Desperate Measures

The other day I REALLY needed to get my grocery list done.

But, I had a REALLY needy 1 year old.

So, I made a REALLY brave choice.

Everyone knows yogurt is REALLY fun to play in.

Plus its REALLY good to eat and...

...makes for one REALLY happy toddler.

And, the grocery list got done. 

So there was also one REALLY happy mom.

Dinosaur Hunt

Tayden loves to go on dinosaur hunts. He knows exactly what to do. First, you have to pick the perfect hunting partner. Luckily, we know just the guy.

Then, you have to get all the right equipment. Namely, the dinosaur caller, the dinosaur sensor and the dinosaur looker.

Oh, and don't forget to make sure it's working.

Then, you creep around the house ever so quietly. With your Buzz Lightyear laser ready of course.

And sometimes you have to remind people to hush.

Especially that cute baby that loves to sit in the newly discovered dog bed--after he's bathed. And after mom has put it back in the storage room 15 times.

Back to the hunt. Soon you'll find the biggest T-Rex ever and shoot it with your laser.

And here's the most important part-- you have run and jump on it.

Grab it and tie it up.

After you have jumped on it, its basically game over for the dinosaur.

Not for Tayden (or dad) though, then you get to go look for another one. And another one. And another one.

Makes for one super fun night!

Love Sick

Valentines Day was less than eventful this year. Mainly, because our home is still full of sick. Luckily, Tayden is finally on the mend. He got a good night sleep last night without hacking his head off and was in much better spirits today. Beckett on the hand isn't quite better yet. He got sick 2 days after T, so I'm hoping he'll be getting better soon also. It hit me like a ton of bricks, yesterday. I tried so hard to fight it as long as long as I could, but it finally caught up to me. I hope my kids weren't feeling this awful--its no wonder we had such a rough week. 

Despite being sick, I tried to do Valentines with Tayden. We had bought them last week with the intentions of doing them and handing them out today. Our plans didn't quite work out, so I got them out today. Turned out pretty lame. I couldn't sit up at the table long enough to help Tayden and he didn't understand the concept on his own. 

So, instead I snapped a few pictures of our valentines spent in Pajammies.

 Poor sad eyes begging for more pedi-light. 

I caught a few happy minutes of Beckett. I sure love this little smile.

And, a quick word about my husband. He is one in a million. All day he took care of me, helped with the kids, cleaned the house, cooked dinner and never ever complained. That is where you find true love. In the trudges of the unglamorous. He loves me. And I am so lucky for it! 

Here's to getting better.

Sickies

These best friends are sick. Fever, green snotty noses and the worst cough ever. Poor Tayden keeps asking for medicine to make him feel better. He is a constant basket case. In his prayers tonight, he asked Heavenly Father to make him better. Sweetest thing. Beckett is taking it like a champ. He is acting more annoyed then anything. I don't think he understands the snot all over his face or the relentless hacking. 

This mama is sick of sick kids. I hate to see my children suffer. It's the worst.

So, don't count on any new updates until the sickies have left this house.

Which hopefully will be sooner than later.

  

Stats

We took the boys to the doctor yesterday for wellness checkups. The fact that we get to double on doctor appointments is a definite bonus to having back to back birthdays.

At 3 years old Tayden weights 31 lbs 3 oz and is 38 1/2 inches tall. Translation: Tall and Skinny! He is healthy and right on track.

At 1 year old Beckett is 24.3 lbs and is 30 1/4 inches tall. Translation: Big boy! He is healthy too and right where he needs to be. 

I love these boys! I am so blessed to have them in my life. Just wish they would quit getting bigger!!!

Who Doesn't Love...

...a little brotherly love?

 Its really the sweetest thing.

 It makes my heart melt.

And makes everything in the world right. 

Beckett's Birthday!

My baby..scratch that...my toddler turned one today! I can't believe how fast this year has gone. Beckett brings us so much joy and happiness. We are so blessed to have him in our family. We kept the day pretty low key. We enjoyed a nice a run to the park, played with some friends for a while and then hung out at home for a family birthday party. Beckett, obviously, had no idea it was his birthday--but Tayden sure had fun singing Happy Birthday to baby brother ALL. DAY. LONG.

I had this cute birthday outfit for picked out for him all week long. I didn't let him wear it all day in fear it would get dirty before pictures. I had an exact idea how the evening was going to play out and when we would change him into the outfit--blah blah blah. It didn't pan out. Instead, we had dinner and got Beckett good and dirty with spaghetti sauce. Then, Scott decided to just do the cupcake while we had a mess anyway. Then, I decided he was in a major need of a bath. After bath we opted for jammies instead of having to wrestle him into a cute little outfit just for the sake of pictures. Whew--with that said, he's clothes ended up being a little grungy. Oh well. It is what is it, right?

Beckett LOVED his birthday cake. Which is really no surprise to anyone. This boy can eat.

Tayden was screaming for some camera attention, too.

B loved his cupcake...alot. He was full of cheesy grins when we asked if he like it.

Presents were opened after bath. Tayden loved taking the gifts to brother and 'helping' him open them. He got spoiled from his grandparents, that's for sure.

We love Beckett so much. I am constantly in awe of this little boy. He brightens my day, and as my mom said, makes this world  better place.

At 1 year Beckett Sean:

-Is so happy, most of the time. He is normally very smiley and easy going. He lights up a room with those big blue eyes and can turn a horrible day upside down with that contagious smile.

-When he isn't happy he can throw quite the fit. He whines and cries and knows just how to get his way. Luckily, we don't see that side all to often. (Although my husband may not agree.)

-Is walking all the time and is working on running.

-Picks on Tayden. He likes to take toys away from him on purpose and run. He can be a little sneaky stinker at times.

-Can say BITE, DA-DA and makes a Buzz Lightyear laser noise.

-Loves to play with the big boys. Everytime Scott and Tayden are running around, Beckett joins in. He just kind of wanders and laughs, but its the cutest thing.

-Goes to bed all by himself. Completely unassisted. A nice change from the eldest.

-Points. I love this. He either will make a noise asking what it is or talk up a major jibberish storm about it.

-Climbs on everything. Is into everything. And keeps me on my toes all day.

-Loves to carry around a plastic golf club and hammer. If he has something in his hands, he's content.

-Goes up and down stairs.

-The only time he crawls is to try to sneak under us to get to the fridge.

-Peaks around stuff. Like the table leg, his crib, the corner or the couch. 

-Plays cars on the tile or any other surface where the wheels will turn. 

-Loves to be outside. His favorite is the park. He goes up the stairs and down the slide over and over and over.

-Had bright red hair and big blue eyes.

We love this little boy more than words can say. I'm thankful for his sweet spirit and all the joy he carries with him.

Happy Birthday, Crocodile. We love you.

Childrens Museum

Scott and I took the boys to Lieds Childrens Museum today. We had LivingSocial coupon, so the whole trip was whopping $8.50. Which is a good thing, because I was a little less than impressed with the experience. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but I was expecting a little bit more. I was hoping it would be like the Discovery Museum in Dallas. Also, Tayden was a little young for a lot of the exhibits--and Beckett wasn't exactly patient while we attempted to read and teach Tayden about all of them. 

 Tayden standing tall at 36 inches. Give or take.

 Scott was a little too tall.

 Notice Becketts fat lip? He's had a rough week. He had run in with a chair that resulted in a bloody nose and nearly black eye. He stumbled down the stairs. And he tripped leaving his fat lip. I need to invest in some bubble wrap something.

 Almost bubbled!

We loved the pull your own weight. I got up. Scott didn't. Haha.

The hurricane tunnel was pretty fun too. Tayden enjoyed it. Lots. So did my hair!

Regardless of the little let downs-- we had a good time. It was super fun spending time as a family and getting out and exploring the great town of Las Vegas. 

Monday Morning Hike

Mondays are a great day at the Packard house. Its Scotts last day of his 3 day weekend. We had planned on going to the childrens museum, but turns out they were closed. The weather is beautiful here, so we decided to get out and get moving.There is a hill(ish) mountain, with some fun hiking trails about 5 minutes from our house. We loaded up the kids and went off to, in the words of Tayden, climb a mountain.

 Funny story about this shirt. He calls it his reindeer shirt, because you wear camouflage when you go hunting to shoot deer. I was explaining to him its called camo and he looked at me said, "No mom! Its not a camel shirt! Its for deer!". haha

 Loved walking the dog.

 Such a beautiful view of the strip in the background. We only made it half way, the stroller wasn't exactly hiking material!

At the base of the mountain was a fun park. It was huge and Tayden had a blast!

 See the little girl at the bottom? She and Tayden got married in the stagecoach earlier that day.

It was a fantastic morning! Followed by a nice long family nap. Dinner at Red Robin, that was comped by the manager due to wait time for our food. And finished up with Neilsons frozen yogurt.

Great start to hopefully a great week!