Egg Hunts Are Fun

Another Easter and another fun Easter egg hunt! I can't remember where Andrea and Beckett were for this egg hunt held at our church.

Nothin' Like Bath Time!

Mackay and Beckett love taking baths together. Often times Mackay will fight taking a bath, but once he sees that Beckett is going to take one he is usually excited to join in the fun. After they are both in the water and the bath starts to fill up, Mackay will splash with his hands getting the water in both of their faces and Becket and he will laugh and laugh. One thing I have realized watching Beckett is that you definitely have to be tough to be the younger brother. Mackay does all kinds of things to him (usually not trying to be mean)--like crawling over him or hugging him super tight or tickling him on his face--and Beckett usually takes it in stride, closing his eyes when necessary, but rarely crying. In fact, most of the time he just laughs. As a parent, it is fun to see your two sons bonding at such a young age.

After they are done bathing, we wrap them in towels and change them while they lie on Mackay's bed together. Sometimes Beckett will cry (usually when he is extra tired), but once we put Mackay on the bed next to him, he will smile and laugh as they share smiles. Ahh the memories...some day I will probably look back on these days as the "good old days"! Thanks for making it fun boys!

Playing at the Park

We're glad that spring is finally here so the boys (and we) can enjoy playing outside at the park. As you can see, they both enjoy the swings.

And as you can see, Beckett is one "chunky monkey," as Andrea loves to call him. I think he is currently something like 24 pounds (at seven months mind you!). If this trend continues, Mackay and Beckett should be one dangerous duo when they go to school.

That said, Mackay has yet to exhibit any "fighter" tendencies. If you ask me, he is more of a lover than a fighter. Takes after his pop no doubt! :)

Grandma Visits

Grandma (my mom) stopped by for a quick visit and was able to bond with the boys. We are certainly glad that our boys know their grandparents (well, at least Mackay does, but we suspect that Beckett knows more than he lets on to!). It was a pretty laid back trip, but enjoyable nonetheless. Grandma watched the boys while we painted our bedroom again--this time from blue to "celery."

We always love having family and friends visit...if only we had a guest room!

Mackay Nursing...

...his monkey! Yes, Mackay isn't nursing from his mommy anymore (after all he'll be three in May), but he does nurse his monkey from time to time. It appears that he has been watching the way his mom nurses Beckett: note the boppy (spelling?) and the shirt raised high enough to enable the monkey to nurse without flashing anyone. :) Enough to make any father proud! Mackay, you are gonna laugh someday when we show you these...

Mackay and Beckett Enjoy the Snow

Winter finally hit in February and the boys got to enjoy some snow. I think this was probably Beckett's first real snow.

Now I just need to take them both sledding. Good times...

And on a side note, a special thanks to those of you who kindly reminded me that I need to get off my duff and post some more entries. (Of course I will back date these so it will at least look like I have been on the ball!)

Beckett is Getting Big

Beckett is sure getting big...and cuter by the day! Thought I would share a few recent pictures of him...

Tired Mackay

These pictures Andrea took of Mackay are just too funny not to post! Mackay was so tired one afternoon that he fell asleep in this position! If only he would take a nap more often, maybe this wouldn't happen....

This skill (sleeping while you are sitting up) should come in handy later in life. I personally perfected in during early-morning seminary (i.e. 5:50 a.m.) when I was in high school! Looks like Mackay should be a pro by then...

His late great-grandpa, big "Mac," was a pro at it when he watched TV!

Christmas on the Ranch

We had a great time with Andrea's family this Christmas. Mackay and Beckett loved getting to know their cousins better (Cory and Rachelle you sure have some cute kids!)...and their aunts and uncles better too, of course!

Mackay especially liked going out to his grandma and grandpa's ranch--aka the "property"--in the country. He got to feed the fish, jump on the trampoline, and even go off-roading--both on the adult off-road toys and on a kid one grandpa bought for the kids to play with. It took Mackay a little getting used to, but before long he was riding that little thing all over the place. We just tried to make sure he didn't hit any trees. It was a great time!

Mackay loves chocolate (notice what he is holding)!

Beckett was just chillin'...an easy-going kid.

His own car...Flinstone style!

It took him a little getting used to it, but once he did, he loved it.

Of course, it's hard to compete with the Ranger!

Andrea's Christmas Newsletter

I thought at least some of you might like seeing the Christmas letter Andrea wrote. Nice job, as usual, Andrea! And thanks for making me sound like such a good guy (I will pay you later!).

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This year flew by like a flash! On August 11th we welcomed a new baby to the mix when Beckett Jamison came into the world. I was determined that if this child had to be coaxed out (induced) he would be born on the date of my choosing (eleven being my favorite number)…and with his expedited arrival, courtesy of an emergency c-section, we were all very happy to meet a healthy baby. Mackay took to him right away and now the biggest problem is keeping him from smothering Beckett when he lies on top of him to give him hugs. Beckett is such a sweet and mild-mannered baby. His little personality is developing and he is starting to smile and giggle a lot. He is an expert spitter-upper and is good at hitting the target—any clean shirt or surface. Beckett’s favorite activities are watching his cool big brother play and looking at leaves on the trees outside.

Mackay is quite the big boy now. He is talking and SINGING up a storm. It seems like he is saying something new every day. Some of my favorites include, “wonderful,” “it disappeared,” “I love this,” and “cool mommy/daddy.” He loves to sing and is usually be happy to perform for any willing audience. His latest favorite songs include “I am a Child of God” and anything from The Sound of Music. Mackay loves anything that moves and has asked Santa to bring him a car. Mackay is enjoying preschool a couple days a week and is learning lots of new things…but when you ask him what he learned at preschool, he says, “cars” (they have play time and he always scouts out all the cool cars).

Marc continues to the world’s best daddy to Mackay and Beckett. He is the wrestler and “horsy” of choice and the greatest book reader. When he is not being an attentive father, Marc finds the occasional moment to work on his new hobby—this blog. Aside from that, he is excelling in his job and enjoys teaching the young men at church.

Life as the mommy of two big boys is definitely fast and furious. We have lots of fun going to the park, zoo, and library and are always looking for new places to explore around the city. At the end of most days, I look around and realize I didn’t accomplish much of anything tangible; but Marc is a huge help and picks up all the slack and even enables me to get in a sporadic workout.

We have been very blessed in 2006 and are thankful for a generous and loving Heavenly Father. We hope your 2007 is rich with love and happiness. We wish you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!