Three years and still going strong

Jun 30, 2010

Chris and I are celebrating our three year anniversary today! 


Every year Chris and I have gotten each other gifts that reflect the "traditional"  anniversary gift giving chart...this year was leather.  Chris and I are horrible surprise gift givers...we just get so excited and make the other person guess what they are getting which inevitably leads to giving away any element of surprise. So in true Becher fashion we both knew what to expect...Chris got two pairs of leather shoes and I am getting some sort of jewelry (I haven't seen it yet because another bad habit of ours is that we usually don't buy our gift till the very last minute and Chris's gift for me is coming from over seas). But, I didn't see this coming...who knew he had it in him....

Good job hubby!!! Best surprise gift I have received all day! 


When looking back, I just can't believe how much can happen in three years.  We got married, bought a house and had a baby! What a blessing each stage has been, and even more of a blessing to experience them together. Our marriage has only gotten stronger with time and I can't wait to see where we will be with 50 more years under our belt. 

Let the creativity flow

Ever since our little girl was born I have had a serious creativity bug.  I wish I had felt the same way BEFORE Scarlett, when I actually had time to indulge the bug.  But, since summer is here and Chris is home with me I feel like I can pass off the little bird for a couple of hours and finish things on my ever growing list.  

And since I finally feel like her room is in a state close to completion (it is totally done...but in my mind there is always something that can be added or changed to make it that much better) I will show off a few things that the creative mom in me felt the dire NEED to make in order for Scarlett to feel completely at home. 
  
Thanks to the artistic abilities of my sister in law we were able to paint the exact tree that I had been imagining for the main wall in Scarlett's bedroom...complete will two little baby birds in a brightly colored nest. 

Changing table I found at Salvation Army for $10...sanded down and painted to match the bedding. 


This was all Gretchen! My favorite part of the room.


This is a fun little paper mobile project that I just HAD to make!!! 
Thanks for the idea Martha Stewart
   Pillows to match the curtains and add a little color to the couch

       
Curtains that ended up being a ton of work...but totally worth it.
I need to get better pictures. Sorry!

 
My first piece of home-made clothing...and sure to not be the last!

I got a sewing machine for Christmas and didn't waste any time getting to work and since then have not stopped adding things to my very long list of things that I want to make...Im sure there will be many more creativity posts to come! Enjoy!



Man Night = Happy Marriage

Jun 27, 2010

That's Gavin, Scarlett, George-Matthew and a Maker's with a twist, i.e. everything good about maintaining close friends into marriage. Last night Andy spent the evening out with her best friend from college, which is becoming more rare as our family grows. Naturally, I leaped at the chance (picture Jim Edmond's over the shoulder grab) to have a man night, fully stocked with MJ's mystery casserole, whiskey, diapers, a yippitty dog, poker, backgammon and Nat Sherman himself. Needless to say, it was good.

Point is, Andy and I are really lucky. We've got good friends and by God's grace have come to realize the fact that we need time with them by ourselves. More times than not I'm the one out with the friends while Andy is home with Scarlett, so last night was a treat for her. It's strange how a night away from me with a good friend brought Andrea so much energy when she returned. And it's always the same for me. After a night of drinks and shooting the crap with the guys, I always come home loving my wife, my daughter, my entire life, more deeply. I want to do the dishes before I go to bed, rub Andy's back while she sleeps, stare at Scarlett in her crib. It's strange, but one of the best marital habits we started without even realizing it was promoting time away from each other with friends. I'm amazed how the way of love is that the more widely you give, the more fullness of love you retain. The economy of love is to grow with each loving act, not diminish. My relationship with Andy is made better, it grows, as my other friendships flourish.

Moral of the story, go out and enjoy a drink with the boys or the girls if you please. It's good for your marriage.

She is always with me...

Jun 25, 2010

I keep having these moments in my day, number crunching at my desk or running to the lunch room in between phone calls, when I turn my head and there she is...that smell that I have come to love. The baby smell that only a mom can recognize. I once had it described to me as the "smell of peace". 

I have realized lately that the favorite part my work day is coming home when Scarlett is taking her afternoon nap, cracking open her door and tiptoeing to her crib.  As soon as the door opens I breath in deep that sweet smell of "peace" and my heart swells with joy to know that the smell that has been creeping up on me all day is laying there in the form of my beautiful little girl.

A letter to Scarlett

A little over a year ago, I stood frozen in the bathroom of our first house, tears running down my face, thinking "I'm just not ready...how am I going to do this"?  When the moment came and I told your dad we just sat next to each other on the couch in silence, half smiles on our faces, looking around us at a world that we knew would never be the same.

As the months past and I started to see and feel your little hands and feet trapped inside, I would get so excited to share those moments with anyone I thought would get as much joy out of it as I did, especially your dad.  We would sit on the bed at night waiting in anticipation for your next kick.  Your dad and I would read you classic Pooh stories hoping you would somehow drink in the sound of our voices and be soothed by them when you entered this crazy world.  Yet, somehow in all of the planning and excitement the reality of your very being never truly set in until the day you graced us with your long awaited presence.  Those little hands and feet that I had been constantly complaining about kicking my ribs and punching my bladder where finally here.  Flesh and bone.  You looked at us with big blue eyes and fiery red hear and all I could do was cry and say "she is so beautiful".  My tears of fear turned into tears of joy and hope, on that day our lives changed forever.

Your little life has impacted us in ways we never expected.  You have brought us a joy so pure and so unexplored.  You have given purpose to our marriage and taught us the richness of unselfish love.  With each stage you conquer we are encouraged to communicate and compromise, knowing that the habits we create now will be the stepping stones we need to become the best parents we can, assisting you as you grow into a strong and faithful women.  I pray that you will bear with us in our inevitable mistakes and know that in our faults we love you with all that we have and all that we are.

Thank you for being the perfect gift to our once incomplete family.

Your adoring parents.

Rubber ducky...your the one

Jun 24, 2010

This new ducky bath toy had no chance...


 

 

Peas

Jun 23, 2010

Scarlett is conquering the food world...starting with peas.  She has been interested in food for a while and we have been feeding her rice cereal since she was four months so we thought it was finally time to make the transition...mostly I think it has become another way for her to make us laugh by blowing bubbles with her food. 



Too bad she looks just a tiny bit crazy in all of these pictures...I think it just shows how much she really enjoyed the peas. 


This is the "I think I am full" face

Fathers day family fun

Chris's Aunt Lori and her three kids came down from Crescent City and Chris's sister Kim and her three kids came up from Fallbrook this weekend, so needless to say we had a trypical loud, busy and rambunctious Becher family gathering for Fathers day. It was a blast...even more of a blast knowing that it is only going to get crazier and crazier as the kids grow and multiply. I LOVE family!!!

The kidsies enjoying their day in the sun



Scarlett lounging in the calm water...
I pretty sure she didnt have the pool to
herself for very long.

I think she is a little jealous that she cant play with the boys


This tiny pool kept the boys entertained for hours...
of course Michael jumped at the chance to perform for the camera.


Grandpa enjoying his fathers day
                                                                            Scarlett enjoying her fathers day with a
                                                                        little love from Aunt Lori





These are just because she is just so dang cute...


And this is just because he is just so dang cute!



Happy family fun day...hope your summers started as full as ours.

Dear daddy...

Jun 22, 2010

You comfort us when we are tired...
 and stay with us when we need you close...
























You are not ashamed to make funny noise's, just to hear us giggle...


You love us everyday and never fail to remind us how beautiful you think we are...

 

















You encourage us to be who we are...nothing more and nothing less.


You never fail to make us laugh, strong, joyful laughter



We are incredibly lucky to be loved so deeply and encouraged so wholeheartedly.


Chris, I watch you love Scarlett and know that as our family grows your love for us will only continue to grow with it. Thank you for all that you do. You are our world.


Love your girls.

(happy belated fathers day post...these videos take FOREVER to post so forgive me for the delay)

Beyond thankful

Jun 16, 2010

Chris called me at work today and I couldn't really listen to anything that he had to say because the "cooing" of Scarlett in the background was demanding all of my attention.  The more she coo-ed the more my heart screamed to be holding her right at that moment.  
In the six month of her existence I have held her in my arms hundreds of times, kissing her fuzzy head, praying and thanking God for her little life and the richness of the love He has blessed our family with.  Even now I sit with tears swelling in my eyes, loving her more than I could have ever imagined possible. Every time that I get to pick her up out of her crib and witness the toothless smile that lights up her entire face as she recognizes me, my heart leaps, knowing that these moments will not last forever.  I am so thankful to have such a blessed life.  
I often catch myself at my worst, complaining about the trivial, but it is in the perfect moments of Scarlett in my arms and Chris by my side, crawling into bed and falling asleep with toys at my feet, or seeing a glimps of the father/daughter bond that has developed in just six short months, that the trivial no longer exists and all that is left is deep unexplainable joy and thankfullness.

First family getaway

Jun 7, 2010

A little weekend getaway in the RV! Palm Desert...here we come
She loves the water...just like her daddy,
but a little apprehensive when getting in...just like her mommy!








Relaxing in the shade...it was hot out there

Tired after a long day in the sun

6 month picture post...enjoy!

Play time...sitting up on her own already!

Thank you Shawna for her new favorite chew toy!


Hang out time with daddy



Bath time for baby


Movie with Evelyn