Blustery March Afternoon

We almost blew away at the Botanic Gardens this afternoon. The boys didn't seem to mind, however, and had fun running around getting dirty. I was happy that the place was nearly empty today because it made keeping track of them easier! These boys are constantly in motion. There are a lot of reasons why I think becoming a mom at age 25 would have really been difficult but, I'm not going to lie, having the energy of a 20-something mom would be handy!

They loved the dramatic play area...

The wind blew over this wooden bench & Davis really wanted to fix it.

Digging in the dirt--fun!

Walking on the wobbly bridge

Checking out the view from the birds' nest.

An All-Time Low

It's no secret that Carter has been a challenge in the potty-training department. Today I did something that I make a point never to do...lie to my son. I told him we were out of Pull-Ups and that he would either have to poop in his undies or on the potty. I reminded him that when he poops on the potty he gets a brand new scooter (we are desperate, people!) AND threw in that we could also stop at the cheeseburger shop (aka McDonald's) on the way home from the store. I also sang the "If Carter Goes Poop on the Potty" song that I made up and now sing on a daily basis. When all of that didn't seem to convince him, I bribed him to sit on the potty by putting the laptop in the bathroom and letting him watch his favorite PBS show while he tooted away. I'm not kidding you, my butt fell asleep while I SAT ON THE FLOOR FOR 45 MINUTES encouraging him to go and giving him positive reinforcement.
Guess what happened?! Nothing. No poop, not even a rabbit turd. Are you kidding me?! We have tried stickers, candy, small toys from the $1 bin, large shiny red cars, making him take off the dirty pants & clean himself afterwards, the aforementioned scooter and trip to Mickey D's and this kid is not budging. I think I'm done. If he wants to be the only kid in Kindergarten to not poop in the potty, so be it. I'm sure the peer pressure will get him by the time he reaches high school.

There's No Stopping Him Now

This boy got off to a slow start in the talking department, but he is now a little parrot. He learned how to say "bye-bye" and "mirror" today. We will have to watch what we say around here!

Aunt Sister

Christy was in town for business this week and spent the night with us on Monday. We are so happy we got to see her & are hoping that her new promotion at work will mean she gets to travel to Colorado more often. Actually, I am secretly hoping that she will meet a guy on the slopes out here & be "forced" to move to Denver!

Sean and Sister went skiing today and last night the boys were very happy to help them get all their gear packed up. I think we have two future skiers/riders on our hands!

Look how tiny Carter's little ski boots are next to Sean's--I love them!

Davis looked like a robot walking around in Carter's boots.

Zzzzzzz...

Two sleeping boys=one happy mommy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We baked Shamrock cookies to celebrate St. Patty's Day and Carter had a visit from some Leprechauns at school! They made a mess in the classroom, brought green juice and left green water (or whatever) in the potty...it was a pretty fun day!

Park It

Today was a beautiful day to get outside & head to the park. After two rounds of antibiotics for Carter's Strep throat and now Davis on antibiotics for bilateral ear infections, we have been battling cabin fever big-time. Bring on Spring!

Keep It Comin' Boys

The boys have done/said some things the past few weeks that, I think, are blog-worthy. Since my memory is horrible, I am writing them here to refer back to when I need a good laugh/smile.

~Yesterday we ran errands and when we turned into the parking lot of our outdoor mall Carter said: "Mommy, are we going to the circle store (aka: Target) or the star store (aka: Macy's)? " He's my little shopper!

~While we were in St. Louis,we had the pleasure of Carter pooping in his pants at lunch. Out at a restaurant. With the wife of one of Sean's HS friends as our server. Fabulous. I took him into the bathroom to deal with the aftermath. This was the conversation when we got back to the table:
Sean: "Carter, did mommy have a talk with you in the bathroom?"
Carter: "No, she had a yell with me."
...it was not my finest mommy moment.


~The other night before bed, Carter turned to me and said "Mommy, your the BEST." That little stinker can be pretty darn sweet when he wants to be.

~I picked up Davis when I got home from work on Saturday morning & then started talking to Sean about how the night had gone. I noticed that Davis was pretty close to my face (usually he is busy looking around or trying to reach for something to snack on, etc.). When I finally stopped talking & looked at him, I saw that Davis was leaning in to give me a kiss! I have only gotten him to sporadically give me kisses when I ask for them, but never has he offered one on his own. I love it!!

~Of the few body parts Davis knows, one is his boy-part. That's right, he's 15 months old and already thinking like a teenager. He can point to his: mouth, ear, tummy, knee, foot and "pee pee". We are obviously so proud.

Putting It Out There

After much thought and planning, we have decided to put our house on the market and see what happens. It is a great home, but becoming way too small for our family of four. We will certainly miss our proximity to downtown, great shopping and our favorite neighborhood coffee shops & restaurants. If the house sells, we are hoping to move West to be closer to Sean's work.

It was a VERY tough decision to stay in Colorado instead of moving back to Missouri, but we are hopeful that our next house will have enough space that our parents (and friends!) can feel comfortable visiting us as often as as frequently as they like. We love having visitors!

We have spent the past several weekends de-cluttering and working on projects to get the house ready to list. I posted some photos of Sean and Carter painting the kitchen. It went from green to grey and we are really happy with the results.

Before the grey transformation...

...and AFTER! The grey is subtle, but looks so nice with the black cabinets.

15 Months!

Davis turned 15 months old this week and he is becoming more like a little boy each day and less like my baby. He is talking so much now and we are actually able to understand some of it. He is still selective about when he uses words and when he grunts and points. Either way, he makes his needs known! He has been barking like a dog lately when he sees a dog; either real, stuffed or in books. It is pretty cute!
Davis still has a great appetite and would eat all day if you let him. He runs everywhere and climbs things Carter has never attempted. Have I mentioned that he has NO fear?! He has this look he gives when he knows he is not supposed to do something but wants to test the limits. It's almost as if you can see him weighing the options on whether or not to risk it. He is a stinker! But, so darn cute that I can't help but smother him with kisses and hugs every chance I get. We love you, Davis! You are such a joy to everyone who knows you...that sparkling little personality will get you far, son.

Meet Us in St. Louis...

We made a trip to Sean's hometown last week and had such a nice visit with his parents and three brothers. His sister and her family were the only ones missing. We were able to do several fun things while we were in town and Sean's mom had everyone over for a big meal on Sunday. The boys enjoyed playing with 10 of their cousins and we enjoyed catching up with everyone.
On the plane ride home, I asked Carter what his favorite part of our trip had been. He paused for several seconds, then said "Getting to see Grandma & Grandpa." It was so sweet. Thanks, Mom & Dad B. for a great time and the wonderful hospitality. We love you both!

Our ride is here!

The boys waiting for our plane.


Helping Grandma Pat make a cake.

Sean modeling his t-shirt from a recent Vegas trip. It was a little much for breakfast, I thought.

St. Louis Zoo

We had a great time exploring the St. Louis zoo while we were in town. It is amazing...and, free! We got a late start so in no way saw the entire zoo, but the highlights were the train and the penguin exhibit. I'm hoping we can make it an annual outing!

Here comes the train! Four stops throughout the zoo and it goes under a waterfall...

In the background, you can see the dark-colored aviary that is one of the few (maybe the only, I can't remember) original structures from the 1904 World's Fair. How cool!

Five Beilmans on a train

Having a blast with Grandma Pat

The tigers were a favorite, of course!

The penguin/puffin exhibit was very cool...as in frigid. It was chilly and very smelly in there, but one of the nicest zoo exhibits I've ever seen.

The Magic House

Sean had fond memories of going to the Magic House as a child, so he was pretty excited to take our boys for the first time. The museum did not disappoint. It was at least double the size of our local Children's Museum and had so many cool exhibits. We felt like we only scratched the surface when we finally left. It was a great day!

We just got lucky and happened to visit while the "Bob the Builder" exhibit was in town.

Each alphabet letter lifted up to reveal an object that started with that letter. Carter would have been happy to stay at this stop all day.

Foam pit for the little guys

Gears, gears and more gears!

This was the coolest water table I have ever seen.

Carter working the Pizza Parlour. Davis was kind of upset to find that the pizza was plastic. That's when we decided it was time for lunch.

Carter climbing the three-story beanstalk.

Those balls are just out of reach...

and it's making me angry!

Grandma & Grandpa got us these cool hard hats!

Fixing the car with Daddy. Just like at home!

Can I offer you a ride?

Too pooped to party.