Changes

Change #1

We moved to Nampa, Idaho. This is definitely a big change for us. We left many friends and even family in Rexburg. We miss them! We have made a few new friends though and hope to continue to do so. Nampa is much bigger than Rexburg. We are still getting used to that. Some ways it’s nice because there are more options for grocery shopping and lots of new things to see. Boise is close and we are excited to go to the zoo, museums and enjoy the capitol. The newly rededicated Boise temple is beautiful. There seems to be a lot happening on this side of Idaho. We’re looking forward to state basketball, and state track. Go RRHS! I mean, go SKYVIEW!

Jesse is enjoying student teaching and really likes Skyview High School. He hopes to be offered a position.  He teaches English to all freshman classes including an honor class and one being special Ed. His mentor teacher is a great teacher and he is learning a lot from her. In March, she will be going on maternity leave and Jesse will become a long term sub for the rest of the year. We are excited and feel blessed for this opportunity since he will get paid for doing so.

Change #2

We down sized from a 3 bedroom apartment to a two bedroom, BUT we now have a dishwasher and a washer and dryer! Yippy! No more coin operated laundry.  This is perfect timing because I’m about to tell you what change #3 is.

Change #3

POTTY TRAINING.  I've heard many stories about this subject. I've heard you have to be consistent. I've heard excuses why people are waiting until their child is older or until the parent is more “ready” or until they’re done with the semester etc. until they start potty training. I thought they were just excuses. Now. I. Get. It. Ugh. Its hard work! I've also heard stories from the other side of the spectrum as well. “Just put them in underwear and stay home for two days only focusing on going pee in the potty and wah la! Your child is golden.” That’s great for those people. I’m happy for them.

Coleman has been in undies (naturally I was calling them panties since I came from a house full of girls but c’mon, boys can’t call them panties) for 3 ½ weeks now. He has yet to poo in the toilet. He still has accidents almost daily and wets the bed about every other night. This is why I am so grateful to have my own washing machine! He does well when we are in public and has had only one accident. Of course it was at Wal-Mart. Playing outside doesn't count as being in public. He’s improving though and definitely makes it to the potty more than not. He’s even learned how to dump the “potty bowl” into the big potty. I’m not a huge fan of this because he misses half the time and you can guess the mess, but I’m proud of his independency. He wants to do more and more by himself and has adopted “I wanna dooo it!” as his favorite phrase. Something else that potty training has brought on is excuses. How is it, that a two year old learns to make excuses. Every time its bed time or Coleman doesn't want to eat his food, he says he needs to go potty. Of course as soon as his little hiney hits the pot, he says he’s all done.  The little stinker has learned to make excuses. Anyway, I love not having to buy him diapers! Now we just need to potty train Emers…in a few years. 

                                         Coleman in his little boxer briefs

Change #4

Emerson is everywhere, has 7 teeth, cruises around the furniture and can stand for about 3-10 seconds without holding onto anything. This child is a goer. He’s changing much and progressing in mobility much faster than Coleman did.  It’s fun to watch, and at the same time sad. Slow down little buddy! Jesse and I are considering buying him some type of helmet. His poor little head is covered in bruises from always falling. It’s been a couple of months since I've seen him bruise-free. I’m pretty sure he’s going to have some brain damage if we don’t help him out somehow. I’m hoping that babies are much more durable than adults because if not, then he’s for sure had a few concussions. We've decided a helmet is our only option at solving this. We’ll let you know. J

Check out his bruise on his little noggin.

                                                         Cheese!

Change #5

No internet. Well pretty much no internet. Jesse bought an IPhone which is our only internet access. We can hook up our lap top but we don’t have much data and he’s gone during the day so I go without. I am learning that this really isn’t such a bad thing. Often times I would get online to check something and I would be online much longer than anticipated. It’s an easy way to waste time. I have spent much more valuable time with my boys and it’s been great. I’m ACTUALLY blogging now that I don’t have much online access. It’s easier to write when I don’t have all the distractions or my Facebook to check.  Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I miss it and would love to have it back but I am definitely seeing good in it.

Our lives are not perfect but they are great and we are happy. We’re excited to be here in Nampa. I am happy and very VERY grateful to be a stay-at-home- mom and have many adventures with the best little boys ever.

A Whopping 2 Years!

Dear Coleman,
   You are now two years old and I can hardly believe it. You have grown so much this past year.  You have grown a couple inches and maybe a pound and a half. You're starting to lose your baby fat and looking more like a little boy. You have started speaking in short sentences and say things such as, "What that? Emers crying. I want one. Hi Emers! I wuv trains. I wuv Buzz. Come on. Let's go. Watch out. Please don't. Brush teeth. Ah poo poo." Those are just a few. You love to run, dance, and jump. You have discovered Toy Story and you absolutely love Woody and Buzz. You could watch Toy Story 1,2 and 3 over and over every day and would never get tired of it. You love every type of ball and can name them. You really enjoy books and will sit down to look at them all on your own. Your favorites are Llama Llama Red Pajama, and My Little Train. You even have parts of these books memorized. You can count to 8 and sometimes 10. You know parts of the ABC song. You started going to toddler lab this last fall and you always loved it. When Dad or I dropped you off you wouldn't even look back to say goodbye because you were too excited to start playing with all of your friends. This is the same with nursery. After sacrament meeting before I can get everything gathered up you are running down the aisle, through the hall and into nursery. You often beat the teachers there. You love farm animals, trucks and very recently cars. Your favorite song is "I Love to See the Temple". You recognize the Rexburg temple every time we drive by and shout, "Temple! Temple!" You like to say your prayers...most of the time. You are a very good brother and often watch out for Emerson. You have a great imagination when you play and it's fun to watch or join in. When it comes to eating you are a little picky. You absolutely LOVE Greek "yog" (yogurt) though, and ask for it at every meal. You also love "chup" (ketchup). You eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, scrambled eggs, pancakes, chicken nuggets, sometimes cheese, most fruit and noodles. You usually eat your vegetables as long as its baby food (yuck). Other than that, its hard to get you to eat much more. You are a happy boy and love to laugh. Sometimes you act up a little and will yell. This is when you get to stand in the corner, and you do. You try to get others to laugh so you can laugh with them. You aren't very shy. You often say "hey!" to people you see. You love your aunts, uncles, and grandparents. You also enjoy your cousins when you see them. You love it when I tickle your back or rub your feet and ask me to do so at night. You bring so much joy and light to our family and often make me laugh. You give great hugs and kisses. I'm grateful to be your mom and have you as my little boy. I wish you could stay little forever but I'm excited to see the great person you will become. I love you little Coleman.

Love Mama

Emerson Graham Beynon

Emerson was due June 4 but I was hoping he would come over Memorial weekend. No school or work on Monday for Jesse, my mom was supposed to come up that weekend and I was ready.  As the weekend got closer I got crankier and less convinced that he was going to come then.  I had gone from feeling like I was going to have him any day to this-little-guy-is-going-to-be-in-there-a little-longer type of feeling. Saturday morning Jesse and I went and cleaned the church building. I don't know but maybe that's what got things started. Service=blessings right? I felt pretty good the rest of that day, just tired and antsy. It rained all day and I just wanted to get out and do something before I would be cooped up in the house for awhile. I had no  idea that would come sooner than later.  Jesse and I stayed up late watching a movie. We went to bed around 11:00 pm. I don't think I ever really fell into a deep sleep. I was in between that place of sleep and awake for awhile thinking that my abdomen hurt. At about 12:45 Sunday morning I became fully awake and acknowledge that I had cramps. I told Jesse I thought that I was going into labor.  I wasn't sure if I really believed it. With Coleman my water broke, so there was no question. We decided to start timing my cramping/contractions. They hurt but were definitely bearable. They lasted about 2 minutes with 3 minutes in between. They didn't seem too consistent. I decided to get up and Google contractions since I couldn't remember the timing of labor contractions. By the time I found what I was looking for and made it back to my room they were a little stronger. It was now 1:00 am and I felt like that's when things got rolling. We slowly started getting things ready. I called our friends and had them come over to stay with Coleman. During all this I became quit convinced that I was definitely in labor. We checked into the hospital a little after 2:00 am. After about 30 minutes of questions the nurse checked me and I was dilated between a 6 and 7. The contractions didn't feel too great at this point and I was now getting them in my back. We went to the delivery room and I used the rest room. I noticed I was bleeding some and asked the nurse if that was normal. She said it could be, just depends. I wasn't quit sure what that meant. She decided to check me again and I dilated to a 7 and was bleeding quite a bit with each contraction. This is about the time the Doc arrived. The plan was to skip the IV like I did with Coleman but since I was bleeding heavily the nurse stuck me. I could tell the nurses and doctor were a little concerned but were trying not to show it. They wanted to get things rolling which luckily they did. Pretty soon I was a 10 and the doctor broke my water. I started pushing and I have to say it was harder and much less enjoyable than the first time around. Oh yea, Jesse about passed out unexpectedly from seeing all of the blood (normally he's not bothered by it). Luckily for everyone's sake he didn't. I pushed about 5 or 6 times and we had little Emerson at 3:07 pm. He came just in time. The placenta started detaching a little too early hence all the bleeding. Emerson was 5 lbs 7 oz and 19 in long. He was very healthy, hairy and had all fingers and toes accounted for :). They figured he was probably a little earlier than 8 days, more likely about 3 weeks. Jesse handed me our little guy and as he did, he gripped Jesse's finger tightly. He was so little and precious. I feel very blessed to have good pregnancies, labors and deliveries as well as babies.

He's my little fuzz ball.

Brothers meet.

Coleman came to the hospital Sunday evening. He wasn't too sure what to think. He loved Emerson's onsie that had various balls printed on it. Coleman kept pointing to them and saying "ball". He also loved the buttons on my bed. He gave Emerson a poke or two and giggled. It was pretty cute.

First family picture.

Emerson is a good little baby. He's been gaining weight well despite how often he spits up. Anytime he gets the hiccups he loses about everything he has in his stomach.  I also have to watch what I eat (dairy, spicy, garlic) because that seems to add to him losing his lunch too. He is a loud little guy. He makes a lot of noises; mainly grunts, snorts and something that resembles a goat.

Coleman is acknowledging "Brother" more and more and has agreed to holding him twice within the last couple of days. He loves stealing Emers's binky and at times will try to shove it back in his mouth. Coleman also loves throwing things into the bassinet. Luckily we haven't had too many accidents. Slowly but surely our family is adjusting to a new member in the family. I love my boys and my dear husband who helps me with so much and is a fantastic father. We are blessed to have such a great leader in our home.

SuNsHiNe! Written May 2011

So the other day it was just beautiful and sunny.  I wanted to go outside with Coleman and enjoy it.  So I got Coleman ready and left him on the floor for a few minutes while I left the room to get me ready. 2 minutes later this is what I find. So cute!...but I was like "Really Coleman? You have to fall asleep now?" How could I wake him up when he looked so content and peaceful? Luckily it was only a "cat nap" and we made it outside!

Coleman loves his sunglasses...well he tolerates them, so I am going to say he loves them. We sat one the grass outside our apartment for awhile.

Coleman

My sister-in-law writes her children a letter every year for their birthday. I love this and have looked forward to doing the same for my children when the time came. Well the time has come and gone and I haven't done it! Coleman has been 1 for months now. I think it's time I get on it so here it goes. (Events in letter take place before first birthday.)

Coleman,

This year has really flown by! It's been one of the greatest years of my life. A year ago I became your mother. You were born on Sunday, December 26th, 2010 a 8:44 p.m. Giving birth to you was an amazing and fairly quick experience. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. You were so little to me. You weighed 6 lbs 6 oz and were 19 in. long. You had fuzzy red hair. You still have the fuzzy hair but it's not quite so red now.  We named you Coleman Jonas Beynon.  Coleman means "man of war".  That's what we hope you to be; a warrior of righteousness. Jonas means "dove" which also means peace. So far you have been a peaceful and easy baby and you didn't cry much. You have always been a good sleeper. About the time you turned 5 months, you started really growing and you became more solid and found you some chubby cheeks. I love your little chubby cheeks. You are a good little eater and you drink a lot of milk.  Around 7 months you started inch-worming your way around the house. A good motivation for you to move was your little orange ball.  You would crawl to it and just bump it out of reach and so you would have to crawl to it again.  You finally started crawling on your hands and knees around 10 months, right about the same time you started pulling yourself up into standing position. At 9 months you cut your first tooth and it was a breeze.  You have never made a big fuss when you have cut teeth. You love to laugh and your dad is the one who makes you laugh the most.  You love pens, socks, toothbrushes, books and of course balls. You love watching dad play soccer and you always try to sneak out on the field during his games. You're good at rolling a soccer ball around. Sometimes you try to stack some of your toys and become frustrated when you can't. Most of the things you try to stack aren't very stackable for someone so little but you still try. You have learned to say a few words. You can say "hot" and it's one of your favorite things to say.  In your first year you have learned to take a few steps but you haven't mastered walking yet. You try to run before you have mastered walking. It's cute.  You have brought so much joy to my life as a mother. You are my little buddy. In a few months you will be a big brother and I am sure that you will be a good leader and example to your little brother. I am looking forward to every year we will have together but I hope they go by slow.  I want you to stay little as long as you can. I love you Little Man.

Love Mom

Last Year's Christmas

Christmas.

Taken by Darcy Case

I have not posted for a couple of months now...and a ton has happened. I am going to start with Christmas. We had a great Christmas with Jesse's family this year. We had a great trip to Grand Junction, CO. On our way to Colorado we first hit my friend Rhett's wedding in Twin Falls. It was great to go to the sealing. We went to the luncheon in Burley and then headed to Utah. We stayed a night with my Aunt Leanna.  It's always great to see her and spend some time with her. We left the next morning and pulled into G.J. pretty good time. Jesse and I helped his dad prepare turkey dinner while Joy was still at work. Once she got home, Jesse's sister's and family came over and we had us a great dinner. We stayed for a week and had a blast. Jesse and I spent about three of those nights sleeping together in a twin bed, talk about snuggling all night and waking up stiff. It was great though. Coleman had his first Christmas and he enjoyed it, but mostly he enjoyed his cousins. He loved following them around the Case's house and interacting with them. I wish he could see them more. It's been awhile since I have been around little kids for Christmas. It's great! There is so much excitement and craziness and it brings a catching joy into the room. Over the holidays, we spent a lot of time playing Acquire.  It's such a fun game and Jesse couldn't seem to get enough of it. 

We celebrated Coleman's 1st birthday the day after Christmas. He received lots of love from his cousins and family. We all enjoyed the cup cakes that Grandma Joy made.

 We were able to go to Almo, ID to be with my family for the New Year. It's wonderful that my grandparents live in my hometown as well so we can always see them when we see my family. Coleman is their first great-grandchild. The family brought the New Year in by playing Apples to Apples. I have never played that game for so long. We almost went through all the cards. It was fun.

                    

Overall, our holidays were great. The best thing was being with family. We are so blessed with the families we have. 

Once there was a Coleman/Snowman

This winter has definitely been a mild and nice one. I have to say I have missed the snow a little...just a little. The few times it has snowed, we got right outside and took advantage of it. I don't think I put my snow pants on once last year since I was pregnant and then I had a newborn. It felt great to put them on this year and use them! I love dressing Coleman up in his snow gear. He's so cute. He reminds me of the little brother Randy in the movie, The Christmas Story.

One afternoon Coleman and I wiggled into all our getup while Jesse was at work. We went outside and made a snowman. Coleman mostly sat and watched, but he crawled around a little bit too. Our snowman is still standing today (2 1/2 weeks) but he looks pretty sad. I'm glad I got a couple of pics! The neighbor girl donated her scarf and two Sour Patch kids for the eyes. The rest of the stuff we found outside.

Coleman's rosy cheeks after we came inside.

 I wanted to take him sledding but we are sled-less so we used a cookie sheet. It worked fairly well, except for the fact that it is about as slick on top where Coleman would sit as it is on the bottom. So when I would push him he usually slid right off. He enjoyed it though. Luckily, a week later, our ward went sledding so Coleman was able to use a real sled...here's a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg70NZqBrAs&feature=youtu.be