2149 1/2 Woodridge Drive

Today has been cloudy and somewhat cooler, which has been a nice break from the heat of the summer. I suggested to the kids that we should enjoy it and play outside. Berkley agreed and also decided that we should have a picnic in the playhouse. Beckham thought that was a fabulous idea as well. So, I fixed our lunch and we all headed out to 2149 1/2 Woodridge Drive (where our busy b's reside) for a wonderful dining experience. As we ate lunch together in their playhouse, my mind began to take a stroll down memory lane. I thought back to how we acquired this wonderful house, the hours of work that Marmie & JT put into it, and all of the fun and excitement that have come since it was completed. I decided to take you all down memory lane as well. I hope you enjoy!

In the Summer of 2006 we were over at a friend's house eating dinner and letting the kids play. They have a daughter that is just a few days older than Berkley, and they have been friends pretty much since the moment they were born! We were watching Berkley and Annabelle play in a playhouse that they had in their yard that was completely falling apart. Our friend commented that they needed to get rid of the house before it did fall down. I immediately insisted that they could not get rid of it, knowing the potential this house could have. (The need to save an old house definitely comes from my mom!) They agreed, but knew it would be too much work. They offered the house to me on one condition... I had to find a way to get it off of their property without the house completely falling apart. I wished so badly there was a way to get it, but knew it would probably be too big of a job.

I was foolish to think that any job was too big for Marmie & JT who are pros at fixing up old houses! I mentioned the house in conversation to my mom and the offer that had been given to me and immediately her eyes lit up as she said, "You have to take it!" She mentioned it to my dad, and he just happened to have a guy who does some construction work for his company who owed him a little favor. He thought he might be able to move the house for us. So this is where the journey began.

The guys showed up with big machinery to make a plan of attack...
After several trials and errors, the house was successfully off of the ground,
headed down the driveway,
and onto the street headed to its new address!

Without much trouble, the house safely made it up our driveway.

Berkley watched the whole process, not completely understanding the prize that awaited her!
After a lot of hard work and maneuvering, the precious old house was settled in our backyard. It "sat" there for the entire summer untouched and unattended. It was not really in good condition to be played in, and time had not been found to spend "remodeling" it. Matt, who was not in favor of moving the house to our backyard for this very reason that it might just "sit" in our yard and continue to fall apart, was beginning to relish in many "I told you so" comments! The Fall and Spring passed as the little old house continued to sit. As Spring approached, plans began to be discussed as how to save this great house. Marmie spent many hours dreaming up all of the fixes that she could make to the house and planning its miraculous transformation. Once the Summer of 2007 began, there was some serious work that needed to be done!

I was 6 months pregnant and was not a lot of help during this renovation period, but not to fear... Marmie had 2 little helpers who were always eager for a job!

Look at these professional paint scrapers...

Working with such precision and technique!!! We could have scraped old paint for years!Anyone having images of Cinderella?!? Berkley was always a big help cleaning up at the end of a work day. Once the scraping was finished, it was on to the inside. Berkley assisted Marmie with the wallpaper.Meanwhile, there was quite a bit of construction going on inside. JT & Beckham built a counter complete with cabinets and a kitchen sink!Looks like Beckham is finishing up a job for JT.Hammering just a few more times... it has to be just right! JT putting some of the final touches on the paint job. (Beckham really wanted to be helping up there as well!)A little glimpse of a before photo of the inside of the playhouse... The same view after wallpaper, paint, new shutters and a lot of clean-up and TLC!!!

The playhouse was finally complete and Berkley had big plans! She had already decided during the renovation that she wanted to have a tea party in her new playhouse to celebrate her birthday. So, we quickly put all of the finishing touches on the playhouse and prepared to have a birthday brunch at 2149 1/2 Woodridge Drive to celebrate Berkley's 4th birthday. Here is the picture that we used for Berkley's invitation.

Several of Berkley's friends showed up, dressed in their tea party best, to enjoy the new playhouse with Berkley. They all had a great time and looked absolutely adorable!Marmie, Amy, and myself couldn't miss out on the fun either. We joined in and dressed up as well.Berkley's party was the first of many fun times in the playhouse. Berkley and Beckham both LOVE to play in the playhouse. (And I'm sure Brenner soon will!) It has been everything from a house, to a school, to Starbucks or the church nursery... you name it. Imaginations run wild when you step inside. Thank you Marmie & JT for all of the hard work you put into this dream house. We are all forever grateful and will always cherish all of the memories that are made inside!

This brings me back to the present... our picnic in the playhouse. (Just one of the many ways we are always enjoying this little place!) So if you are ever in the neighborhood, you must make sure to visit my little b's cozy cottage. Some even joke that it is nicer than some of the places they have lived. After all, Marmie was the interior decorator... what do you expect?!?

in the pit

Our family was invited to a birthday party this weekend at Gymnastics Sports Center. Basically for the first hour of the party, all of the kids had "free play" on most of the equipment. Our kid's favorite was definitely the foam pit. They could run and jump into the pit off of the vault or they could swing into the pit from a rope. I think they could have stayed in the pit for days!


Beckham vaulting into the pit with all of his might.Here is Beckham climbing out of the pit.Berkley headed into the pit somewhat gracefully.Here is Berkley swinging into the pit and loving every minute of it. (This was definitely her favorite thing!)
Once Beckham got the hang of it, he had a great time on the rope as well.
Meanwhile, Brenner did some jumping on the trampoline with Daddy... hard to tell if that is a face of excitement, fear or just severe concern.
He had the most fun simply laying on the trampoline and letting someone bounce him.
The party ended perfectly with cupcakes for everyone. Bright blue frosting for Beckham and bright red frosting for Berkley. (Yes, that is only frosting... not lipstick!!)Needless to say, our kids slept quite well last night. Happy Birthday Natalie and a big thanks to Gary & Karen for an evening of fun!!!

small town rodeo

We went to the Coleman Rodeo this past Friday night. We all had a really good time, but Beckham had an absolute blast. He got to wear his jeans, boots and spurs so life was good! Matt has a good friend, SuJo, that he used to work with who is one of the "Coleman cowgirls." They get to ride several times during the rodeo. We thought it would be fun for the kids to see her ride. Unfortunately, she had a conflict in her schedule and didn't make it in time to ride on Friday night. We did get to visit with her, however, and Beckham got to show off his spurs. She was quite impressed!


Here is Beckham and I before the rodeo began. He was ready for things to get started!





We met our friends, Scott & Amanda, at the rodeo. Scott is from Coleman, so they usually always go to the rodeo. They have a precious little girl, Avery, who is Beckham's age. In fact, they are only a couple of weeks apart. They have been in Mother's Day Out together and are great friends. Beckham absolutely LOVES her!! (I know... he has good taste in women!)

Here is Beckham putting a squeeze on Avery.


Really... could they be any cuter?!? They had so much fun together!

For some reason Beckham wanted to hold Avery's hand so bad. At first Avery wasn't sure about that, but she soon changed her mind. Pretty sweet!

We really enjoyed watching all of the events... but the bull riding was a great way to end the rodeo. It kept everyone's attention. Here is Matt & Berkley watching in amazement!

Beckham stood for most of the rodeo. He clapped, yelled and screamed "yee-haw!" all night long. He seemed to watch every move made by those cowboys, not wanting to miss anything.

I am so glad we made the adventure to Coleman for the rodeo. It was a late night, but it was completely worth it. Berkley had fun simply because she knew she was getting to stay up late, but to Beckham I think this was a very memorable experience. It truly was priceless watching some of his reactions. I'm pretty sure we'll be back to the small town rodeo again next year. (Maybe Brenner will make it too!)

successful swimmers

Well, we successfully completed swim lessons again this year. Berkley gained more confidence in herself and is really enjoying swimming on her own. She is now jumping off the diving board and swimming to the side of the pool without any help, and she is working on taking breaths as she swims. Beckham didn't need a "confidence boost" when it came to being around the water, but he did need some work on water skills. He has now learned to keep his mouth closed under water, keeping himself from drinking the entire pool. He has become a master at blowing bubbles, and he is learning to kick his legs and move his arms at the same time while keeping his face underwater. Berkley and Beckham both had a great time and are excited about the summer ahead of them and all of their swimming opportunities at the pool and the lake.





Here is Berkley posing with her new t-shirt. Beckham showing off his shirt as well. I'm not sure what that face is?!?



Here is Berkley with her friends from swim class, Hannah and Emma Beth. They were all getting ready to show off their skills. Parents were invited to watch during the last lesson to see what everyone had learned.

Berkley had fun showing us her skills! She looked pretty proud of herself!

Here she is swimming to her teacher, Mr. Evan.

Last, but certainly not least, Berkley got to show us her skills on the diving board!

Beckham actually jumped off the diving board too, but unfortunately my battery on my camera died. (I know, nice planning by mom!) I hate that I don't have any video footage to show of him, but I am sure there will be plenty to capture this summer. Here is Matt & Beckham warming up in the pool together and having a blast!

Here he is showing off his kicking skills... nice work!

We are all really looking forward to spending the summer in the water and staying cool!!!

brandin' b's

My dad has had some land in Brownwood for several years now. Originally, he used it simply to hunt on; but it later turned into Rock Springs Ranch. He has had several cattle and horses the past few years. Along with the herd of cattle obviously comes several calves. Each year the new calves must be given shots, branded, and castrated. The "branding" has become a family tradition somewhat that provides great entertainment. The men of the family all participate in some way, while the women and children are simply spectators. This past weekend was the infamous "branding." Beckham, of course, was very excited about it. He was ready first thing that morning with his jeans, boots, spurs, and cowboy hat! Berkley dressed in her cowgirl attire as well. As girly as she is, she truly enjoys this event. (I think she appreciates the entertainment! And the fact that she gets to watch her daddy & JT play cowboy, which is something she doesn't see every day!)

This year the branding was a little modernized. JT tried an electric brand. Look at that smoke... that just can't be enjoyable! Like I said earlier, ALL of the men get involved. Chris helps "tackle" these poor calves, while Matt does the "cutting." Calf fries anyone?!?
Beckham & Berkley watched in amazement...
and were pretty cute little cowpokes!!!
When the branding was finished, Beckham got to "participate" a little. Here he is helping JT "count the cattle."
He also got to ride with Cowboy Tom. (He is a genuine cowboy who takes care of things at the ranch... there were a few other cowboys there to help besides JT, Matt & Chris!!!)Here is Beckham trying out his "yee-haw." He was a little shy at first, but he gave it a good try.

In my last blog I mentioned Berkley's attention to detail in certain situations... well I think Beckham paid quite a bit of attention at the branding as well. Tonight we ate dinner outside with our friend, Keeton. After dinner Berkley & Beckham ran around playing while we were talking. Matt began to notice that they were tackling each other, which is not normal for them. Then he heard Berkley shout out, "No, don't brand me!" As we began watching we quickly realized they were "branding" each other. They were taking turns being the cow or the cowboy. I love the fact that they were using red and yellow hot peppers from their kitchen to brand with! They are too funny! Kids really pick up on so much more than we give them credit for.

Here is the "tackle" by cowboy Beckham...

Branding Berkley... her face kind of looks like the expression on those poor calves!

So... these are my brandin' b's. Who knows what the next adventure will be!!!

birthday babes

Happy Birthday Marmie & Cha Cha!!! My mom (Marmie) and one of her friends since childhood (Cha Cha) both celebrate birthdays at the beginning of June. Cha Cha (Marsha's grandmother name) moved to this area a year or two ago. Both of her children live here now too. In fact, her daughter is named Amy also, and she got married in my parent's backyard just like my sister and I both did. Marsha's daughter, Amy, has a little boy who was born just 4 days before Brenner. His name is Eli. We have been wanting to get them together for a playdate with their grandmothers, but had yet to do so. We decided a birthday celebration would be a great reason! We planned a birthday lunch at my mom's house to celebrate and play together.

Cha Cha & Marmie blowing out their birthday candles together.
Brenner absolutely loved his party hat and was completely entertained by all of the festivities!
Berkley also had a great time. She LOVES parties... especially getting ready for them. This morning she had to change her clothes once she realized that Marmie's party was today. She insisted on wearing a pretty dress for the big celebration.
The birthday party obviously made a big impression on Berkley. We had not been home 5 minutes when I walked in the playroom to find this scene:
Baby Owen and Elmo were treated to a fabulous birthday celebration of their own.
This is one of the things that I love about Berkley. She pays such attention to things in certain situations and once she is home the scene is acted out in her own way. Each day when she returns home from preschool, I love to watch her play. I always know exactly what went on at school that day and what she learned, because she acts it out play by play with all of her babies and animals. (She, of course, is the teacher. And if Beckham is lucky, her gets to be one of her students.) Wouldn't it be nice if she would continue this pattern as a teenager?!? To learn things that went on throughout her day without having to ask her... I could only be so lucky!

Happy Birthday Marmie & Cha Cha! We love you!!!