More birthday fun

So, I never put all of the fun party pictures...so here goes!

On Monday, I went to Reese's school and we had a little party for her...with a big Cookie cake at her request! She was hilarious...she was so excited the whole time.

Reese's birthday cake for her gymnastics party

Hadley was so excited to be part of the party...here Reese and Hadley sliding down the ramp together! It melts my heart when they are so sweet with each other.

The birthday gymnast herself

Hadley's first time on the balance beam...she asks to do gymnastics all the time now

The pro

All the party people

On to Brynlee's party...the huge cupcake cake...I made it...it turned out cute...no Martha Stewart but it was cute!

Some treats for Brynlee's party...popcorn with melted white chocolate and m&m's in it! This stuff is soo good...we actually used this for the girl's valentines and just made a tag that said "Hey Valentine, what's Popping?"

Bebe and the birthday girl

Her first taste of sugar...yes I broke down this year...she actually did have sugar...the other two had "healthy cakes made without sugar, made with honey" but not this girl...and once the first bite went in...

There was no going back...I should have timed it but I am pretty sure the little cupcake was gone in under 10 seconds!

The cutest little redheads on the block

Daddy, Mommy and Bryn

My faithful birthday gals...Aunt B and Aunt Memi come to every birthday party of our girls to celebrate and love on them! It means the world to me...love you gals!

Our baby is 5

Today seriously was a day that I felt like was so far away...until it came! Today we celebrated Reese's 5th birthday! Like always...she has changed a lot in just a year.

We started the day like this...I hung balloons and streamers on the outside of her door so that when she woke up she could coming running through them. She loved it and I wish I had gotten a picture of her coming out! Jason made pancakes for everyone for breakfast (he normally does this on Saturdays when he is in town...it is his thing and the girls love it).
I have to preface the rest of the pictures to say that she did this all on her own! Talk about a little actress! I asked her if I could take a picture of her on her birthday...and then she asked if I would take some more of her doing her "faces"...I could not say no...and I could hardly keep from laughing! I came to school today and we had a little birthday party for her...she was so excited...she was dancing around the room and singing! When I dropped her off at school...she jumped out of the car and gave the carpool teachers high fives smiling and saying "I'm five today"! I mean today was an exciting day!
Reese has grown up so much over the last year! She has taken her role of big sister full on...she loves to tell her sisters what to do for sure...don't we all! She does take such good care of them and she loves on Hadley and Brynlee so much. The cutest thing is when she and Hadley go to school together on Tuesday and Thursdays...Reese gets out of the car in the carpool line...she takes her and Hadley's bags and then she holds Hadley's hand and takes her to her class! IT melts me!

Reese has officially lost 3 of her bottom teeth and 2 of them are starting to come in. She is doing a great job learning to write her name and all of her letters! She and I are "trying" to spend a little time each day working on writing and reading...but I will say it is hard! She still does ballet and loves it...she is actually very agile and graceful...and then on the other hand she can run like a wild Indian!

Ok..tell me you would not crack up taking this picture! She has soooo much personality! Reese is full of life and has tons of energy....she wears me out, but on the same hand she is full of compassion and has such a tender heart. She and I were on the couch last night and I was telling her about Febraury 13th, 2007...the whole story of how she was born and then how excited Jason and I were.
In the process of telling that story...of course I started crying...and so did she! IT was just one of those moments...I was telling her how grateful her daddy and I were to be her parents and to have been blessed with such an amazing daughter! She started wiping the tears from my eyes and she told me "mommy I just want you to know that I love you so much"!
It is moments like those that make me excited about all the years to come...even though it is hard for me to grasp that she is already 5 years old I am so looking forward to every moment with this girl...the good and the bad...thank you Lord! We had Reese's birthday party over the weekend...pictures to come...but we did a family dinner tonight! She got to pick the meal and she wanted pizza and cupcakes! We had a great time and I am just so blessed that God has given our family the gift of Reese Kathryn Beckner!

Baby Bryn is ONE!

One year ago today...ok technically I missed today by a few minutes since it is past midnight...but on February 10, 2010 Little Miss Brynlee Noel Beckner entered this world...and wow times flies!

Brynlee in her daddy's arms 2/10/11

This peanut was sooo tiny...just 6lbs...wow has she grown!

We have not had her 1 year check up...but we were at the doc on Wednesday because she has a little cold and she weighs 18lbs 8 oz! She is growing like a weed...and just like her sisters she is getting longer and longer! Brynlee still has soo much hair...I love it! She has 8 teeth and she eats EVERYTHING! I am serious none of my children have problems with eating!

Brynlee is still such sunshine in our house! She laughs all the time and gives us that toothy grin. She crawls like a crazy lady and so badly wants to stand and walk. She will walk if you are holding her hands but not by herself. She loves to babble and try to say what you are saying!

I put the girls in the car the other morning and went back into the house to get our stuff...when I came back out Hadley announced that Brynlee had said "broccoli" I had to laugh..while she loves to talk we are for sure not saying broccoli yet! Bryn loves to dance and anytime there is music she sits down and swings her arms back and forth. Her sisters and still her favorite entertainment and she will shove you right out of the way if you are blocking her view of seeing them.

Following suit with Reese and Hadley she too is a little princess and we love all of her! Happy Birthday to our Sweet Bryn!

A Toothless Date

Well, the Tooth fairy came to the Beckner house once again for Reese! I know, I can't believe that she is already missing two teeth! She did get her teeth early...but she is not even 5 yet! Needless to say she was excited for the Tooth fairy to visit...and lucky for her...the Tooth fairy is good at the Beckner house! :)

On to the Date! Reese and Jason had a date last night. They went to a father daughter dinner that was sponsored by the Ballet school that Reese attends. They looked so good...Reese was just beautiful and Daddy was a handsome as always.

A little dance practice before the big night.

Reese was sooo excited...she was ready to go about and hour before it was time. Jason said it was a great night. They had dinner together...then they watch the Ballet school Ballerinas perform a few numbers and then the best part...the Father/Daughter dancing. They played 5 different songs that they danced to. "My Girl" was Reese's favorite! She was in heaven and I am so glad they got to do that.

Don't worry about the rest of us at home...we had a great time too! I baked some brownies so that no one would feel left out...I am pretty sure that Hadley was good with that! I did get her all dressed up and she and I had a fancy dance as well! (after the brownies were cleaned off)

Little Miss Bryn had a great night of course...she did not get brownies but she did get a favorite...Avocado! All in all...it was a good night for the Beckner clan!

Hadleyisms

She is funny, really funny, so for a little humor for you all I have a few recent Hadleyisms!

1) Hadley calls her dress up shoes her "steppy steps"

2) When she is carrying a lot of stuff...she says "mommy I have too much baggage"! I swear she made that up on her own!

Classic Hadley...wearing someone else shoes and trying to keep it a secret.

3)When I am trying to get Bryn to do sign language, Hadley says, "mommy, she doesn't talk"...every time!

4) She calls lolly pops "wolly pops"

5) When she has to go to timeout, she says, "you are not being berry nice to me".

While Hadley and I were playing she loaded up the barbie car and told me...look they are going on a date night. Apparently, she is still not ok with the fact that Jason and I don't take her with us on date nights!

6) When I am telling her something she does not want to do she says, "I can not understand what you are saying"! Seriously, she does!

7) She calls her toy antelope a "cantaloupe".

8) My favorite...she calls shorts her "short pants".

She came into the kitchen like this and I said...oh my little Hadley ghost! She said, "no mommy, I am Mary and this is baby Jesus."

ELEVEN...only one month away

Bryn is 11 months old! Don't you just want to pick her up and squeeze her!

Bryn is still the sweetest little thing! She really is smiling almost all of the time! Bryn has 6 teeth now...3 on top...3 on the bottom...and she has a lot of hair! At least in our family at this stage she has tons of hair! Bryn loves to "dance" when any music comes on just like her sisters! She loves to clap...and gets a huge grin on her face when she claps (like in the above picture).

Bryn loves being with her sisters and she lights up when they come in the room. She loves to babble and she still LOVES to say "dada" we have had a few "mamas" recently but "dada" and "dog" and "hi" are the favorites! While we have been working on sign language like I did with the other girls for eating...Bryn will pretty much have nothing to do with it. Instead of signing or "saying" more or please when she is eating...she growls at me! It makes me laugh...and then she laughs! Speaking of eating...following her sisters she LOVES to eat...anything (except fish of course).
I had to include this picture...since Reese took it with my phone and I think she did a pretty good job! Bryn is such a joy for our family and she is moving all around! I don't think she will be walking too soon...but she loves to crawl and she will stand and hold on to things! What is really funny is that Reese and Hadley get down on the floor and crawl with Bryn!

Mother of the Year...2012

Just in case any of you were going to vote for me as

Mother of the Year for this spanking new 2012....

DON'T!

Why you ask? This is why...this dinner. I was so proud to actually cook black eyed peas for the Beckner family for New Years Day! Some really great Talapia that I cooked, spinach, rolls, black eyed peas....a yummy meal!

Yes, a yummy meal unless it does this to you!

So, apparently Brynlee is allergic to fish! I feel like a horrible mother! Truth be told...NO ONE in our family has a fish or any other "high risk" allergy, and she had Talapia about 4 weeks ago! But...literally it was about 60 seconds after she ate the fish that she started coughing and choking

and then had red welts all over her face and her lips were swelling. I freaked out at first...but then once she stopped coughing and began to "talk" I settled a little. I called the doc...while I was waiting to hear from them I called my childhood best friend who used to be a nurse at children's and she said to give Benedryl (which I really just needed someone to tell me because I get nervous about giving meds).

Then I rushed her to the children's emergency room downtown! Seriously...by the time we got there she had been given the Benedryl about 25 min before...but she looked so much worse! They did say that it was good I gave it to her because she would have been even worse! When we walked in...a nurse took one look at her and called another nurse and they immediately took us back! (now I was scared again). Fast forward 3 hours...after Bryn has thrown up a few times, continued to swell and get worse...then we had a Epipen shot! (so not fun...a forceful jab in the thigh and then held in place for 10 seconds). Thankfully it worked amazingly well...like within minutes...and we were able to go home...with our own Epipen and a warning to avoid fish! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Luckily she is back to her sweet self like nothing ever happened...and hopefully we won't need the Epipen! Seriously, I think it may take me awhile longer to get over that!

On a happier note...we had a wonderful New Year's Eve! This is now our "annual tradition" since it is our 3rd year to celebrate at Concina Superior!

This year was even more fun since we celebrated with the Morrows!

How cute are they? Reese and Hadley love some Graham!

This little bit just loved hanging out across the table from Miss Ellie...I wish I had a picture of them looking at each other!

We got to check out the Morrow's new fire pit and roast marshmallows for S'mores! Seriously, the Beckner clan was excited...and the fire pit was amazing! In this picture I am pretty sure that Hadley's marshmallow is in the dirt!

Shelli, Graham, Mike and Ellie...so much fun!

The best party planner ever here, my dear friend Shelli of course had hats for us! I love this girl and we feel truly blessed to be doing life together with the Morrow family!

So, Happy 2012 to all...hopefully your first day of this year was not as eventful as ours!