Thanksgiving Program

Isabelle's class put on a Thanksgiving Program to sing songs, dress up and perform for their families. Many songs were about giving, blessings and turkey. Isabelle's part in in spelling out Happy Thanksgiving was the letter 'H' and she said, "H is for the HUGS we share." Isabelle was very animated and was one of the loudest singers - she belong on stage!

Star of the Week

Isabelle was star of the week in November at school. She got to decorate a poster to hang up in class and share stories about her life to her classmates. She enjoyed picking out the items to decorate her poster and taking the time to make sure everything was perfect.

Bedroom Overhaul

After 8 1/2 years of marriage we're finally movin' up... to a king size mattress. One of the best decisions we've ever made! I enjoyed the transition because we got to pick out all new furniture and and bedding. These types of changes don't sit well with the pocketbook but it was worth every penny!

Barn Yard Halloween

This year Isabelle was Jessie from Toy Story and Mason was a cow.

We attended many Halloween activities this past week...
1- Halloween dance class
2- Halloween Carnival @ St. Vincent's
3- McCarty Halloween Party
4- Breakfast with the Witches @ Gardner Village

And we can't forget the Trick or Treating around the neighborhood and at my office. Isabelle's bag was full in the end... bring on the toothbrush and cavities!

Labor Day Weekend

Isabelle and Missy had a night out on the town, we went to Mary Poppins at the Capital Theatre. The play was so good and we enjoyed all the fun songs they sang. I've had to download all the songs from iTunes so Isabelle can sing them in the car on the way home from school. My favorite is listening to her attempt at "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"

Then on Monday we spent the day up at Snowbird for the annual Oktoberfest celebrations.

This past weekend Brady and I went to Newport Beach, CA and spent 4 wonderful days in perfect weather, eating delicious food, shopping at Fashion Island, playing on the beach, going to the UT vs USC football game and being pampered at the spa. It was a perfect getaway! Sorry, I didn't take my camera :( Thanks to Grandma Becky for watching the rugrats!

A Big Day

August 23rd was Belle's 4th Birthday and the first day of Pre-K! She had such a fun time exploring her new class and meeting new friends. After, Grandma Tracy took her for a manicure and pedicure then to lunch. Then lastly, we had a small party for her that night at our house.

I know every other parent says this about their kids but, I can't believe how fast time flies! For her to be in school and to be celebrating another birthday fills us with so many wonderful emotions.

We love you sweet stuff!

Daddy Daughter Campout

Brady, Isabelle, Casey & Sienna all went out for their first camping trip in August. They caught a wild lizard, made plenty of food and shot rifles... all in the great outdoors! The girls enjoyed sleeping in their tent and going on a hike. Isabelle is such a little daddy's girl that this trip was the perfect opportunity for them to spend some time together.

Balloon Festival

Last weekend Sandy City had their annual Balloon Festival. Isabelle and I woke up early to watch them launch the balloons at the park across the street. We're lucky that we're right next to the park, we got to enjoy the view in our pajamas!

Bear Lake

We attended the annual Beckstead family reunion a few weeks ago at one of our favorite places, Bear Lake. The lake looks awesome after the wet winter we had and the beach was great. Our kids had a good time and it was enjoyable to catch up with our extended family.

Our Cute Kids

Yep, it's time for another post for us to brag about our kids - that's it!

Where Have We Been?

Our summer has been pretty low key and quiet. Here's a recap of the last few months...


JUNE
- Isabelle had her last Nano Nagle school program. They sang some cute songs and half way through she crossed her legs and yelled at me saying she needed to go potty. Needless to say she didn't finish the sing a long.
- Father's Day we made plans to spend the day at Lagoon. That didn't happen because it rained the entire day.
- Brady's 29th birthday was on June 21st. We went to El Matador in Bountiful, which is his favorite Mexican Restaurant. After that we invited our neighbors over for cake and ice cream but when I went to Sweet Tooth Fairy, the bakery I ordered his cake from, to pick it up, they lost our order. No cake :( They gave us cupcakes to suffice but it wasn't the same and Brady did not enjoy them. 
- We had a BBQ with the McCarty's. We hadn't seen them in ages and our kids had a blast playing together. We need to do it more often!
- The last week of June Isabelle had Rock Star Camp at her dance studio, AED. Each day was a different theme, fairy day, princess day, etc. She had a blast and wished it would have lasted longer!


JULY
- Brady's mom came down the weekend of the forth to spend some time with us and to plant flowers in our pots. We attempted this once already back in May but we bought the wrong kind of flowers and they were dead within a few weeks. We went to Glover Nursery for her to pick out the right flowers. I'm happy to report they are still alive and lookin' great!
- We did a bunch of fireworks with our neighbors, Isabelle had a blast and Mason wasn't bothered by them at all.
- Isabelle started swimming lessons. She cried the entire time the first two weeks but is doing much better with them now. She's not afraid to go under water and enjoys the water more and more each week!
- Mason's 6 month stats: 18 pounds even, 28 1/2 inches

And that's about it. Very few pictures have been taken the past few months and we've been pretty much sticking to our every day routine. However, August through the end of the year are looking more exciting! (Can you believe only 4 1/2 months until Christmas? Where did this year go?)

Rockin' In the USA

Isabelle's spring recital was last weekend, the last one for this dance season. They did a great job and it turned out really cute. She had more girls to dance with this time around (for the Christmas performance it was only her and one other girl). They danced to Rockin' In the USA.

Dance classes end this week and start up again in August.

4 Month Stats

Weight: 15.41 lbs. - 62%

Height: 27.25 in. - 98%

Here's some sweet pics of our little Mace at his 3 month mark...

The Last Few Weeks

We had an enjoyable Easter with our families. Isabelle had fun decorating the eggs with her cousin. And we made the mistake of telling her at the beginning of April that the Easter Bunny was coming soon. So for 4 weeks we had to listen to her daily asking where the Bunny was, who he is, where he comes from and if he's going to make it to our house safely.

The week before Easter we had to take Mason to the doctor, his temperature was 103.5! They put him through the ringer doing a bunch of tests to make sure it was nothing serious. In a mere 3 hours he faced: a catheter, chest x-ray, being pricked by needles numerous times to find a good vein for some blood work, an antibiotic shot, and a machine that sucks mucus out of your nose. We got to the hospital around 8:30 and by midnight we were sent home with Tylenol. Turns out he had Adenoviris. Luckily he was a real trooper and battled through it all like a real champ!

My cousin Marissa got married last weekend. She was such a gorgeous bride and looked so amazing in her dress that I got a bit teary-eyed when I first saw her. I can't believe she's old enough to be married! I'm so happy for her. Isabelle was ecstatic to see someone in a wedding dress as this is her most recent obsession. She tells me her prince charmings are: Mason, Daddy and Ki.

Speaking of marriage, our 8th anniversary was on April 29th, the same day as the "Royal Wedding." The funny thing is Prince William also shares Brady's birthday. Anyway, 8 glorious years with the love of my life, my best friend - life couldn't be any sweeter. We have an amazing relationship and an incredible little family that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Bring on the warm weather please Mother Earth!