My Boy

My boy, my boy, oh my heart.

This boy is the apple of my eye and a precious combination of his Daddy and I.  

He, like his Daddy, love sports; has his physical build, blue eyes, pink skin, and blond hair; loves math; and is a sensitive soul.  He, like his Mommy, loves order, planning, efficiency, reading, and school.

He is growing up before my eyes, but I, as always, try to relish in the joys of the moment.

Last weekend, Luke, my mom, sister, and I saw the new Annie movie together.  I don't remember much about the 1982 version other than liking the music and story.  Luke and I both loved it and have become addicted to the soundtrack (much to Brent's chagrin;)).  So, apparently Luke and I also share of love of musicals:)

Looking forward to Christmas and Winter Break with this guy!

My Guy

I am a blessed woman.  

I am married to my high school (technically middle school) sweetheart and he's the incredible daddy to the children we always wanted.  This week, I'm reminded how very blessed I am by him.  

Our lovely "just because" date last weekend.  More here.

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Brent came home from work after a busy day of leading two, three hour long training sessions and finds Nora and I reading on the couch.  He gets a whiff that Nora could use a diaper change (she and I had already negotiated that I'd read her the book before changing her), and before he even changes clothes, he's in her room changing her.  I told him that he was a wonderful man and his response was "I love my kids and will take any time I get to spend with them.  Even if it is changing diapers."

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Tonight the kids are going to check out a Christmas light display with my parents so Brent and I have the evening to ourselves.  A nice calm before the busyness of Christmas celebrations:)  I was thinking of enjoying the night at home together, but Brent emailed me at work today and suggested we go out to dinner.  I'll always take him up on dinner out!  (It's not that I dislike cooking, I'd just rather eat food prepared for me;))

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Brent following Nora's lead while dancing to Christmas music the other night.  She loved dancing with him.  I share about it here.  

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I am a blessed woman indeed.  

One Night with Nora

There is never a dull moment living with Nora...and we love it!  

A few moments from tonight...

Brent made a Santa video for Nora on Portable North Pole and it was hilarious watching her watch it!  She nodded along, responded to Santa, and attempted introducing Luke to Santa.  She was enthralled...every...single...time she watched it (I think I cut her off at 5 times).  It was especially great the first time she watched when Santa mentioned that she was trying really hard to stop sucking her thumb this past year.  Nora's response: "What!?!?   That's not good!"  Brent and I were dying!  

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I was making rolls for Christmas Day with Pickers.  Good news Pickers, there is a surprise roll Nora made extra special by licking it;)  Rest assured, she was sick last week, I'm sure she's all out of germs by now:)

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Sometimes you just let your two year old play with an entire roll of ribbon while you're wrapping other gifts.  She feels like she's "helping" and, hey, it's Christmas...what better time to give your daughter a little messy, toddler-style joy???:)  

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Brent and Nora dancing to Sleigh Ride by Fun.  Nora wanted Brent to dance like her so Brent followed and imitated her every move.  Priceless.

Christmas Favorites

I love and appreciate music oh so much.  I do not have a musical bone in my body and I think that makes me appreciate the musically gifted of the world all the more!  Their ability to sing, play instruments, and compose the songs I love leaves me in awe.  

I've been thinking about our favorite Christmas music as a family and wanted to document our favorites, especially since the kids’ favorites seem to change each yearJ 

Nora’s favorite this year is undoubtedly Frosty the Snowman.  She has a book with the song, she makes Gma watch the movie a few times a week, and she stops in her tracks when she hears it on the radio.  She will often be found sitting with her Frosty book and singing along as she turns the pages (I have yet to get this in video, but aspire too).  It’s pretty stinkin cute!

Luke’s favorite this year is Last Christmas.  I realize this isn’t much of a kid’s song, but he likes it a lot this yearJ  One of his all time favorites is Where Are You Christmas by Faith Hill.  It’s one of the first Christmas songs he requests to hear each year. 

Brent isn’t a big fan of Christmas music but he does have a few favorites: Someday at Christmas, Christmas Song by Dave Matthews Band, and Hallelujah especially the version sung by Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris.  Someday at Christmas is very appropriate for his peace loving and aspiring spirit.

My favorite this year has been Baby It’s Cold Outside sung by Michael Buble and Idina Menzel.  Buble’s voice is perfect for Christmas musicJ  After a special recognition of O Holy Night today at church, I’m also adding it as another favorite.  It’s such an incredible song that tells the beauty of the Christmas story and its impact to our world perfectly.

Oh holy night!

The stars are brightly shining

It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees

Oh hear the angel voices

Oh night divine

Oh night when Christ was born

Oh night divine

Oh night divine

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming

Here come the wise men from Orient land

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger

In all our trials born to be our friend

Truly He taught us to love one another

His law is love and His gospel is peace

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother

And in His name all oppression shall cease

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name

May you feel the "thrill of hope" this Christmas and be reminded in all of your interactions that "His law is love and His gospel is peace". 

Merry Christmas!

Love Me Some Date Time!

I got to be spoiled by my guy yesterday with a lovely afternoon together, dinner out, and a play....why?...just because:)

We spent a couple hours browsing and shopping on Grand Avenue, St Paul then headed to Minneapolis for dinner at Kindee Thai Restaurant.

After dinner we had a bite of dessert at the Guthrie Theater before seeing The Cocktail Hour.  This was our first time seeing a play on the McGuire Proscenium Stage and we really liked it!

If you've never been to the Guthrie, it's a gorgeous building overlooking the Mississippi River.  I've only ever been in the evening, but even then it has a beautiful view.  Last night was the first time we'd walked out on "The Endless Bridge" and stepped outside on the patio.  It was a misty, warm (by Minnesota December standards) night so it was a little hazy, but still lovely to take in the view.

Exterior (photo from the web)
The Endless Bridge is on the right pointing toward the river

Stone Arch Bridge view from The Endless Bridge 

A quick pic of us:)

Hello Braces!

Today was the big day for Luke...he got his early intervention braces! 

BEFORE

Sleepy at 6:45am

AFTER

Not very noticeable behind his lower lip

Four braces alternating pink and black (one is hiding to the left)

So as not to be redundant, I'll direct you to my recent posts (one and two) with the background on his need for braces.  But, we also wanted to share what a great experience we've had with all of our appointments at Collins Orthodontics.  We were referred by our dentist and are very grateful for the wonderful option they shared.  Luke, Brent, and I have been kept well informed throughout the process and the staff is warm, helpful, and very engaging.  Luke even got a call this afternoon following up to see how he was feeling after his first day with braces.  Oh, and Luke's picture was Posted by Collins Orthodontics on Facebook (which he was shy about when we told him, but we could tell he liked it;))

Another perk for those hometown Rochesterites, Dr. Collins is a Rochester native:)

Luke's only complaint so far is some discomfort in a bracketed molar when he bites down, but I'm sure that will subside soon.  I don't think it will interfere with any Christmas feasts or treats in the coming weeks;)

Merry Christmas!

I LOVE Christmas card season:  

the fun of sorting through pictures from the year before to add to the card, looking back on the year to decide our "favorites", and, of course, receiving Christmas cards in the mail!  

No other time of year, except maybe your birthday week, is the mail ever filled with so much fun:)

But, the reality is that I cannot and do not send a card to everyone I know.  (Ahem, stamp prices...)  So, I share with you here a few of our favorite pictures and our favorite memories from 2014.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate with family and friends and reflect on the closing of 2014.

~ The Pickers ~

A Fun Tooth Pull

As I mentioned in my last post, Luke is in the middle of a month of dental and orthodontic visits leading up to Christmas.  Today was the tooth pull at the dentist.  His remaining lower canine needed to come out prior to getting his braces next week.

Brent and I both came to the early morning appointment and I hung in the waiting room with Nora while Brent went to the exam room with Luke.  We exchanged the following texts during the 45 minute procedure:

7:17 a.m. from Brent:

Getting ready

7:24 a.m. from Jen:

And, in the waiting room...

Luke and the dental team did GREAT!  He said he didn't feel the novocaine shot (after the laughing gas and numbing gel) and didn't complain about any pain all day.  He had a cheese burger, fries, and shake for lunch and Jimmy John's sandwich and chips for dinner. Thank you Family Dentist Tree!  Brent said they had great terminology to explain to Luke what they were doing and made it a very pleasurable experience.  

Nora also did great hanging in the waiting room. They had her three favorite things: puzzles, books, and Christmas music playing. She easily kept herself busy and, as you can tell from the picture, made herself right at home:)

Now, on to braces next week...

An Update...Just Because

I keep meaning to write a High Five for Friday each week, then Friday passes me by.  So, I'll just write a random update of what each of us has been up to....

Luke

Our not-so-little man is approaching nine years old and has entered the world of orthodontia.  We learned, during a routine dental visit, that he has an adult tooth that is impacted.  I guess the adult teeth around it took over the space needed for the now-impacted tooth to come in.  The plan is to do "early intervention" on Luke's lower front teeth so the unruly teeth get moved back to their appropriate spaces.  By Christmas, he'll have braces on his four front, lower teeth and will have another tooth pulled to help center everything.  Luke's being a trooper about the process and we're trying to keep him informed about what to expect because he likes a predictable world:)  The hope is that the braces will only need to be on for a year at most, then we'll let the rest of his baby teeth and adult teeth finish their processes of falling out and coming in before determining any additional orthodontic needs when he's older.

Our handsome boy

Nora

Nora's been busy honing her toddler skills like: thinking outside the box, oblivion to the world around her, lack of subtlety, and initiating a chasing game anytime she's called.

Thinking Outside the Box: Tonight she had shells and cheese and carrot sticks with veggie dip for dinner.  She kept herself busy using her carrot sticks as paint brushes for her veggie dip and nicely decorated her bowl. She also discovered that the pasta shells were the perfect size to fit on the tips of her fingers (she really likes things that fit her little fingers these days...think waffle holes:)).  Suffice it to say, she had an entertaining meal.

Toddler Oblivion and Lack of Subtlety: Tonight at the grocery store, she stood at the end of the check out lane, thumb in mouth, watching people.  She received many smiles and sweet comments and told me nice and loud that she was "watching the people".  Last weekend, we all went to the Penguins of Madagascar movie in the theater.  (Nora does great in the theater as long as we're watching an animated show.)  After the movie, there was some upbeat music playing during the credits.  Naturally, she felt the need to go to the front of the theater and bust a move.  She literally danced until the credits were through and the theater employee came in to clean up the trash.  All the while she said "I'm dancing, I'm dancing!"

She is always good for a laugh and her giggles of joy make the frustrations of chasing her for every diaper change well worth it:)

Our precious girl

Brent

This fall Brent decided to grow a beard.  I have known him for 19 years and have never seen him with a beard.  I really liked the end product, even though it tested Brent's patience waiting for it to fully "come in".  Last week, he decided to give it up.  After only six weeks with a beard, it was strange to see him without it again.

My man

I think you can see his beard better here

Jen

I'm mostly keeping busy with my holiday season goals and thoroughly enjoying the season.  We're DVRing Christmas shows to watch together, filling in our advent wreath from Gma Ruth, and enjoying Christmas treats I made last week at a Community Ed class.   We had a great Thanksgiving hosting my grandparents, uncle and aunt, my parents, and my sister and family and got to spend the rest of the weekend with more family and friends.  It's truly been a joyous season already and we're only half way through:)

Thanksgiving snuggles with mine and Piper (who was sleeping)

Oh, and I nearly forgot...after nine and a half years working at Mayo, I have downtown-ish parking! (I say downtown-ish because it's still considered a shuttle lot, but I take advantage of the walk.) I got my new parking tag and used the lot I now have access to today for the first time.  I only walk about a half mile from the lot to work and I can take the skyways/subways to stay inside in the winter.  Woohoo!  I'm telling you people...this is big news in the world of Mayo employees:)

Many blessings to you all!  (I'll be sure to share pics of Luke's brace face soon;))

Luke and Nora are Thankful

Luke

This week at school, Luke wrote three things he was thankful for:

In case you can't read the crayon writing: family, Xbox 360, and bacon.  He's a lucky boy too, because I bought bacon this week and we had it for brinner (breakfast for dinner) just last night;)

Nora

While shopping for Thanksgiving, I bought Nora a pair of black shoes that I figured would match anything.  Little did I know the delight they would bring her.  Luke proudly showed her the shoes (that he helped pick out) when we got home and she immediately put them on.  She also wanted to sleep in them that night, but I convinced her she could wear them the next day.  In the morning, she was excited to wear them again and show them to Papa and Gma when she saw them.

I'm glad it's the little things that bring them joy this Thanksgiving:)

A Full Thanksgiving Week

It has been a very busy week already and it's only Thursday morning.  In addition to preparations to host Thanksgiving, we've had a lot happening and a lot to be thankful for:)

Terrific Kid

On Monday, Brent and I went to the Terrific Kid Assembly at school where Luke was awarded a Terrific Kid award for safety.  We are proud to know that he is conscientious at school and with his peers:)

Close up of the comments his teacher added

Treadmill

On Tuesday, we got a call from the shipping company to tell us that the treadmill we ordered would be delivered the next morning.  We were happy to know it was coming, but we weren't expecting it until next week.  SO...Tuesday night was filled with a lot of rearranging and reorganizing to make room.

The treadmill was delivered on Wednesday and, thanks to Troy's help with the heavy lifting, Brent was able to get it downstairs and assembled in the same night!

Thanksgiving

This morning, we wake to Thanksgiving, which has become my favorite holiday.  We are hosting for the third year in a row and I love having family at our house to celebrate together, enjoy a great meal, and simply enjoy each other's company.

It has been a very busy week already and it's only Thursday morning.  Now, it's time to enjoy and relax:)

Finishing Strong

2014 is nearly in the books and I have been thinking a lot on the idea of spending the last month...the Advent season...holiday season...(how ever best to define it) more focused on what's most important to me: my family, my faith, and my health.  Many things have convicted me lately including, but not limited to:

• The new sermon series at church: Forgotten Treasures where we were challenged to remember what our forgotten treasures are and to put them in a place of prominence in our life.
• A conversation with Brent about priorities and that when we are faced with a choice, we are always choosing one thing and "unchoosing" the remaining option(s).  I need to remember there is only so much time in a day, only so much of me to go around, etc.

So, I have decided to make some commitments for the remainder of 2014:

• Healthy Holidays 6 Week Challenge - Thanks to Mandy Avery for this timely challenge!  A group from church is setting three healthy goals to strive for each week for the six weeks between Thanksgiving and the New Year.  My goals are:
• Walk/run 12 miles/week
• Drink 48oz water/day
• At least 10 minutes of body weight exercises per day, five days/week
• Taking a break from Facebook (with the exception of a few things that require regular check in like the challenge above:)) to focus my time at home on my family and my other two goals.  (Another bonus is that we're nearly done Christmas shopping so we won't need to venture out shopping much.)
• Rereading Francine Rivers' Lineage of Grace book series about five unlikely women of the Bible who played important roles in the earthly lineage of Christ.  I loved these books the first time I read them many years ago and I am looking forward to exploring them and the accompanying study guides again.  

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Christmas planning to you all during this "most wonderful time of the year":)

(P.S. I'm not signing off the blog until 2015, I'm sure I'll want to share our holidays and other adventures.)

My Happy Place

I got to go to my happy place last weekend: The Container Store in Edina!

A few of my purchases in action...

Small, table top jewelry box
for my little, every day jewels

Organizer for Luke's school stuff
and coloring books/stickers
for the little lady

Bins for snacks
(I intended these for the fridge,
but they were too tall)

Magnet strips to display the ever changing artwork

Browsing The Container Store is oh so fun, especially when I only get there every couple years and when I get to go with my lovely cousin:)  

Big Week for the Beckmanns

This is a big week for the Beckmann family!  

Monday, November 10

My parents will be married for 35 years.

Tuesday, November 11

My mom will work her final day at Mayo after 38+ years of service.  

Mom's Retirement Receptoin

Both of these milestones are near to my heart as a daughter.  

My parent's anniversary because of their devotion and commitment to each other and our family for 35 years.  

My mom's retirement for many reasons.  First of all, what an incredible milestone to reach before she even turns 60!  Second, for her years of dedication to her full time job, which was really her second job.  For 33 of her 38 years, she was mother first and always gave us her all.  I'm sure there were days she would have rather stayed home and focused on one job, but she remained focused on all that her work outside the home provided for our family as well.  Lastly, I admire the work she did.  She was a medical secretary for the first 30ish years and was no doubt vital in the work of the surgeons she supported and the patient's lives she touched daily.  Her final 10ish years, she's been a patient appointment coordinator.  As I'm approaching my 10 year anniversary at Mayo, I have even more respect for the roles of support staff in the medical profession.  The work of the physicians and others in patient care are absolutely critical, but so too are those behind the scenes who keep operations running daily.  

This is a big week for my parents and family, but it's only the beginning of a new journey of retirement for both of my parents and many more anniversaries together, Lord willing.  

I saw this video online and thought it was very timely and captures my sentiments for my mom. Enjoy!

Putting the Shed to Bed

The last week of August, we had a shed kit delivered to our house and we began the journey of building a long-awaited shed for our backyard.  After a couple months of working evenings/ weekends that we had free with good weather, we are putting the shed to bed for winter.  (In other words, everything that is going to be done before winter is done for now.)

Our shed journey...

Shed parts filling our
two stall garage 

The foundation/deck Brent designed and built
(this was not part of the kit)

Four walls!

My guy

My guys

Entire kit assembled!

As you can see, the kit did not include roofing or a ramp

Roof, paint, and ramp added

Lattice under the shed, non-skid "stuff' added to the ramp,
and rocks replaced around

There she be, in all her glory to take on a MN winter

Our happy little shed

It was not our plan to build the shed ourselves, but in the end it went very well and we accomplished more than we thought this fall (thanks to a lot of beautiful weather:)).  Brent and I were reminded how well we work together on projects like this.  I'm the detail person and he's the visionary, so we complement each other well.  

We are also grateful for the other hands that helped us: Brent's and my parents.  They helped in various ways throughout the process: loaning tools, watching the kids while we worked, helping out on the shed, etc.  

Many hands make light work. ~ John Heywood

Next spring/summer, we'll add a couple windows and shelving inside, but this shed is filled and ready to provide us additional storage!

Hayward Getaway

We try to take an annual trip with my family and this year we decided on a fall trip so Miss Piper could join us (my new niece born in August).  My sister, Bridget, learned of a nice rental from a friend, so we rented it for MEA weekend (a long weekend each fall in Minnesota school districts).  None of us had ever been to Hayward, WI so it was exciting try out a new town and surrounding area.

We arrived at our rental Thursday at lunch and it was gorgeous both inside and out!  (The rental is part of a large four-plex and the unit we stayed in is actually for sale.)  There was a huge deck overlooking Lac Courte Oreilles (the lake) perfect for sunsets and inside we had the perfect amount of space for our families (my parents, Bridget, Ross, and Piper, and our family of four).

View from the deck

Family pic

We headed to town for lunch and groceries.  We had lunch at the Gridiron because it was close to where we parked and it turned out to be very good bar and grill food.  We spent the rest of the evening exploring the area on a walk and grilling out for dinner and sitting by a bonfire.  The colors of the changing trees were incredible as well as the view of the sunset from our deck.

Walking near our rental

More beauty

Friday turned out to be a drizzly, cloudy day so we decided to head back into Hayward to check out some shops.  We especially liked Gliks, a men's and women's clothing store and I also found a cute shirt in another shop, I think it was called Ahlgrens.  Later that night we had dinner at The Waterfront which was only a mile away from our rental on another lake.  It was a cute, local place with good food and a relaxed atmosphere.

Family selfie at The Waterfront

Saturday was our last full day in Hayward and the weather was sunny again so we found a county park to do some hiking.  We found Hatchery Park which had some great cross country skiing trails that worked great for us since we were pushing a jogging stroller.  After our hike, we decided it was time for some treats in town.  Some had ice cream at West's Dairy and others had candy from Tremblay's Sweet Shop.  Our last night at the rental included more grilling out and playing cards.

Hiking (Piper in the carrier on Ross)

HUGE ice cream cones at West's Dairy

Sharing with Papa

Incredible sunset

Same sunset, a little later

Sunday, we were on the road by late morning and decided to take a different route home through Menomonie, WI and Wabasha, MN (on the way we drove through Red Wing, MN).  We stopped for a late lunch in Menomonie and all had great meals at Log Jam Bar and Eatery.  We especially loved their wild rice soup and I had a really good caprese grilled cheese sandwich.  On our way home from Menomonie, Brent, the kids, and I stopped in Alma, WI which you can read more about at this post.  The Beckmans and Moyers made a short stop in Wabasha for SeptOberfest.  We had hoped to join them too, but we ran out of energy and headed home after Alma.

We had a great get away together, as always, and Piper was a wonderful addition this year:)  We all loved Hayward and agreed we'd like to check it out in the summer some time so we can enjoy some swimming and fishing in the lake.  Though, I have to say, I really love the fall colors and appreciated the lack of mosquitoes:)

I also have to tell a funny story from Luke.  He knew the rental was for sale and asked if we could move there.  I said I wasn't sure where Daddy and I would work in Hayward since it was a small town.  He said we could work at Tremblay's Sweet Shop:)  Oh the dreams of an 8 year old:)

A few of my favorite pics from the trip:

Grandma and my grands

Piper post-bath

Nora post-bath

Precious cousin time

Sweet little lady

Snuggles 

Shoreline

Luke saying goodbye to the lake

As I'm sure you expected, I took lots of pictures;)  Check them out on Shutterfly.