beloved birthday gift

Beckham got a real guitar for his birthday. Marmie has a real guitar that sits on display in her house and lately Beckham has been really interested in it. He asks to "play" her guitar every time that he is at her house. He would "play" her guitar for as long as she would let him. Sometimes he would sing a song he knew, and other times he would make up songs. He would grin from ear to ear while he sang and "played" the guitar.

Marmie happened to find a child's size guitar at a local pawn shop, and she had to get it for him! Beckham was so excited to have a guitar of his own. It even came with a strap, so Beckham could hold his guitar with ease and "play" at the same time. It was perfect!

Here is Berkley helping Beckham open his big surprise.
Admiring his beloved gift as Marmie fixes the strap.Giving us his first performance... in his chaps and all. I think he is a natural!I'm not sure he could be any happier!
He pretty much has had his guitar with him ever since he received it. He hangs it on his bed post when he goes to bed at night, so it is never far from his side. We get full out performances all day long. I thought you might all like to get a taste of his singing as well. You might want to pause the music at the bottom of my blog before you try to listen to Beckham. Here he is performing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Let's not forget the ABC's.

Beckham is currently writing some more songs of his own. We'll get those posted for all of his fans as soon as he completes them!

grandparent's day

Today was Grandparent's Day at the boy's Mother's Day Out. JT and Marmie got to come visit their classrooms, participate in some fun activities, and eat some donuts. The boys both had a great time with JT & Marmie! Brenner even enjoyed his time with them at school. (He hasn't been the biggest fan of Mother's Day Out yet; and unfortunately when it was time for the visitors to leave, he wasn't happy about it!)

Beckham really enjoyed showing his classroom to JT. He was all smiles when we got there!Brenner had fun in Beckham's class too. I think he would prefer to be in the "big kid class." The boys both enjoyed looking at books with JT & Marmie while we waited for everyone to arrive.
The boys really enjoyed the donuts! It is basically their favorite breakfast ever. Brenner shoved them in quite well.After breakfast the boys got to take their picture with Marmie & JT. Beckham was being kind of stubborn, so we didn't get a great picture. (He was upset that he had to leave his donuts to go take a picture!)
Back in the classroom Beckham got to make a special card for Marmie & JT. Marmie helped Beckham a little, and she got to make Beckham a special card too. Marmie loved the fun art activity!
The morning ended with Mrs. Beth sharing a book that Beckham's class had helped create about the reasons they loved their grandparents. It was really cute. When the story was over it was time to go. Beckham gave JT & Marmie a big kiss and hug and quickly got busy in his classroom. Brenner, on the other hand, didn't have as easy of a transition. He was pretty upset when I handed him off to Mrs. Connie. It was getting close to his nap time, so hopefully he cried himself to sleep!

Thanks Marmie & JT for coming to visit the boys this morning. They had a great time with you and really enjoyed showing their school to you both. Mimi & Papa and Ninny & PawPaw... we missed you all. I hope you enjoyed the pictures from the day. I know you all were there in spirit! We love you all!

double the pleasure, double the fun

This past Saturday we had a birthday party for both of our boys, and it was definitely "double the fun!" Here is the front of the invitation that we sent:The inside began:
Load up your wheels... whatever you like; hot wheels, a scooter, or maybe your trike!
Bring them on over to the Paul's driveway and get ready to celebrate TWO birthdays.

We'll ride and we'll race and we'll have lots of fun.
Then we'll break for some donuts when we've decided we're done.


We had a wonderful turn out for the party, and it was so fun to see the "wheels" that everyone decided to bring. Our baby birthday boy got some new "wheels" of his own from Uncle Chris & Aunt Amy. Look at his new skid steer! Maybe he'll be working on his own bike jump track before too long Chris?!?

Berkley chose to ride her pink bike. She has gotten really fast on it and is begging us to take the training wheels off. That might be our next adventure!The other birthday boy rode his stick horse for quite a while that morning, but he soon decided to saddle his new red bike that he got for Christmas. (The chaps are a birthday present from Mimi & Papa that he is already very attached to!) He has just recently started riding this bike since he finally can touch the pedals! His good friend, Avery, brought her brand new bike that she just got for her birthday.Some of our friends decided to bring their scooters. (Beckham rode his new scooter some too!)Our friend, Luke, decided to bring some really BIG wheels... his monster truck. It was a BIG hit as well, to say the least.
The most original "wheels" were definitely the ones that Uncle Chris & Aunt Amy rode in on. Very impressive. Thanks for joining in on the fun!Once all of our friends arrived on their wheels, our driveway got really busy. Berkley & Lily decided they needed to direct the traffic. (Using the racing flags, of course!)After all of the racing and riding, the kids were hungry. It was definitely time to pull the donut holes out, which are Beckham's favorite! They were a big hit with all of the kids. After all, who wouldn't enjoy grabbing handfuls of donut holes out of a big truck?

Brenner quickly realized there was something yummy up on the table. He helped himself to the leftovers!

Berkley caught him in the act and gave him a hand.

After donuts, it was time for presents! Beckham was more than ready to dig in.
Surprisingly, Brenner enjoyed getting into the presents as well.

Beckham thanked all of his friends for his wonderful gifts. His friend, Cole, gave him one of his favorites... a tiny horse trailer complete with a tiny horse. Perfect for this little cowboy!
Beckham said his goodbyes to all of his buddies as the party came to an end. Here he is giving Avery a big squeeze! So sweet!

Beckham & Brenner both had a fabulous time at their party. Thanks to all of our friends and family who came to celebrate with us and make it such a special day!

happy birthday brenner

Our baby b turned one yesterday! We had a day FULL of celebrations. Our morning started off with a big birthday party for both Beckham & Brenner. We had lots of fun and I plan to save that story for another post. After the party, we spent the afternoon playing with some great new toys. We did fit in a good nap too, which was much needed due to all of the partying that morning!

For dinner, we decided to go to Rosa's. Matt's parents were still in town, so they got to celebrate with us. The kids all love Rosa's and it is a family-friendly place that is quick, so that is where we headed. It helps too that the birthday boy LOVES beans! Before we loaded up in the car, we got Brenner's new seat installed and ready to go. That's right! Brenner has made it to the glorious day where he gets to face forward like all other human beings riding in a car! He has always done pretty well in the car anyway, but today he really enjoyed the ride. I think he was beginning to realize how great being one really is!

After we got home from dinner, it was time for birthday cake! Since the boy's party was first thing in the morning, we served donut holes... Beckham's favorite. We decided we would save Brenner's cake experience for his last big birthday surprise! Brenner loved all of us singing "Happy Birthday" to him, and he looked excited about the big piece of cake coming his way... but after digging into it, he changed his mind. He kept rubbing his messy fingers together and crying.
Daddy tried to help him out, letting him dig in face first without having to use his hands.
He took one more lick and decided that was enough. Once the cake was cleared from his tray, he began licking his fingers. For a moment there, he seemed to enjoy it.
So... we put the piece of cake back on his tray so he could try some more. Not such a good idea! He was done! Hadn't we figured that out?Brenner had much more fun in the bath once all of the icing was off of his fingers and face. Yeah, he clapped... feeling much better!
All clean and ready for bed. Brenner had a BIG day!It is so hard to believe that our baby is one. I won't be able to call him a baby anymore. He is on his way to "toddlerhood." Of course, he technically isn't "toddling" around yet, so maybe I have a little more time. Brenner has been such a blessing to our family. Although his first couple of months seemed to pass by slow, while he was uncomfortable a lot of the time at night due to heartburn; once we got that taken care of his little personality begin to evolve more and more. Brenner is definitely our little observer, who intently takes everything in; but he also has a side to him that is full of smiles and silliness. (Maybe learned from his big brother!) It has been a joy to learn more about him each day of his life and watch him make new discoveries. He definitely fills the role of baby brother quite well. After all, he has a big sister who takes care of him like a second mommy! And although Beckham is sometimes rough with him, he is also very protective of his lil' bro. We all love you so much Brenner and are grateful that you came into our life! Happy birthday baby boy!


Brenner Jack Paul
September 20, 2007

parade paradise

The West Texas Fair & Rodeo has now come and gone, but the memories will not fade for our little cowboy. The fair & rodeo always makes its entrance in town with a great parade downtown. Beckham loves parades. In fact, last year we celebrated his 2nd birthday with a party at the parade. We "tailgated" before the parade with donuts and juiceboxes and anxiously awaited the parade to begin. It was the perfect party for Beckham, and all of his friends really enjoyed it too. The entertainment that the parade provided free of charge was an added bonus as well.

This year the parade fell on the weekend before Beckham's birthday, and daddy was going to be out of town for his annual hunting/fantasy football draft weekend, so we couldn't have a sequel to the parade party. I knew we still had to make plans to go to the parade, though, since Beckham loves them so much. I rounded up my parents and sister, and we headed to the parade together. In fact, JT was wise after practice last year, and he parked his truck downtown the night before the parade. Therefore, we had a perfect spot for the parade... under a tree that provided fabulous shade! Once again, Beckham loved it. His excitement began long before the parade ever even started.

Here is my little cowboy taking everything in before the parade began.

Of course Beckham was dressed in his cowboy attire! Cowboy hat... check!
Boots and spurs... check!
Berkley wore her boots too, but they were quickly replaced. Berkley is definitely more of a flip-flop girl.
Beckham continued to watch for any signs that the parade was about to begin.
Beckham was all smiles once the festivities began. He had his parade wave down and gladly greeted everyone that came by.His cowboy attire was perfect, until he spotted an authentic group of cowboys riding by on their horses. Yep... their jeans were stuffed in their boots.
Much better!
Brenner slept through the first part of the parade amazingly, but he was able to enjoy the end of it with JT. He spent a lot of time observing everything and taking it all in. Finally, toward the end he began to smile and clap. I think he decided he might be having fun!
The parade was great. A little long, but thanks to JT's spot in the shade, it was enjoyable. Of course, not as enjoyable to anyone more than Beckham. He was indeed in parade paradise!

happy birthday beckham

Today is Beckham's 3rd birthday! We had a great day full of some family fun. Beckham's celebration actually started last night. We loaded up the whole family and headed out to the West Texas Fair & Rodeo. Berkley & Beckham got to go on several rides, eat some greasy pizza, and go to the rodeo. (Brenner went too, but he didn't get to experience any rides yet.) We met some friends there that have a little girl, Avery, who is one of Beckham's best buds. They also have a baby, Ainsley, who is just 3 months younger than Brenner. Berkley, Beckham and Avery had a blast at the rodeo; and Brenner & Ainsley were good sports too considering they were kept up way past their bedtimes. Needless to say, our kids were a little tired this morning. Of course they didn't sleep late, because they never do; but they were lazy!

Beckham requested his usual Saturday morning breakfast for his birthday... DONUTS! We put candles in his pile of donut holes and sang "Happy Birthday" to him as he sang along with us. We caught the festivities on our video camera, but unfortunately I didn't get any regular pictures.

When we finished our donuts, we went outside so the kids could ride their bikes. Chris & Amy showed up with a special delivery for Beckham!He was so proud of his new scooter. Our neighbor, William, has one just like this and Beckham is always asking to ride it. Luckily, William is always so sweet to share; but he will not have to worry about it now. Beckham has his own! He quickly asked to get the bow off so he could get to "scooting."Beckham & Berkley took turns riding the scooter and their bikes most of the morning. We broke for lunch and a little indoor playtime. Soon after that the kids were ready for a nap. When all the kids got up, we took Beckham outside to give him our gift. Beckham has been really interested in the soccer practice going on at the elementary school by our house, so Matt decided Beckham was ready for his own soccer goal to practice on. After all, since everyone thinks Beckham is named after the brilliant soccer star, it just makes sense that he would like soccer. Right? Well, we'll see. Here he is standing guard in front of his new goal. Brenner was getting really bored outside with nothing to do. Especially since we had spent so much time outside this morning. Brenner's birthday is exactly one week from today. The boys are having a dual party. (More to come on that!) Anyway, Matt & I decided we would let Brenner have his birthday present early so he could join in on the outdoor fun. He was absolutely thrilled to get a new set of wheels. They will really come in handy next Saturday for their "bring your own wheels" party too. Unfortunately his wheels are man-powered, but he had no problem getting Berkley to push him around. For dinner, Beckham requested his favorite food, pizza. Earlier in the day he wanted to go eat pizza somewhere, but after our busy afternoon he decided he just wanted to have pizza delivered. Since we had been so busy outside testing out all the new birthday gifts, we got the pizza ordered a little late. Brenner was getting hungry & tired, so he went in for an early bath. Berkley & Beckham decided they wanted to do the same, so they all ended up having a pajama pizza party for Beckham's birthday. Once again, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Beckham and put candles in his pizza. He sang along with us too. He loves to sing this song! After he got his candles blown out, he proudly showed us how old he is now! (He has been practicing this for a few weeks now.)

Brenner wasn't quite sure what all of the excitement was about. He just wanted to eat some pizza!

We had a great day celebrating with Beckham. I truly can't believe he is growing up so fast. He brings so much joy to our family. His smile is amazing, and can melt anyone's heart. His personality is one-of-a-kind for sure. We love you Beckham and are so blessed to have you in our family.

Beckham Edward Paul

September 13, 2005

Here is Beckham on the move. We used this picture for his 1st birthday invitation.

Last year, for Beckham's 2nd birthday, we had his party at the West Texas Fair & Rodeo parade downtown. It was so much fun and it involved all of his favorite things... horses, boots & hats, drums, big trucks, and donuts!Happy Birthday Beckham!!!