Homemade Valentines!!

When I stayed at home with the kids, I had plenty of time to do arts and crafts.  Many many many holidays were spent making homemade gifts.  But because I didn't blog then I don't have a record of all the things we made together.  In an effort to not change anything now that I am a working mom, we made homemade valentines for the kids to give to their classmates.  We started at about 9 am...

First we made Lana's, a butterfly holding a sucker.  I did most of the work, but Lana added the stickers and picked up all the scraps and threw them away.  Such a helper!  Lana's teachers asked that the cards not be addressed to a specific child, as it would be harder for her to hand them out that way, this way she can just put one in each bag...gosh I hope they hold up...she might get upset if they all start falling apart on her.

Then we made Tristan's, an autographed baseball being hit by a bat.  The bat says "you're a home run friend!".  Tristan traced a cup to make the baseballs and autographed all 21 of them.  He also glued the balls to the bats.  I did the cutting and the rest of the writting for him.  Tristan was not a big fan of the autographing, if he is ever famous I will remind him of this day, getting him to write his name 21 times was not easy...TRUST ME!!

So here is the finished product.  Grand total for Valentines to  friends $4.00, the price of the heart shaped suckers, and 4 hours of fun (hope it was fun) craft time.  We finished at 1 pm.

Click here for a cute song about making a Valentine's day card...Hope you're having a great weekend!

Giveaway entry in the making...

Hey everyone! A friend of mine from high school just reached a milestone in her blogging hobby.  Emily Parker of "The Journey of Parenthood" now has over 200 followers.  To celebrate the milestone she has revamped her blogger page and is giving away a Coach purse and $25 Stella Dot gift card.  She has five innovative ways to enter the giveaway, and by reading this you have now witnessed an entry in progress.  Check out her blog here, send her some love, and she may reward you with Coach purse and some jewelry money.

Hope your all having a great week, and good luck with your entries!!

Tristan started T-Ball last weekend!!!! It was so awesome, and it was only 5 minutes of tryouts so far.  But wow I didn't know how much fun it could be to watch someone else having fun.  He loves playing, and being on a team, even though he is not on a team yet, this was just tryouts. 

Saturday morning Jerrid took him to Dick's (while Lana and I went to our favorite store, TJ Max, of course).  Jerrid got him a new glove, which to me felt broke in already.  Maybe it is new technology, but when I was a kid it took a while for a glove to get that broke in feel to it, you know what I mean?  He also got a new pair of cleats (when Jerrid was growing up his dad could not always afford to get him "good" shoes, so it is very important to Jerrid that our kids always have "good" shoes that they can be proud of) so Jerrid got him the UnderArmer cleats.  They look "good".  Jerrid also let him pick out a pair of baseball paint to wear to tryouts, and a baseball belt.  I didn't know there was a certian classificaion of "baseball" belts, but there is, and Tristan was stoked to get one.  I think it is his first belt.  I honnestly can't remember him ever wearing one before, but it is possible that he has.  If it's not the first, it's the first one he remembers, because he was really excited about it.

Here is Tristan when he was about to go out on the field.  Jerrid told him to stretch, it was a big moment, he had to hit 4 ball, run to second, catch 3 grounders, and 2 fly balls. (The fly balls were very scary to me, I never just toss things at him and tell him to catch, but he was not affraid).  He was lucky number 13 for tryouts!

Here he is talking to his coach, it looks like his coach like to explain things just as much as Tristan does.

I think Tristan is now telling the coach about how "broke in" mom says his glove is...lol...I told him that was awesome, so of course he believed me.

I thought I was filming, but turns out I just got a picture at the beginning and the end...way to go mom...so here is is on his last fly ball, and this is acutally the only one that got away from him.  He was very excited about tryouts, and you could really tell he was giving it his all...some of the kids did not seem excited, but mine was acting like he was at 6 flags for the first time.

 Oh yeah, and what was the princess doing during all this you ask.  Well, she first enjoyed pop corn with this guy...don't worry, I have my eye on you kid.  She also had pizza, that entire glass of water, and climb up and down the bleachers with all the other "waiting" kids.  She had fun too, and she said she was going to cheer for Tristan, maybe next time she will remember... this time it was all too new, and the little socail butterfly had to much socializing to get done.

Also, this picture is random, but have you heard of purple potatoes?  We got some and I made mashed potatoes, to go with some Bar-B-Cups (shout out to Mrs. McLocklin).  This is a picture of them from last monday.  My boss was disturbed by them when I took the left over to work, but after some research I found out that the purple potatoes lower your blood pressure and actually have the same antioxident as blueberry that has been proven to help prevent some cancers...so guess what Mr. Boss man, you better eat some purple potatoes...lol!!

So I know you are all wonder what amazing song I will leave you with this week...and some of you  may have guessed it by now, so...Click here to hear John Fogerty sing a song my son will be singing for the next several months!!

There has really not been a lot going on this week at the Beckham house.  I have been putting off doing my homework all week, so now I have to get it done pronto.  But that is usually how I get it done best, under pressure, so no worries.  

Lana has been singing "John Jacob Jingle Himmer Smith" today so I got a quick video of it as we were putting them to bed...

Ha ha...guess you figured out with me that

I don't know how to put the video right here...

Imagine a cute video of Lana, ready for bed

singing John Jacob Jingle Himmer Smith...

She always get a little shy infront of the camera.  But right after that we were putting them to bed and I was looking at the camera and I saw a night setting so we took some pictures of them in the dark...you really can't tell they are in the dark.  We were all impressed...doesn't take much...lol!

Also now that I started adding those pictures I saw some other ones I had taken on monday...Jerrid and Tristan like to workout together.  Not that Lana and I are lazy, we do a few sit ups here and there to, but the boys really like to workout together.  So Monday they were  doing a boxing work out and I got this really good picture of Jerrid with the kids

Yes that is my Christmas Tree up and still on in the back ground, I love having it up, it looks good there.  But we did take it down shortly after this picture :-(

And here is one of Lana doing her one sit up for the night...look at that determination and exhaustion!

So now that I have put off doing my homework for yet another hour, I guess I will get to it.  Thanks for helping me be distracted for the time being.  Click here for the under pressure song...and smile as you think of me quickly quickly quickly getting my Financial Statement Analysis homework done!! 

Wake up...It's time for school!

I used to stay home with my babies, but I would always get up at 5am with Jerrid and start my day just like I was going to work (or so I thought). I loved cleaning the house, preparing for the day, showering, all while sipping my coffee, and then the kids would wake up HAPPY one at a time. It was the life...and the good thing is that when I was a stay-at-home mom, I knew I had it good, and I can say that I enjoyed every minute of it. I would sometime cry on the way home from school at night, and then when I would get home I would tell Jerrid, that even though we were broke, I felt like these were the days that I would look back and long for one day. And I just never wanted to take them for granted.

Test...I think my favorite video from stay-at-home days will be below...new to this, so hope it works...

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But now I am a working mom, and before now, I didn't really know what it was like to get ready for work with 2 kids. I had worked with people who had kids, and they always show up dressed, hair fixed, shoes on, coffee in hand. But until I became a working mom myself, I had no idea what a triumph it is to show up to work dressed, hair fixed, shoes on and coffee in hand. So in case there are any mom out there who read this who have not experienced this triumph, or there are mom out there who could give me some pointer...I'll describe my working mom morning.

4:45am-burmp burmp burmp..."shut it off, shut it off!"

4:55am-burmp burmp burmp..."okay okay, I'm up...Jerrid get up!"

5:00am-walk downstairs (with the lights off preferably) turn on the coffee pot, put waffles in the toaster and set out the juice plus for everyone.

5:10am-Jerrid better be out of the shower, I am coming back up stairs and your shower time is up buddy.

5:25am-I better be half dressed and at least getting the hair fixed

5:40am-I better have the teeth brushed and make-up on. This is just about the time Jerrid wakes the kids up.

6:00am-I better have the rest of my clothes ironed and at least on (buttons are optional at this point on is the goal here) because Lana, Tristan, or both have realized there are awake, and at least one of them is not happy about it, so we may need some remember God gave us this day intervention.

6:10am-Somehow (most of the time, thanks to Jerrid) everyone is dressed and we all move downstairs, we make coffee and Jerrid leaves for work, and both of my sweet little babies realize they will soon be going to school, so someone is crying about that by now, but no time for crying, the waffles are ready and we need to focus on eating them and the juice plus I set out.

6:20am-Load the car in 2-3 trips, trip 1- kids (hope they have shoes on) and the remainder of their waffles, trip 2 -my oatmeal, lunch, coffee, and book bags, trip 3 - anything else I forgot (workout bag, check for daycare, Motrin, tissues, shoes...yes occasionally we leave without shoes, soooooo annoying)

6:30am-Quick prayer with the kids and leave the house

6:40am-get to daycare, get out of the car "Lana, why do you still have a waffle in your hand? Eat eat, come on, eat while we walk."

6:45am-hang up the book bags in the empty room, do the ritual secret hugs and kisses (somehow doing this in the empty room gives them better confidence to not cry in the room where all the kids are)

6:50am-walk to the drop-off room and hope and pray that no one crys...please don't cry please don't cry

6:55am-hope hope hope the lady at the front desk doesn't stop me on my way out, please lady, no time to talk, in a hurry here

7:00am-back in the car, leave for traffic, call Ashley and see if she has had any morning hiccups, try really really hard not to stop at Bo jangle's. Why does traffic always make me sit in front of Bo Jangle's and have a war with myself about whether I should eat the oatmeal I packed or have a yummy ham biscuit. WHY WHY WHY do I always have to sit in traffic in front of Bo Jangle's????

7:30am-(7:45 if Bo Jangle's wins)-arrive at work, make the oatmeal, turn the computer on, say hello to everyone and act like I am rested, ready to go, dressed, hair fixed, shoes on, and coffee in hand.

For a brief time, in Indianapolis, I worked and Jerrid stayed home, so I would get up get ready and go to work, while my house slept peacefully. I would drive to work and sing in the car while I sipped my coffee. That was awesome, I loved being a working mom when I had a stay-at-home dad. But once you throw in the 3 hour morning gauntlet, being a working mom just doesn't seem so appealing.

I know now, why I cried and said I would long for those days, wow do I miss them. But always looking for my glass to be half full, I have to say the brief time in the car with my kids in the morning, those few moments where we get to listen to the radio and all sing along...those are priceless moments that I hope they to will never forget. And I know someday I won't have them in the back seat cheering me on as I run the gauntlet, so I should not take for granted that they are a part of my chaotic mornings.

Tristan

Around 2009, I was driving down the road listening to a radio station that played top 40 hits, and Katie Perry's "I kissed a girl" came on. I always sing in the car, even when there are other people in the car with me, I LOVE TO SING!! But with my babies in the back seat I started sing that song, and I thought about the words. I thought, "Wow, my kids just heard their mom say she kissed a girl and liked it." From that point on I decided that I would not let music make my mouth say something that I would not say otherwise. Shortly after that I started listening to Christian music almost always, because I love to sing, so I should sing praise while I'm at it. (In case you were wondering what my favorite song is... here it is for your listening pleasures).

Today, as I was hurrying to work because I was late as usual, I was singing with Tristan and Lana in the car as usual. We were listening/singing along to this song, and it touched Tristan in the most awesome way. This is what he told me...

Tristan--"Mom, I really love you, and I love my dad, and my sister, and well...everyone. But do you know who I love the most?"

Me--"Who?"

Tristan--"God, I love him most."

Me--"Wow Tristan that's awesome! Do you love him most, because he made you?"

Tristan--"Yeah, and I love him because he gave us Jesus...and I love my dad and don't want to be away from him...but God had to be away from Jesus because he loves us. I love God, and that is why parents should be good to their sons."

I thought wow, this is really deep for a 5 year old. Not sure where he was going with the "parents should be nice to their kids" comment, but God sending his son because he loves us is a pretty big concept for a 5 year old to pick up on. I'm sure it was in his head from Christmas, but listening to the song made him think of it again. It made me really glad that that was the song I was listening to.

Because everyone else does it...

So for some time I have been reading some very interesting blogs.  The mom's who write them are really awesome at expressing themselves.  Just like you feel like you know the people on your favorite shows, I feel like I know these moms.  I have read about their joys, triumphs, worries, and craziness.  But I have never blogged.  One of the mom's I follow, Emily Parker, asked if anyone blogged that she didn't know about...I didn't make a New Years resolution, so here goes, lets see if I can keep a blog going this year...after all, everyone else does it...right?

So here is where we start...There is me Brandy Beckham...I am the Mom/wife/accountant/cook...here I am at Christmas holding my new neice Avery

There there is Jerrid...he is the dad/husband/fun one/housekeeper...here is an autobiography photo of him last year in the snow.

We met when I was supposed to be studying at Georgia Southern in 2003 and Jerrid was in the Army.  We got married shortly after that (9 months later, but not for the typical 9 month reason) because we were just crazy in love.  Then I joined the Air Force Jerrid got out of the Army, and we moved to Charleston, SC.  There we found out that we would soon be a party of three.  So on September 19, 2006 Tristan Thomas was born...and what a cutie he is, here is a picture of Tristan at christmas...he is a superhero..of course

After he was born I decided that I didn't want to work so I left the Air Force and we moved to Daytona Beach, FL (seemed like a cool place to move).  Jerrid started working for Budweiser and I stayed home with the boy.  Then we soon found out that we would be a party of four...on September 13, 2008 Lana Elizabeth was born...she is a princess (in case you didn't notice)

So after Lana was born I stayed home with the two babies until she was 18 months and also did on line courses.  I then re-joined the Air Force.  We did a short tour as a family in Indianapolis, IN (cold is the only word to describe the tour).  Last March we finally moved back to my home, Georgia.  We now live Kennesaw, GA.  I recently finished my BAS in Management and got a job in Atlanta as a Paralegal for the Department of Justice-Antitrust Division, but I am currently on a home deployment at Dobbins ARB as a budget analyst.  Jerrid is a salesman for Atlanta Beverage (budweiser).  This week I started working on  my MAS in Accounting, it is a one year program, so it is neat to say I just started, but I only have a year left!  We are member of Northstar Chruch and are so happy to be there an be a part of the couples group we found there. 

So there you go, you are pretty  much up to speed on how we got where we are...I hope to keep you up to date on what the Beckham's are doing in real life, and to keep a record of my thoughts so one day my kiddos can read them and say, "Ooohhhhh, that's what Mom was thinking!" and then they will understand why I do things they way I do. 

Thanks for check us out, and thanks for the chalenge Emily!!!