Davy Crockett!

Yesterday Beckett and I had to run to the Duluth Trading Company to pick something up and there was a display of coon skin caps. Isn't he handsome?

A boy and a dirt pile

Can a boy resist a whole trough of dirt? Not if they're one of ours. There is a built in planter/flower box that runs along a big window at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The boys are allowed to dig all they want until flowers are living there! I can live with a little dirt when the kid doing the digging looks so darn cute in a puffer vest =)

Our Baby is SEVEN

Beckett is seven years old already =( I honestly don't know where SEVEN years have gone. He is the funniest little guy and makes us laugh a million times a day (making Paxton mad several times a day is also on his agenda). He's our little performer and while Paxton loves to watch train videos on youtube, this kid is playing music videos of every genre, but usually with a heavy dose of Chippettes--at least until I tell him I can't take it anymore. His birthday was probably the lowest-keyed ones we've ever had a Casa de Tuescher. I've scaled back immensely from the Sunday afternoon munchie fests and have just been having Grandparents over for dinner, cake and ice cream. Beckett was going to wait until the weekend to do his, but on Tuesday night he announced he wanted it ON his birthday. OK, can't fault him for that, but his meal choice was frozen waffles!!! I just couldn't do THAT to family! So it was some veggies, fruit and cheese and crackers to go with cake (of which there was a CRAPPY selection, but he picked what he wanted and was happy, so Momma has to be happy too) His main request for a gift was a sno-cone maker. I was sweating it, but the USPS came through and it arrived on our doorstep while he was at school =) He also got an Innotab 2, some legos, clothes, some CD's, a microphone, DS game and a Spongebob DVD. He was thrilled with everything =)

Library Time

Som This summer meant many trips to the public library. Usually Beckett and I went on Saturday mornings, or else Grandma took the boys on Monday evening while I rested between my "day" job and "night" job. Now that the boys are back in school they're utilizing their respective libraries at their schools, but Beckett still likes to check things out at the public library. I'd like to point out that he usually picks out 2 books and 2 movies, either VHS or DVD--USUALLY movies that we already have at home. Yah. Sometimes on Saturdays I would drop him off and then drive to the post office to mail things in the drive up box, which is approximately 6 blocks away and then come back, which meant he was alone for about 4 minutes inside the library, but oh he felt like such a big boy when I'd do that =) This week he wanted to play on the computers for awhile, which was a refreshing change from him watching Victorious music videos the way he does at home (insert eyeroll)

Five days? No new post?

Well that'll get you a text from a reader!!! I could think up all kinds of excuses as to why there's been a 5 day drought, but I've got nothing! I even had a birthday in the middle of those days! Kurt took me to a Japanese place where our dinner was cooked in front of us and we had yummy sushi =) The only picture I took was of the dude starting the grill, LOL.
So until something more interesting happens, here's some pictures of Arielle and Beckett being goofy. Ok, mostly Beckett...

I see a pattern.....

Today when I picked up Beckett from Grandma and Grandpa's, I noticed a wider gap in his smile. "Beckett!! You lost your other loose tooth!". "I did?!" he said, completely puzzled. "Where is it?" ask I. He smiled and said "I think I swallowed it"!
Yes folks, TWO teeth down the hatch. At this point I think he enjoys the reaction he gets when he does this and now I'll be very surprised if I see ANY in his little hand after they exit his mouth....

Calling the Tooth Fairy!!

So while I was away for those couple of days, Beckett lost his first tooth!!! It's been loose (just like it's neighbor!) for a while, so I knew it was just a matter of time =)
BUT, there was nothing to leave for the tooth fairy. He was at Grandma's and in Beckett's own words: "a chicken nugget grabbed it and took it down!" There are hand motions to go along with it, mostly him showing the path that little bitty tooth took from it's nesting spot in his mouth, down the GI tract and landing in his belly.
Luckily, ol' TF is a VERY understanding gal and accepted the reasoning behind no tooth in the pocket of the pillow. Plus, if TF reads my blog, she can see the gap in the 6 year old's smile, HA!

Technology and one small boy

Who is too smart for my own good. He's discovered my ITouch and has figured out how to operate it without any lessons from me!! I will not be sharing any passwords with him, HA!!

A Boy and his list...

Or his Momma's list, whichever---it's a fine line. Beckett went with me to get groceries the other day (against my better judgement. Usually I'm able to get it done without ankle-biter assistance, but once in a while I cave and let him come. And then tell Kurt when I get home to never let me do that again!!!)
He insisted on handling the list, even though the only thing he could read in my handwriting was "ice cream" HA! It added about 120% to the total shopping time to do it his way, I can tell you that much. After each item went in the cart, it was his personal mission to find it on the list (keep in mind, he couldn't read my writing) and cross it off. Then announce to me the next thing we needed to find (again, from a list he couldn't read).
At first he'd find a flat spot on a shelf to do his crossing off, and if none was available, he'd just stretch right out on the floor and do it. No one ran him over, thankfully---not even me!

Beckett's 6th Birthday Party

Tomorrow is officially my baby's birthday, but party day was today. We had a gorgeous day and he was able to open gifts outside on the deck =) The usual finger-foods made an appearance with a couple of new ones to try (the dipped grapes got a thumbs up, the hummus, not as much although "mean" Grandma is not much of a salesman!)
Beckett got a microphone, keyboard, a CD player and a few CD's, Buzz Lightyear Operation game, a scooter, clothes, savings bond, a FyrFlyz and a few more things. He's a mighty lucky little man!
Parker was on the "some assembly required" duty for the scooter, here's hoping it doesn't fall apart as he rolls down the sidewalk!

Our little Poet...

Well, maybe not quite yet. On Fridays Beckett brings home his poetry folder that has 2 new pieces in it each week. They work on them at school and he is pretty much able to read them to us by the weekend. He got Arielle on Saturday night (when she pointed out that they are really more like nursery rhymes than actual poems) and Daddy heard them tonight.
He's pretty proud of his reading ability---as are we =)

Not as a big a helper as he thinks he is.....

Just more of Beckett during Parker's Sr. picture photo shoot....

Beckett gets a library card!

Part of being in 3rd grade for Paxton means that there is reading. Like every night reading. Which he is not as thrilled about as one might think. So we've made him a deal that he can pick some of HIS choices to read from the library and that means he'll not complain when he has to read the assigned books. To make it more appealing, we went to the public library today to make train book selections. Beckett of course went along and had the courage to ask the librarian how old you had to be to get a library card. She told him there was no age limit!! Talk about happy little boy =)
So we filled out the application (I read him the questions, he answered and I wrote them down--he knew most of them!) The librarian got it all entered and handed him his card to sign. He only wanted to sign his first name though!! He was also tired of the Mamarazzi by the time we were leaving, HA! His sweet face scored him a free keychain too!

Back to School!!

Or as Kurt calls it: The most wonderful time of the year! HA! Everyone is in school all day every day this year (except for Momma, SHE graduated in the Spring!). Beckett is in kindergarten, Paxton begins 3rd grade and Parker is a SENIOR!! Everyone was pretty cooperative for the traditional first day of school photos--which is not always the case!