Family Dinner in Milford

Nancy and Denny came for a visit last weekend. Saturday night we took them to the little town of Milford, MI for dinner and some ice cream.

Josie went for the "superman" ice cream...and I cringed because she was wearing cream pants. Mom fail.

Nolan may have had a few licks of vanilla ice cream. He *MAY* also eat other things that I NEVER would have handed Jack at 8 months old. Pretty sure he's fine.

 It was a gorgeous night and we had a fun time sitting outside.

"Do I have something on my face?"

It was a great time! We had dinner and drinks at Palate. One of our new favorites - because its great for date night and is also family friendly. Hey, Milford - two thumbs up for you!

 Sunday morning - Tyson and Nancy hashed out some lake house details.

And Denny busied himself with coloring...Josie was eager to get her "papa" involved in her art.

Nolan is 8 months

Well - like the MOM OF THE YEAR - that I am...I have missed Nolan's 8 month birthday. So - here it is...a few days {or a week} late.

Nolan is Mr. Personality. He loves people - especially his brother & sister. He is always very happy...unless he's hungry, tired, or if he feels like he's being rejected. He wants to establish his place in our family and would prefer if he could have a permanent place on my hip.

Here is a little clip of our Noley. He's well loved...and well fed.

A Visit to the RenCen

Last Tuesday the kids and I visited Tyson at work. We always have a fun time when we go for a visit. Josie and Jack were most impressed with the Palm Trees that live in the Winter Garden there. Josie was hugging them - in true Tree Hugger fashion.

We tested out some cars. All of them got HIGH ratings from the kids. They were both BIG fans of the Lime Green Chevy Spark...and - when I pointed at a beautiful blue Corvette and asked Jack which one he would want...he chose the Spark. Fine. But I have a feeling he'll be changing his tune over the next few years. {Also, for the record, NO BECKER CHILD - in this family - will ever drive a Corvette on their parents' dime}

 After the car testing - we enjoyed lunch in the food court. Big stuff for the kids!

 Then we jumped on the elevator and went to meet Tyson's "work friends" (as Jack calls them). Josie worked on some Excel Spreadsheets...

 And Jack caught up on some light reading...as some barges passed on the Detroit River.

 Nolan was just happy to be along for the ride {literally}.

Little tidbit - I have never been to Canada. And every time I'm downtown Detroit I think "I'm just going to grab my passport and drive over there." But I still haven't done it.

Sleep Training

Excuse the absence. We've been undergoing some "changes" around here lately - starting with sleeping habits. Nolan - has been unofficially kicked out of our bed and into his crib. He thinks this is a terrible idea and disapproves from 7:30-9:30pm...and at other points in the night. Usually by 3am I'm done fighting it and just cave...because he's the third child and those are the rules (RULE: parents cave for the 3rd child).

In other amazing sleep news - Josie has started this really awesome "phase" where she wakes up screaming because she's "afraid of the dark time." These are difficult times. Coffee is good.

Nolan and Evie

This is Nolan's girlfriend, Evelyn. She's a couple weeks younger than him. They meet on Wednesdays for playgroup.

This week Evie had a secret for Nolan, she learned how to crawl. I saw them whispering and I think I heard him say, "teach me what you know." I immediately picked him up and moved him away...because we can't have that. Too soon. Not ready. {Me, not him}

Front Yard Shenanigans

We've been spending a lot of time outside! Finally.

It might be baseball season...because this kid is geared up and ready! Baseball season starts on Sunday. FACT: Tyson is MOST excited.

My kids fight. It's exhausting. So I gave them both pool noodles and said HAVE AT IT. And they did. Don't be fooled by Josie's sweet little voice. That chick can pack a punch. She's feisty. And I love it {most of the time}.

Nolan is happy just watching...for now. He's taking notes and will surely be part of ALL the action soon enough.

Vitamin Z

We made our way through the Detroit Zoo for the first time this year! It was Nolan's first out-of-belly trip...and he was a fan.

We met up with my friend, Erin, and her baby girl, Clara. It was Clara's first trip, too. The zoo made her sleepy.

This is us feeling sorry for the polar bears because - duh - they prefer our hella cold winters.

Saying HI to the mama giraffe and her baby - who is one month YOUNGER than Nolan. He's a big dude.

Obligatory Rhino pic for Josie's Papa Denny. One of them was scratching his belly on a rock.

And because they were all good - we got to ride the carousel before we left. Ironically, this was a fit-free trip to the zoo. Give us a year or two and Nolan will be primed and ready.  

Spring is in the Air...

And there's a TOOTH in Nolan's mouth! (can't see it in the picture) He's been a happier boy since he's been on the mend and since that tooth popped through. #only19more

Crazy SB 2015

We have had a WILD and CRAZY spring break this past week. I don't want to make anyone jealous...but we had a picnic on a sleeping bag. That's right, PBJs for everyone.

One afternoon - all THREE children napped at nap time. It was a unicorn. It will NEVER happen again until they're all in High School/College and by then - I'll be bustin' down door and pullin' up blinds.

We also had fevers. <---PLURAL. As in EVERY child had a fever at some point in the week. Poor Nolan was the worst off. He was running a high temp for a few days. He went to see the doctor on Friday and was diagnosed with {pre}pneumonia (as in, it's coming?!?!) He's on a steroid for his lungs and some antibiotics. I was really hoping to avoid meds...but I think it's better to avoid the NICU. 

I'm sure everyone will be super jealous of our crazy week. We totally lived it up. Don't try to replicate this WILD week. :)

Blast from the Past: Famous Ex Student

A few nights ago I saw a Facebook post about an Indianapolis kid who got into all 8 Ivy League schools AND scored a perfect score on his SAT. And when I looked at him I thought "he looks so familiar." Then I saw his name. Turns out - I had him as a 4th grader in my Student Teaching placement at Nora! He was shy and quiet - but he was learning English and I remember how worried/proud his mom was of him during conferences (which were conducted in Bulgarian). 

Somewhere - in my house - I have my 4 inch thick portfolio from my Masters...and in it, is surely a picture of Stefan...maybe even some of his work. Someday I'll be motivated to go through my storage area to find it...but "someday" is NOT today, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

HERE is a link to the article in the Daily Mail. And HERE is the article in the Indy Star.

Baseball is Back

Baseball season is back and that makes everyone in this house happy. Jack will be playing this year...the first of many baseball seasons ahead for us. Go TIGERS!

Egg Hunters

Sunday afternoon the kids went on a hunt for some eggs. The Easter Bunny made sure to clean up dog poop first...

If you want to see a hilarious egg hunt, put your 3 year old daughter in boots that are a bit too big. Then watch her run and fall all over the yard. (Josie was not hurt during the hunt)

 Nolan spots an EGG...if only he could tell Dad where to get it.

We had a fun time and the weather was perfect. Next year we will have 3 little egg hunters. That's just crazy.

The Beckers take Chicago

Last Thursday-Saturday we spent some time in Chicago with Nancy & Denny. It was a really fun time! We had a place {a very nice 3 bedroom place} in Wrigleyville and it was amazing. Plenty of room for all of us!

Jack sent this picture to his Grandpa Jerry - a lifelong Cubs fan and believer in the "there's always next year" phrase.

 We took the train downtown. Jack thought it was too loud - but enjoyed the actual ride.

Grandma Nancy took Josie to the American Girl Store...and sadly (for Grandma) it wasn't love. Maybe she isn't as girlie as we think.

Oh wait...the Disney Store brought a Stormtrooper costume AND a princess dress. I retract my previous comment.

We ate dinner at a Chicago favorite - Twin Anchors. It's family friendly and has some AMAZING ribs. I don't even like ribs...and I think they're amazing.

Friday morning we visited the Shedd Aquarium. You can tell by my amazing hair that the WINDY City was living up to it's name.

Jack and Josie had a great time exploring the aquarium. We saw the dolphin show, played in a pretend submarine, and watched a 4D movie about Sea Monsters.

After the aquarium, we headed out to Elmhurst to meet up with my good friend and sorority sister, Kelly. Her son, Zach, is a few months younger than Nolan.  We gave the Stetlers a little slice of life with 3 kids...plus added in some SERIOUSLY tired kids and a side of witching hour. I pray they want more after our visit...

Saturday morning we ate breakfast and packed up...then headed over a few blocks to Stage 773. They do an improv performance on Saturdays for kids and it's pretty great. The kids help make the set and then participate in the show.

Above you can see Jack doing some pirouettes during the "ballet" scene. We all had a fun time, even Nolan!

After the show, we jumped in the car and made our way back to Michigan. Everyone was EXHAUSTED, but we made some great memories.

Tyson and I also listened to the entire series of Serial (recommended by our friends Sarah and Blake) - highly recommend it!