Boys Will Be Boys!!

I know I say this a lot, but I sure do love my two boys! They are seriously the light of my life. They are growing way too fast! I was called to be a Nursery teacher a month and a half ago, it has been so nice to be able to take Jax to Nursery (yes they let him in a little early)! I was looking at the roll yesterday and they have all the babies that will be coming in this year. I saw both Jaxton and Bennett's names on the roll. Reality hit me so hard that my babies are growing up, I definitely need to cherish each moment with them (good or bad).
Anyhow my boys hit another monthly milestone...

BENNETT is 8 months

I cannot believe how big he is getting. He is definitely becoming busier by the day! He is now a crawling maniac and is super fast. Gary calls him our little stealth, you turn around and he is right there. We now have to constantly watch our step, so that we don't step on him.

At 8 months Bennett...

-Crawls everywhere

-Is starting to pull himself up onto things

-Says mama and dada (he has been saying mama since December and started saying dada the end of January)

-Is FINALLY starting to enjoy eating solids (BUT only on his terms and when he is ready)

-Adores his brother and is constantly laughing at him and following him around

-Constantly has battle wounds from: face planting it, whacking himself with a toy, or scratching himself

-Is now wearing the same size diapers as Jax and is catching up to him on weight.

-Is starting to get possesive of toys and cries when they are taken from him

-Makes it almost impossible to change his diaper or clothes, because he wiggles too much.

-Is constantly moving

You can see several battle wounds on his little face.

Bennett loves bathtime and loves to splash. It is almost like there is a contest on who can splash the most.

This made me laugh so much!! He is constantly exploring and finding new things. It was so cute he just sat there and kicked his little feet.

JAXTON is 17 months

It is crazy that Jax is already 17 months. He is growing so much and his strong will and personality are really starting to come out. He is a very stubborn and independent child and this is coming out more and more each day. He loves to be praised and beams when he is told that he is a good boy.

At 17 months Jax...

-Gives the best loves and kisses (he say MMMMaaaww and everything)

-Is sleeping in a big boy bed

-Explores and gets into trouble constantly

-Is becoming quite the picky eater (It is so funny to me he will eat something one day and then will completely refuse it the next. It has become quite the guessing game for me deciding what to make him.)

-No longer walks and just runs everywhere he goes.

-Mimics everything you say and is starting to jabber and talk constantly

-Is very possessive and does not want anyone (well mostly his brother) to have anything

-Loves to be the center of attention

-Loves it when his brother laughs at him and follows him.

-Has become quite the climber

-Loves to dance

This is my computer genius. Well really this is Jax getting into trouble. He loves to get into anything and everything that he is not supposed to. We have all new baby proofing to do now that he can get on and off chairs, and can reach new heights.

He still loves to take baths. Look at that toothy grin! This kids smile melts my heart



Seriously I love bathtime too. It is so funny to watch them splash, play and laugh.

Sometimes our house really feels and looks like the zoo! Look at those cute little monkeys!

For Valentines Day we got the boys new hooded towels. Bennett is our little fish and Jax is a duck. I love that there is a big smudge on this picture from Jax touching the lens.

Not a lot of ZZZZZZs Around Here!!!

As I am sitting here writing I am wishing I had a few more moments like these. We once again have had a nasty cold come through our house. What a rough couple of nights we have had. Anyhow it has made me appreciate the times the boys are sleeping...

Jax has to be the craziest sleeper I know. It is not uncommon to find his bum sticking up in the air or his feet and legs hanging outside the bars of his crib. Can this seriously be comfortable?

My sweet angel baby!

I love to sneak in to the boy's rooms and watch them sleep. They look so innocent, sweet and angelic. I love these two boys and despite the past sleepless nights I love them and love being their mother. What a joy they have brought into my life! I wouldn't trade being a mom for all the sleep in the world!

My New Crawling Machine

It's official my baby is crawling. We thought for sure he would have been crawling several weeks ago, he has been rocking on his hands and knees since before Christmas. Over time he has gone from rocking to nose diving to army crawling and finally to actual crawling. He has always been so determined to move, I think he is bound and determined to keep up with Jax. He is getting so big! Now comes the serious trouble, keeping up with 2 little guys!

What a Pair!!

With the warm weather yesterday we decided to break out the stroller and take the boys for a walk. It was the first time in this stroller, and we were a little worried about them sitting right next to each other. They did surprisingly well and lasted for about 3 miles. When we got home this is how we found them...

Seriously I love these 2 boys so so much! They are so stinking cute together. I think this is a sign of what is to come, these two are going to be inseperable.


What a cute pair!!!

Cake Decorating

So as many of you know, I am always hanging out with my sister, and I love doing this! Recently Michelle and I decided that we would really like to learn how to decorate cakes. We looked into classes but found that they were super expensive and we decided to learn how to do it on our own. Here is a product of our geniusness and creativity. Not bad if you ask me!! I figure we can only get better. Maybe one day we can go professional!!

The cake is frosted with buttercream frosting, with the ribbons and dots made of fondant.

Sledding and Fun!!

We took Jax and Bennett sledding for the first time. They both loved it. I think their dad loved it even more than they did though. I think Gary has been waiting for a long time for his boys to be old enough to do these sort of things with.

All of my boys getting ready to go down the hill! It took me a long long time to feel comfortable enough to allow my little Bennett to go down with his dad, but his dad was a good convincer.

Bennett loved it!!!

Jax loved the speed! He wanted to go again and again, despite it being freezing! And yes he is wearing purple pants (we borrowed them from my sister, I can't see buying boy snow pants to go play in the snow a couple of times), Jax may get mad at me one day for this, but OH WELL!!

My little bundle! I think he was the warmest out of all of us! I love having beanie hats on him, it makes his cheeks look even chubbier!!

We were FINALLy able to celebrate Christmas with Gary's family. They were waiting for Alex (Gary's brother) to come home from Afghanistan for his leave. It was well worth the wait. Jax loved playing with his cousins! And Bennett loved meeting his uncle for the first time!

Jax and his cousin Wesley! I never knew a box could be so entertaining. It is so fun to see these two play together. It will be so nice having his cousin so close in age.

My cute boys in their stocking hats from their Great-Grandma Bullock! Seriously have you ever seen anything cuter? I love them!!

Happy Birthday Gary!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!! We love you so much and are so grateful to have you! You are a wonderful husband and father! I couldn't ask for anyone better to spend my life with! We love you OLD MAN!!!

Merry Christmas 2010!!

Christmas is by far my favorite holiday! I love all the traditions that are involved. We had a wonderful Christmas and are so sad that it is over already! It was so much fun having two babies to spoil and share our traditions with! We were all spoiled rotten! We couldn't have asked for a better day! (Warning!!! Lots of Pictures coming)

Our Christmas Eve Pajama picture! Amazing we were all looking at the camera and even got our cute puppies in the picture!

Us in our new Christmas pajamas!

Look at that cooperation!!! Jax and Bennett loved opening presents and both did surprisingly well.

That is the face of serious concentration! Bennett caught right on, there was no messing around with this kid! Seriously I think he did better with the present opening than Jax.

Jax and his daddy are ready to hit the hills

Jax loved opening presents! He did pretty good, but was very easily distracted with other toys, presents and tree ornaments. His present opening was a bit longer of a process!

Not only do we have to spoiled boys we also have two very spoiled dogs. I love how Jax is helping them open their presents (seriously like he didn't get enought of his own)!

After opening presents at our house we went to my dads for more presents and a yummy Christmas breakfast.

Jax has very helpful cousins!

Getting so close! I am soon going to have 2 constantly on the move. Bennett does not want to miss out and is ready to keep up with his brother and his cousins.

My sister and her family gave us the best gift. She found a willow tree with a couple and 2 little babies. I love it!

Spoiled Spoiled! Here are some of their favorite presents

Bennett loves his Sing-a-ma-Jig that his grandpa gave him. Really as annoying as this toy is, it is very addicting!

Although his face doesn't show it, Bennett loves his puppy! It is so funny to watch him talk to it when it barks at him!

Jax got a tent with tunnel from his cousin Brayden! He loves it and caught on very quickly on how to go in and out of the tunnel and to hide in it!


Merry Christmas to all!!!

Milestones and Differences!!

15 and 6 Month MilestonesJax is now 15 months and Bennett is 6 months. We had their well baby check ups! I can't believe how differently these 2 boys are physically!!

Jax is my tall and skinny boy!!
Weight: 23 lbs 12 oz (30th %)
Height: 32.5 inches (90th %)
Height to Weight: (15th %)

Head: 47.7 cm (60th %)

At 15 months Jax...
-RUNS RUNS RUNS (especially when he knows someone is chasing him)
-Talks (he says mommy, dada, out, Mya, No No, Go, Ya, Vroom, Hi, Hey, Boo etc.)
-Gets into cupboards constantly (he loves to carry around spatulas, wooden spoons and anything else his mom doesn't want him to)
-Plays hide and seek and Peek-A-Boo (he says boo all of the time)
-Goes up stairs (over and over I might add)
-Laughs and is very Ticklish
-Blows Kisses
-Gives hugs and kisses
-Teases his parents (He gets into and does everything he knows he is not supposed to and he make sure you see him and he smiles as he does it)
-Carries around phones up to his ear
-Plays with his brother

Bennett is my Short and Squishy Baby
Weight: 17 lb 10 oz (55 th %)
Height: 25 3/4 inches (25th %)
Height to Weight (80th %)
Head: 45.5 cm (90th %)

At 6 months Bennett...

-Is getting very close to crawling (I am giving him less than a month), he will get on all 4s and then rocks back and forth.
-Sleeps 12 hours each night
-Smiles and laughs all of the time (he is seriously the happiest baby I know)
-Loves to interact and play with his brother (Jax is always making him smile and laugh)
-Sits up on his own
-Loves his puppies and loves to grab at them
-Hates eating cereal, but still loves loves loves his milk!!
-Hates being by himself and will cry when he sees you walk out of the room.

As completely different as these 2 are, I love every bit of each one!! These boys are my life and world!! I can't imagine a single day without either of them!! I love you two babies so much!!

Christmas Lights at Temple Square

Every year we try and make it downtown to visit Temple Square and see the beautiful and amazing Christmas lights and displays. It is so beautiful and definitely brings the spirit of Christmas. We had a great time.


The Salt Lake temple is so beautiful, the lights around it just make it even more so! I feel so lucky to be surrounded by so many temples.

Our little family! When seeing the temple I can't help but think about how grateful I am that I get to be with my family forever!! I love them so so much!

Bennett loved the lights and the fountains!

I may be just a little biased, but I think I have the cutest little family ever!

Beckstrand Family Christmas Party

Every year we get together with my mom's family and have a Christmas party. This year my family was in charge. I think we were pretty successful. It is always nice to get together with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that you don't see very often. We had a yummy dinner of ham, funeral potatoes, salads, and pies!

For the activity we played minute to win it games, which got a little crazy! Here are some pictures of the big event.

Brayden, my cute nephew actually did really well and was quite the little competetor.

Here are my grandparents with my kids!! I am so grateful that I have them in my life and that my kids have the opportunity to love them as well!!

The Beckstrand family is quite competitive and I think I found the underlying cause!

I have a wonderful extended family! I am so grateful for them!

Bennett's 1st Cereal Feeding

So we broke down and finally decided to give cereal a try. For some reason I have had a hard time wanting to start solids with Bennett. He is a great breatfeeder and is having no issues gaining weight, and I don't want to screw his feedings up. My baby is growing up. I don't know how much he actually got in his tummy, but he seemed to enjoy it. I am afraid I definitely have a Lowry on my hands, he loves his food!!

1st attempt at giving Bennett rice cereal! Not too bad!

2nd attempt. I think he is getting the hang of it. I guess cereal is a keeper!!

This is a face that loves cereal!!

Bennett is already trying to show his independence!! He kept trying to grab the spoon from me. This kid has quite a grip and in turn ended up spilling cereal all over himself and his chair.

HEY!!! WHAT ABOUT ME!!

Jax was feeling left out, so here he is trying to return the attention to himself!

Really who couldn't love a face like that!! What a GOOF!! What a classic face!!