Molly & Ben

I sure do love the fall, especially after a hot Texas summer. The leaves do change here in Waco and the weather does have cold fronts.

This Fall we did a bunch of fun activities. We started off with our annual Halloween party. It’s a life goal of mine to throw epic Halloween parties every year. I know I need to start small so focusing on kid activities is a great place to start. This year was a huge success! The best one yet! Thanks to everyone who came.

Ben is very supportive and even dressed up in his classic Rocky onesie. I was a butterfly and Blakely was a princess ballerina. Look at those abs! One of the ladies that came over thought Ben wasn’t wearing a shirt and felt like she couldn’t look at him. It was pretty funny. Also, most of the kids are in primary where he teaches the songs so they were a little weirded out.

Waco Fair and Fall Festivals

We walked to the Waco fair at the Event center close by. It was really fun and had a huge petting zoo. A little chaotic for Blakely so we ended up feeding the animals from the outside. They even had baby kangaroos!

We mainly just walked around, had some crappy fair food, then saw a seal show and walked home. I was feeling icecream but everything at the fair was $8+ we we just stopped by DQ on the way home. Not bad for a weekend activity.

We also attended a local church fair with little kid games and a smaller petting zoo where Blakley fell in love with a bunny.

Family In Town

Kevin, Melora, and cousin Haven came for Halloween! Haven is 5-6 months younger than Blakely so it was interesting to see how Blakely reacted to having someone in her space. We learned a lot about sharing and waiting to play with toys.

We had a bunch planned but poor little Haven got an ear infection and wasn’t feeling very good. We still had a blast. Here are a few things we did while they were here.

Kevin had to get back early for work but Haven and Melora stayed and we all went Trick-or-Treating together. It was fun to see these girls go door to door.

Our family dressed up as Winnie the Pooh characters. I had this same costume when I was pregnant with Blakely and just added the piglet costume. Blakely loves the show so it worked out well. Funny story, Ben ordered a size large “Christopher Robin” shirt off Amazon, and when it came, it was Asian large so it was crazy tight. We had a good laugh but he wasn’t able to wear it on Halloween.

Potty Training and Ballet Classes

Other than our usual toddler activities, we have added Ballet classes. The goal for Potty training was an Ariel toy and start Ballet classes. She is the youngest in the class by 5 months but seems to enjoy it. Every week she gets better at following directions. The first class she was to shy to do much but she would repeat the drills when she got home. We also started a gymnastics class which I think she likes more so we will see. When swimming starts I will probably for sure pull her from Ballet classes because… I would rather have her learn how to swim rather than Ballet but as for now, it’s nice to have some outside activities besides mom entertainment.

The Baby Bump

Our little boy is growing! I have an awesome midwife and we are super stoked to have an addition to the family. I know it will be completely different and hard in its own way but we do want to have more kids. Blakely is also really excited about a little brother. My body hurts but I am not as tired as in the first trimester. That was rough. Through my insurance, I have a Chiropracter appointment as well as a massage every other week which is so crazy nice. Trying to take good care of this body of mine.

We are happy, healthy, and looking forward to this holiday season.

We had an amazing vacation in Utah for 3 weeks. Some really special things happened. We will start from the beginning.

First off, we had a Bear Lake Beck Reunion. It was perfect. This stage of life is all about little kids. Something that is safe for littles, not too complicated, and at the same time the adults can be entertained. We rented a super fun airbnb, with a great view of the lake, and a slide between the 3 levels (the kids loved it). They had a pickle-ball court, corn hole and a great community pool with slide and hot tub. B particularly liked the hot tub. I was hesitant to let her get in for to long as she is still pretty little. We settled in on Wednesday and Hi-D arrived with glow in the dark bouncy balls and got the party started. Thursday was a lake day and we played hard! From about 10-3 outdoors in the sun. It was a perfect spot for littles with shallow warm water, and the lake wasn’t crowded at all. No one got sunburned thankfully with Dave and Cristyann shade tent, we had fun with Hi-D and Dals blow up paddle boards, and we rented a few jet skis so everyone was happy. David tipped the jet ski while he was out and Ben nearly did the same. It eventually flooded, not because of the flip, it was old. All in all it was a perfect day, except for a pretty fussy and tired Blakely that night. Oh! And we picked up a raspberry shake on the way home.

Friday was all about chilling, games, and swimming at the pool. Always a good time with the BECKS!

Temple Sealing

The next day was a very special day for our family. We got sealed in the Logan Temple! We have been looking forward to this for a long time. We don’t have any connection with the Logan Temple but it made sense since Bens family would all be there, and my family is in close proximity so we decided it would be a good time. The Logan temple didn’t disappoint! It was gorgeous and Cristyann Beck got some great shots.

Funny story, we got into the temple and didn’t have the proper paperwork, whoops! But we were still able to do it. Phew. Ben forgot his cufflinks and I had a nail pop off but other than that it was a perfect day. The sealing list included Boushleys, Ganems, Uzi and Nate, Trevor and Corine, Rulon, and Jeanne and Bill, and of course Nana J.

Blakely was the bell of the Ball inside the temple. Every temple worker was entranced by her. We think she is pretty great as well. In the youth play room, Blakely discovered chop-able toys which she is now obsessed with.

Sunday we all went to church, then Hi-D and Nate went home and we stayed the night with David, Cristyann, and Joanna. It was actually really nice to spend time with just them.

Huntsville

Trevor and Corine have a basement airbnb which is incredibly nice. They wanted us to come stay and we felt like we would be intruding. Then Trevor asked, “why aren’t you staying longer?” We figured we didn’t want to take up time from their side biz, but we stayed longer (of course) and really enjoyed the fresh mountain air. I love Huntsville and want to buy property up there every time I go. They are on 3 acres with cows, and neighboring the fence are are two horses. One of the best parts of the day is picking apples off the ground from the apple trees and feeding them to the animals. Blakely loved it! She also loved spending time with cousins. Lincoln and Jackson are such great little boys.

Trevor and Corine are extremely good people and we are so grateful for their generosity.

Back In SLC

The last week we spent in SLC with pop-pop which Blakely loved. Every morning she waited for him to come down the stairs, then cuddled him while drinking milk.

I love that they have this kind of relationship.

Ben had a fun topgolf night with a group of people, and we went down to Provo and saw Mary and KP.

One of the huge highlights from the week was getting a couple that we know and Trevor and Corine together. The couple is Ric and Mandy Sherman. She has Cystic Fibrosis just like Lincoln does. She is an influencer that Corine follows and we had a great little dinner together as they talked about the CF updates and their experiences. It was really sweet.

On a random side note, that same night was my 20 year high school reunion. First of all, I don’t feel that old, and second of all… I really didn’t want to go. There wasn’t anyone there I wanted to connect with, and if there was, I would just do it over FB or something. I don’t feel bad about not going, I think I feel bad that I have no desire what so ever to revisit that time in my life.

Aunt Hi-D came up to visit which was super sweet and bought Blakely those chop-able toys! That wasn’t all though, a garbage bag full of cute clothes for her to grow into. Dal called Bens phone while she was there and asked “where is my wife” HA! She forgot to tell him where she was going. They are good people.

All in all, it was an incredible trip and we are grateful for such great family and friends.

Last little funny story, while we were in SLC, Hi-D gave Blakely a plastic veggie cutting set made with velcro that had little knives. Our first Sunday back, Blakely packed her pink purse like she usually does but this time she brought one of the plastic knives. During Sacrament, Ben finds it and we had a good laugh about Blakely trying to shank someone in nursery. All in good fun. This girl makes us laugh and we are so excited that a new member of our family will be joining us. It’s a boy! oh boy oh boy…

New Orleans was a blast and we have really been enjoying the toys. They were free and we really don’t care if they get ruined. Do your worst Blakely! We ended up inviting anyone and everyone to come take what they want. What ever was left we just took to Goodwill.

Easter!

Blakely is now getting to the age where she can interact and (hopefully) remember things so I have been putting more effort into holidays. Here comes Easter!

So when I say effort, it really consisted of buying a bag of jelly beans and easter eggs. She It was pretty confusing at first why there were colorful eggs around the yard but once she realized that there was candy in them, she was on board. This white dress was a dress I wore at this age. She looked so cute that day!

Ben got called as the primary chorister which is like a full time job when it comes to callings. He teaches the kids songs in primary and is in charge of primary programs. We got to church early and write lyrics up on the white board or play the piano. B Loves it. Next Easter I will be better at incorporating more scriptures and Christ into the holiday.

Blue Bonnet Pictures

I couldn’t help my self. Are you kidding me? This girl loved tromping around in her yellow dress and boots with the butterflies and blue bonnets. I have a great video of her chasing a butter fly that Nana J gets a kick out of.

Arizona!

In May we had a quick trip to AZ while Ben when to a work conference in California. I didn’t get to many pictures but we love spending time with Nana J and helping her with her house. Blakely is a huge helper and we went to the neighbors (Paces) pool about everyday. She loves swimming. It was cold but just hanging out is fun. As a bonus, they have a dog, a trampoline and a play set. Ellie Pace is a great neighbor and a good example of a mom/member of the church. She does so much. She gave me the best recipe book I would run back into a burning house if needed.

Ben and I went to our first crawdad boil at a place called the Angry Crab. It was super good and I would 100% go back. A fun experience. As a side note, there was a table next to us that was complaining really bad about the food but took all the leftovers after getting a huge discount. Sad that people use this tactic just to getaway from paying full price. We gave them a good tip.

Summer Time Activities!

Summer time is full of adventures. We go to the Mayborn museum, a Baylor petty zoo, and even to a ballet recital for our friend Nelly!

We also frequent the zoo which has some really great animals to see!

Blakely is a very good helper and often says “me do” before taking over. I do my best to let her explore and figure things out on her own. It’s a lovely compliment when she wants to do everything mom do, especially cook and cut fruits and veggies up.

Grandma Comes To Town

Oh man, we sure love it when Nana J comes to visit. Again, Ben had a work conference and Joanna came to stay. We ended up having to drop off/pick up Ben in Dallas so we stayed at an old roommates of his that was out of town. It worked out great except they had the biggest dog ever! It was really great with kids but Blakely was still terrified. Understandably, that dog was at least 10xs her size.

Once Ben came back, we did a few things in Dallas worth noting. The Dallas world aquarium. So cool!

It’s expensive but worth the trip. We also went to the Dallas Perot museam but I didn’t get any pictures.

It was a huge blessing Nana came because I actually found out I was pregnant in May and expecting a little boy in Feb 23. 1st trimesters are the worst. You have no energy and nothing makes you feel better. She was a good buddy to Blakely.

Onto more exciting things for the summer !

Wow! It’s already been 3 months since Christmas? Yikes! Time really does fly with kids.

Christmas

Well, Christmas is definitely worth talking about. Our December was a blur. Ben’s company flies their families out to Cali for the Christmas party so we were debating on what to do this year. It would be fun to go, but, being stuck in a hotel room with a toddler all day didn’t sound like the best idea. Also, the timing was weird because the party was on December 11th, and we were planning on going back to SLC for Christmas. We asked if they could fly us to Cali, then to SLC rather than TX and they agreed which saved us some money on flights. Win! I also got excited thinking about going to Disneyland with Blakely and decided we should go for it. The hotel should have a pool too right?

Well the weekend before we left, Blakely got an ear infection. The poor thing was struggling all weekend and we finally saw the DR on Monday morning. Luckily, we got her on antibiotics soon enough that she didn’t have any problems on the plane. However, both Ben and I had enough sleep deprivation to get sick ourselves. SO! We head to Cali not feeling the best but looking forward to the adventure. The flight went well and everything was looking up… Except for the weather. It was raining. We never ended up going to Disneyland. We spent a lot of time inside going up and down the escalators, eating at the hotel restaurant which was crazy expensive, and watching shows inside. I was excited about the pool except that was outside too! We did make it to the beach all bundled up. Blakely didn’t mind and she actually liked running on the beach.

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The night of the party went well. We found a babysitter online which was a weird feeling leaving my child with someone I didn’t know but she worked out great! It was a casino royal-themed so everyone was dressed up in red carpet style. There was “pretend” gambling which we ended up winning a trip to Malibu California in a 5th wheel on the beach. We will see if we ever use it.

After the party, Ben stayed an extra day to connect with his team, and Blakely and I went to the mall which was within walking distance. It had a reindeer merry go round which was magical for her. I think she had a good time besides being on antibiotics the whole time.

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SLC

Flying into SLC was also a good trip. Blakely always does so well on the planes. You can tell she is developing as more things are curious and she has a harder time sitting still. Ben and I still weren’t feeling great and because of the cold weather in Cali, and a late-night company party, we were feeling a little exhausted.

Family is the best!

It was seriously so rewarding seeing Blakely interact with cousins. Little Lock was the best! He kept saying “Blakely is the cutest!” Piper and Briar were super great with her and Blakely didn’t skip a beat when going over. She was like “See ya mom!” and played until I forced her back into the car seat.

Dad’s house doesn’t have many toys for B so we went to Walmart and bought a slide and trampoline. She LOVED it and is very coordinated with jumping with no hands!

We went down to Thanksgiving pointe with the Beck side of the family. My dad was invited and drove a scooter thing which was funny but also necessary. We had a wonderful Christmas day over at the Carlstons and made chocolates with Joanna and Hi-D the day before we left.

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We got so many presents from the family that we had to take on of dad’s duffel bags home with us. It was a good thing he had one. I didn’t know how we were going to get everything home!

Back to Texas

It was nice to get back home. We were almost gone a whole month! I was tired of the cold weather AND it seemed like we were always sick. That Sunday we got home, I didn’t let Blakely go to nursery because I just wanted everyone to have a chance to get better. It didn’t work… Everyone still got sick.

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So by the time February comes around, we are ready to party! Birthday party style 😀

February is Birthday Month

Both Ben and Blakely’s birthdays are in February. On her actual Birthday day, we went on a hike in the morning, and then to a place called Urban Air for the afternoon. Blakely has always been a talented jumper. Starting with her Johnny jump up as an infant, then moving on to a toddler trampoline which we have in our front room. She kind of lost her mind with all the trampolies and stuff to do there. It was pretty magical. That weekend, I wanted to do something fun for Blakely so we hosted a Dr. Suess party at our place and she had a great time. She is so social and loved having everyone over.

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Jason and Jenni got her a “2 Legit” shirt. We love them.

For Ben’s birthday we went to Magnolia Table, then an escape room at night and dinner.

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Mardi Gras 2022

Earlier this year, Ben and I decided we wanted to do Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We invited Kevin, Melora, and Haven out and they agreed. I wanted to take the RV out, but Ben convinced me it was better to just camp. He was right and camping really wasn’t that bad! It was more like “Glamping” because it was a huge tent, we had a blow-up mattress, pack and play, and even a space heater. My kind of camping!

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It was a really good time. Haven and B got along great and seemed to enjoy the parades. We got a ridiculous amount of stuff and loved connecting with family and friends at this crazy holiday in New Orleans.

Something really fun we did was JAMNOLA this modern art place that celebrated local artists. Fun times!

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On our way home, we stopped at a subway which had a graveyard accross the street. To stretch our legs we walked around the graves for a bit and Blakely liked laying on the stones because they were warm from the sun. The drive back really wasnt’ that bad. We figured out a way to stream a disney movie from our phone which kept B entertained. It just sucked all my data for the month but it’s worth not having a grumpy baby in the back.

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March

This month has been a time to recalibrate and think about our summer plans. We need to sell this RV (hopefully soon) and then we want to start working on the lawn, garden, and garage.

Will have updates later!

Hello and Happy Holidays to you and your family. Here is an update from the Beck family.

The beginning of 2021 we bought our first house and moved to Waco Texas, and have enjoyed this little town. It seems that there is everything you would want in a big city (airport, college sports, children’s museum, zoo, nature, etc) as well as some tourist attractions with Chip & Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper. There is hardly any traffic, and the people are warm and welcoming.

Because Ben works from home, we have the opportunity to travel, which we did A LOT this year. Here are a few places we went for 2021, and the people that came to see us here in Waco.

Blakely Rose Update

To know this girl is to love her. She is happy, outgoing, and a really easy kid. In February of this year (just before turning 1) she learned how to walk which quickly turned into running. She has never been afraid to use her voice, and caught onto basic baby sign language quickly. I don’t know the exact month she started talking, but I do remember her first word was “Ball”. Now, Blakely is sounding out words like a champ and linking them together. She has all of her teeth (except the canines which are coming in slowly) and LOVES to sing Disney songs.

One of my favorite things about Blakely is her ability to make people smile. As we have traveled on airplanes this year, she loves to turn around in the seats and connect with whoever is behind her.

Blakely Highlights

I can’t really say for her, but if I had to guess

• learning how to walk
• gaining a love for music. I have always sang to Blakely before she goes to bed, and back in October she started singing with me. Her voice is exempt from hesitation or embarrassment. She sings with her whole soul.

Blakely Lowlights

As parenting goes, we have had to take a few trips to the ER. The first was in Utah when she had a really high fever, and the second was a few weeks later when she swallowed a magnet. Everything is fine and more tears came from mommy than Blakely.

Molly & Ben Update

Life as a Mom is the best. I really have enjoyed settling down in a home. Decorating, and buying a bunch of furniture was more stressful than I thought, but once was all said and done, we’ve made this house a home.

I got called as an Activity Day leader which is over the girls from 7-11 in our ward. This has been fun spending time and getting to know an age group I haven’t interacted with in… decades. I also took over the women’s workout group that we do at our church 2 xs a week. This has been a good motivation to stay in shape and gives me a chance to interact with the other women in the ward.

Molly Highlights

Besides seeing Blakely grow, I really did enjoy traveling to Glacier Park. We got invited to a destination wedding in Montana by our good friends Candace and Andrew. As most of our travel is to see family, this was a great way to make some memories with just us. The area was beautiful and Blakely and I did a lot of hiking together.

Molly Lowlights

• Dealing with a bad case of Mastitis. If you know, you know…

Ben Highlights

• Work From Home Dad – This means I am able to do spontaneous dance parties & bubbles with my daughter throughout the day. She has helped me develop some awesome new moves. 
• Family Visits – It was great to have so much family come and visit us at our new home this year. Look forward to more weeks with friendly faces staying with us. 
• Growing My Team – At KlientBoost, the company I work at, i’ve slowly been growing an amazing team.

Ben Lowlights

• Dad Moving On
• Covid Shut Down –  Still not being able to visit and meet people like before.

Crazy things that happened in 2021

Murder she wrote

While we were looking for a house, we had a temporary Airbnb in Temple Texas. The day after Christmas in 2020, we get a knock on the door about 2am. It was the Police! They asked us a few questions about the neighbors and asked if we heard any gunshots. Apparently one of our neighbors was murdered on Christmas day. Luckily we were moving out of that house in 2 days. Yikes!

Texas Snow-pocalypse

A crazy snow storm hit in February across all of Texas. As first time home owners we were really worried about the pipes and not having electricity. We were lucky and no pipes burst and we always had electricity. This wasn’t the case for everyone here.

Spontaneous Combustion

In the middle of the night we heard a loud “CRACK” and I thought someone had thrown something against our bedroom window and broke it. Turns out, our closet door window spontaneously combusted in the middle of the night and continued to crackle for the next few hours. It was pretty crazy. Luckily the manufacturer sent us a new one after they saw this picture.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Holidays are 100% more fun with kids.

The summer has come to a close in Texas and we have enjoyed the cooler weather. Here are some of the fun things we did this fall.

Peoria AZ

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We missed Nana J and decided to head to AZ and spend two weeks. Ben had a work trip for a week, so Blakely and I hung out with Grandma. When Ben came back we stayed an extra week to chill and enjoy the dessert. We mainly hung out at home but did go see some animals. Ben and I also got to go on a date! We went to see the play Chicago and I was pretty shocked at how risky it was!

Halloween!

Oh, how I love Halloween. Back in September, I went to a kids consignment place and stumbled upon a Mr. Puff outfit from Ghostbusters. I texted Ben and asked, “Can we please go as Ghostbusters this year?” Of course, he said yes 🙂 I went as Zuul and did my best to figure out that weird red/gold dress she was wearing. There was one online for like $80! So I just bought a similar dress and called it good. The ward did a “Candy Hunt” which is pretty much just an easter egg hunt but with candy. It was perfect for Miss B. She seemed a little confused at first but soon realized there was candy on the ground and got on board.

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I not only got the Mr. Puff outfit but a few more because I really couldn’t help myself. They are so cute!

Little Halloween Party

We haven’t done much at our house since moving in. But I got the itch to throw a “little” Halloween party at our place. I invited some ladies from the ward and our workout group that I know had kids between the ages of 1-3. Some 4-5-year-olds came but I just warned the parents most activities would be more for the younger kids. We had slim, orange rice, beanbag toss, treats, and a few games for them to play. We ended with watching Garfield’s Halloween and everyone went home. It only lasted 2 hours but was super fun to have people over. I like hosting parties.

Robinson Farm Festival

Someone in our ward told us about the Robinson Family Farm just south of us, near Temple Texas. We decided to make an outing which really paid off. We went super early in the morning and I really thought we would be the only ones there. The Farm opened at 10 am and we were there about 9:30. My mom-brain was thinking “what can we do while we wait?” Well! We show up and there is already a crowd waiting to get in. There was this fun little waiting area with pumpkins and a bunch of “Instagram ready” places to pose. Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised.

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Inside there were numerous activities. Most tailored to a little older than Blakely but we still had a bunch of fun! The tractor pull was a huge hit. They also had a pumpkin patch, bounce pad, games, and even a helicopter ride!

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Grandma Jeanne Comes To Town

We can never have enough grandma time! Grandma Jeanne came to town for a week and we showed her around Waco. Blakely quickly connected to her and they are great friends. We went to the Zoo, Magnolia, the children’s museum, Homestead, as well as Cameron Park.

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It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is in a few weeks. Time really does get faster when you get older.