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. 

Tayden Birthday

Another birthday at the Packard house. Tayden turned the big THREE. I can't believe even it. I remember bringing him from the hospital and not having a clue what to do with a baby and now he is a preschooler. It just blows my mind. He day started at 6:30 (way too early for us) yelling, "It's my birthday! Sing Happy  Birthday to me!" His birthday was fun this year because he knew exactly what was going on and what he wanted as far the party went. We had to do his day a little backwards because of Scotts scouts. We opened presents right after breakfast while we were still in our PJ's. It was seriously just like Christmas again for this little boy. He loved it.

 Not the best picture but would you look at that face? He was so excited about his helicopter.

Tayden got BSU pillow-pet and Beckett loved giving it kisses!

Tayden got to play with all his new toys for a little while and then it was off to the birthday party. We were originally going to do it in our backyard, but the wind has been a little chilly lately (I know we have nothing to complain about. If we still lived in Idaho, and outdoor party would be out of question.), so we opted for the church house instead. We had a pizza party and brought balls for all the kids. They just ran around, kicked balls and chased each other. They had a blast! Tayden had fun giving all his friends a ball to take home when the party was over. As we were cleaning he told me, "Mom. Birthday parties are fun!"

This was the only picture I could get of Tayden and two of his best (boy) friends. Sheppard, Caleb and Tayden are in the same nursery and see each other a couple times a week. The little three amigos.

Beckett and his buddy Jackson. Don't mind B's shirt, he had  little too much to drink!

We couldn't get Shep over to take pictures, but Tayden and Caleb were all about the camera. Silly boys.

I wish I had a picture of his cake. I snapped one with my phone, but it decided to stop working-so I stole one from the internet (sorry dev!) It looked just like this, but with green frosting. Tayden picked it out all by himself, so he loved it. 

And I have to say a little something about my LV friends. They are the greatest. Seriously, they are all so amazing. I could not ask for a better support system as I am away from my family. They all pitched in and helped with the party. They are always more than willing to take my kids or help when we need them. They were so welcoming to me and have taken me in as one of their own. I feel part of something great among these moms. I seriously can not say enough good things about this group of ladies. I appreciate and love them so much.

Taydens friends spoiled him rotten. He is so lucky to have so many great friends his age. He loves all of them and talks about them individually on a daily basis.

After the party, we all went home and crashed. Scott had a Pine Wood Derby for scouts tonight, so we went and hung out with him during that. Tayden even got to race his car. He loved it. 

Tayden made me a mommy 3 years ago and I am so grateful for him. I learn from him daily and am amazed by his selfless giving, ingenuity, and free love. He makes me laugh and melts my heart. At 3 years old Tayden:

-Is becoming his own person. He has always had an opinion about things, but now is exercising his independence on a daily basis. Little things like, getting in the car by himself, pulling out his chair, turning on the TV, throwing away his garbage-all remind me how big he is getting.

-Loves Beckett. He is an amazing big brother. He always tries to sooth Beckett with toys or food- and it usually works.

-Is so quick to say thank you. He says thank you over the funniest little things, like when we get his milk, buy him more crackers at the store or help put his shoes on. I love it.

-Is getting better at pronunciation. He is speaking more clearly, but is still hard to understand over the phone. We have to remind him to slow down when he gets excited. Sometimes he mumbles when he's nervous, but overall he's getting much better.

-Thinks things through and problem solves. Its not unusual to see him standing on something with a wooden spoon trying to knock a treat or whatever down.

-Loves all things Toy Story.

-Knows all the words to, "I Love To See The Temple", "I am a Child of God", "Twinkle Twinkle", and "Happy Birthday".

-Loves to read his scriptures.

-Says prayers mostly independently. Tonight, I caught him praying for his candy before he ate it.

-Is still very athletic. He is constantly running, jumping, catching, etc. He has great coordination for his age.

I LOVE this little boy! He is so amazing. He is a handful at times and we have our fair share of time-out days. He can be a challenge with his stubborn little attitude, but we love him all the same. I am so grateful he is my son. 

Happy Birthday, Cowboy! 

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.

Tan Tan

Meet Tanner

Sweetest dog you ever did see. We've had Tan for about 5 years now. As much as we complain about the 'dumb dog' we really do love him. He's getting older and as sad as it is...he's not going to be here forever. So, I would like to write a little bit about him. Especially for my boys. Since I print individual copies for them of the blog. I want them to remember their first childhood pet.

Tanner is a happy little dog. This dog seriously smiles when he is happy and tries to talk to us on a daily basis. He is getting a bit cranky in his old age, but for the most part is very tolerant of the shenanigans the kids put him through. 

He is a yapper. He was always quiet while we lived in apartments, but once we got into a house, I let it get out of control. It made me feel safe because nobody could get near the house without me knowing. I still stand my ground that I don't mind the barking, even more so since Scott works so much. It gets a tad old when the kids are napping, but I don't know that'd I change it.

Tan Man is smart. He catches on to things really quickly. He took a day to potty train. He knows when we're talking about him. If he's done something naughty, he tries to be super lovable until your not mad. He knows how to work the system.

Tanner loves to play. Tayden is at a great age to play with him. They chase each other, play ball and wrestle around. Beckett on the other hand...that's still a different story.

We get so many compliments on him. We've had people ask if he's part fox or a little husky. They always think he's a puppy. He gets more comments when we are out going for a walk then my adorable kids. Okay, not true..but pretty close.

He is my dog. Scott likes him too, but he's mine. He sits with me, follows me around, it ultra protective of me. The whole works. I didn't mean for that to happen, but some where along the lines it did. 

If we let his hair grow out to long he gets naughty and sulky. Once we get it cut--he acts like a whole new dog. We even had our trainer comment on the same thing. 

He broke his leg the second Christmas we had him. Jumped out of my arms and landed in a shoe. Most expensive vet bill I have ever seen. 

It's incredible the amount of unconditional love a dog can give you. He is extremely loyal and loving to our family. I tell Scott all the time I will never get another dog, but in all honestly- we'll probably be dog family for the rest of our lives. 

Tanner is good boy. 

We love him.

Thanks Tan Tan for being the best little dog ever.

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.