the thrills of city living and the oceanview house, but we are finding some perks of living in the middle of nowhere...like plenty of free parking, having a yard (even though it's mostly gravel), a new house with LOTs of space, no LA traffic (woohoo), living on the same street with lots of fun families, and beautiful desert sunrises-yes, I've witnessed plenty of these lately.

Most importantly, though, our world has been forever changed by the arrival of our sweet baby, Beckett Jack Knowlan  He made his entrance into this world on December 1, 2009.  We are overjoyed by God's amazing blessing!  He blessed us by answering our prayers from day 1 of the pregnancy and we hope to share this story very soon.  We are in love and life will surely never be the same. :)