Sleep Stories

Once kiddos are sleeping through the night, one of my favorite things about them is the funny things they do while they are sleeping. The other morning around 6 am, Eli crawled into bed with me. This is the most non-conventional sleeper ever when it comes to his position and sometimes even location. One time we were terrified when we couldn't find him in his bed or anywhere else in the house. Finally, we looked under our bed, and he lay there conked out. When he crawls into our bed early in the morning, he usually likes to lay perpendicular to us---with his feet kicking into my full bladder. Well, on this certain morning, I needed to get up, so as I snuck out of bed (he is also a light sleeper), I heard him say as loudly as possible, "Save the Fish!!!!!" Eli loves animals and I am sure he was on some sort of rescue mission in lala land.
Last night, for a special treat, we let Cade and Eli go to sleep in our bed. We then switch them into their beds when we are ready to go to bed. During this process, Cade did something so funny that it might just be retold at his wedding rehearsal dinner. He walked from our bed to his bed and started up the ladder of his bunk beds. And then, he started to go back down the ladder and headed to his bathroom. I just assumed that he needed to go potty, but Eric had a hunch that this was going to be a momentous event, so he followed him in there. With the light off, Cade was scrambling onto the stool and trying to swing his legs onto the bathroom counter. When I walked in there, he was sitting on the counter with his legs in the sink. He looked so sweet in his batman jammies cuddled up with his blue blanket. We kept trying to ask him what he was doing, but I am telling you, that kid was as asleep as asleep gets...even though his eyes were open. We took him back to bed and then laughed our heads off for the next 30 minutes. When we asked him about his sleep adventures this morning, he looked at us like we were crazy! He totally denied it, probably thinking we just enjoy telling false stories. Oh, kids, what blessings of laughter they bring!
Ok, I guess I need to include Sam in this post. Sam is such a great and heavy sleeper. We are trying to transition him into his little toddler bed. I tried it the other night and he started crying and pointing to his crib, saying, "bed!" I think he is like his Momma...I love my bed and there is just no reason to get rid of a good thing!

Cherishing Family

Things I cherish about each of the members of my family:

Eric
1. I love the fact that Eric receives joy on Saturday mornings by letting me sleep in a bit. I wake up to the smell of bacon and coffee and stumble into the kitchen as he serves me and the boys breakfast. This is really wonderful.

2. I love the fact that Eric is such a go-getter. He does it in a way as to not let his job become more important than family. No idea is too outlandish for him and he is courageous enough to tackle anything in the business world. I cherish the fact that he provides for us but also recognizes Jesus as the true Provider.

3. I cherish Eric as Father to Cade, Eli, and Sam. He truly is a good Daddy. Things just are not the same when he travels. He loves to play sports with them, read to them, wrestle with them, and keep them in line!

Cade
1. I cherish the fact that Cade has become quite a little helper! One morning after breakfast, he took it upon himself to go out into the garage and pick things up. This was all his idea. He loves to have things in order and to please his parents.

2. I think it is wonderful how Cade is so good to his brothers. He is never one to instigate fights, but always strives for peace and harmony. He loves playing with Eli and keeping Sam out of trouble.

3. I love that Cade is so well-rounded. He loves to learn and go to school, is addicted to sports, and yet still cherishes the Word of God. It is fun to watch him grow in many areas of his life.

Eli
1. It gives me great delight that Eli is such a friend to all. He makes everyone feel like they are the most special person in the world. He is not afraid to be courageously kind to all he comes in contact with.

2. I cherish the fact that Eli loves to help me cook. Since I have no girls, this is quite a treat when he drags over his chair, dons his "robot" apron and begs to help.

3. It is fun to have someone in our family who absolutely loves life. The rest of us can be kind of serious, so he is a definite blessing to have around. He even laughs at 2 am when I put Vicks on the bottom of his feet. (This mysteriously helps with coughs.)

Sam
1. Sam has the ability to make people feel comfortable. I cherish the fact that he (even as a 2 year old) just seems to let people be people. I think he will be an empathetic person.

2. I love the fact that God created Sam with such a courageous spirit. He is not afraid of anything and likes for people to know that. He wants to do anything that Cade and Eli try.

3. I cherish it when Sam says "HUGS!" and curls up in my arms to give me some loving!

Well, after this post, I feel like the most blessed person in the world! I love how God creates humans so differently--each complementing one another so we can live in unity under his mighty hand of grace.

I tag Anna and Kelli to cherish their families thru the gift of the written word!

Go Salameeez!!!

I just love this phase of life we are entering. It is called the world of sports for little boys. I imagine it will last for the rest of my life...except it will become the world of sports for boys and then bigger boys and then young men. Eli played soccer last fall. With Eric as coach (who knew NOTHING about the sport), it was quite a riot. Now, it is Cade's turn. Cade has many passions in life, but basketball may be the winner. He will go outside and shoot for hours. Our little rule between Mother and Son is that he can go outside without gloves if it is above 38 degrees, otherwise it is gloves all the way. This is difficult for Cade, because, apparently, it messes up his shot. Well, he has joined the Upward Basketball league and loves it. It is so sweet to see a trillion 1st and 2nd graders on a court figuring out the logistics of the game while each trying to be a superstar. Cade had a game last Friday night and it truly was the best entertainment I have had all year. At one point, I wanted to cry because I missed a couple of his baskets while trying to keep my 2 year old from dropping his toys and snacks down onto the court. (We were sitting up high in the walking track part.) But, I am telling you, God is so gracious and did allow me to see his 3 pointer! My sweet baby shot a 16 footer! I knew he could do this...probably countless times in a row. But, something about seeing it in a game made all of my pride come rushing to the surface. I think God probably swells with pride when one of His sons or daughters does something well. After all, he created us and He is the giver of all gifts and talents. So, back to the title of this post. Eli (5) was cheering the team on and I finally figured out what he was saying. "GO SALAMEEEZ!!" You know, like the salami deli meat. Cade's team is called the TSUNAMIS and I must admit, this is quite a difficult word to grasp for a 5 year old. Heck, I don't even know if I spelled it right!

More sports...Herb (father-in-law) got a Wii for his birthday. We finally had some time to go over there and try it out. (Needed something free to do while the roofers pounded away!) I just have to boast a hair and say I beat Eric at not just bowling but GOLF, too! Yes, that is Eric, my husband, the professional golfer, who coached the UCA team at one time. He was quite a sport about it, knowing that in reality, I don't have a lick of athleticism in me! This was a momentous day in the life of Becke' Stuart!

The Provision of a Roof

The Saturday night before Christmas was a wild one in Conway. The wind was howling and the tree limbs were falling. As the rain fell, I lay in bed with the covers up to my chin praying silently. We have known for about 1 1/2 years that our roof needed to be replaced. We found this out when we thought we were moving to a different house in the summer of 2006. The great Lord thwarted that idea again and again and we finally had a peace to stay put. The potential buyers of our home wanted a brand new spankin' roof and who has an extra four grand lying around? So, as I was praying in bed that Saturday night before Christmas, I prayed that He would protect us and keep limbs off of our home. But then I threw in a little extra prayer...you know, the kind you don't tell your spouse unless God decides to answer it! I asked God to consider using this storm to provide us with a brand new roof. Well, low and behold, as I was getting ready for church the next morning, I noticed some water damage that ran from our bathroom ceiling all the way to our master bedroom ceiling. Then, after inspecting the outside, Eric found shingles that had been blown off in a totally different part of the house. Long story short, the claims guy said, "Merry Christmas, you get a new roof!" The roofer is supposed to come out today to let me pick out the new shingle color. This is almost as much fun as picking out a new pair of shoes. Although, I wish I either had my Contractor Dad here or my interior designer friend here to help, I am thinking that I can do this all by myself! I surely can decide if graphite, black, pewter, or dark gray looks the best, right?? Anyway, I just wanted to say that God is even in the roof of our lives, providing beyond our imaginations and hearing our every utterance. Praise be to His name for His indescribable gifts! (If we had not waited on his timing to move, the roof would have come out of our pocket and not his!)

For all of my fashion loving divas out there, this part is for you! If you would like a FREE Spiegel spring catalog, just go to Spiegel.com/request and type in offer code F8814!! I don't usually order from Spiegel, but it is fun to see what the new fashions will be for the next season. (And then I go to Target and do my best to copy them!)

spanglish?

Sam, our two year old is learning to count. The problem is that he mixes up English numbers with Spanish ones. So, it is not uncommon to hear him say: "Four, five, six, siete, ocho, diez!" He never starts with number one, unfortunately!

5 Weird things about myself

Anna tagged me to post 5 weird things about myself. This is quite difficult for me, because I don't see myself as all that strange, really. So, these are the best that I could come up with.

1. I secretly have the desire to have twins. In my sane thinking, I realize this is insane, but being named after Rebekah in the Bible, I just figure it is my lot in life!

2. I get a kick out of nutritional products---you know, like swallowing pills like probiotics (dirt), green grass, and synergistic green tea. It just feels good to know I am doing one thing good for my body. (And I think it cancels out the chocolate chip cookies.)

3. I miss the days of showing cows in fairs. It is just plain therapeutic to go outside and give your heifer a good bath. (Bathing Savannah, our golden retriever, just doesn't cut it!) It was also fun for the competitive side of me to win at the state fair!

4. I absolutely love the Jewish people. I want them to know Jesus as their Messiah so badly that I about cry every time I think about it. Praise God that He will reveal Himself in His timing!

5. I am a soup addict. I could eat it twice a day every day of the year. Ham and Bean, Mexican Chicken, Smoky Sweet Potato, Chicken Noodle...the flavor does not matter, just bring me a ladle!

Christmas story

Eric wanted to read the Christmas story to the boys before we opened presents on Christmas day. As you can tell on Eli's face, this was a mighty act of selfless love in order to focus on Christ for a bit.

Siblings

These are some of my brothers and sisters...I know what you are thinking, "There are more?" Yep, I have another brother not in the picture. The ones in the pic are Kirby, Kiley, Amelia and myself. I just love being part of a big family. The older I get, the more precious it becomes to me. I am in this "mental" phase where I think I don't ever want to stop having kids. (don't gasp, Mom!) Just here me out; kids have such unique God given personalities and it is so fun to see how everyone meshes together! I imagine we will settle on one more child, but deep down, I really love to see big families--you know--really big families. I am so thankful all of my brothers and sisters know and love Jesus. It brings me incredible joy!

Eli's 5th Birthday!

Here is Eli at his Playworld birthday party. He had a blast in the maze with all of his friends.



Here is Eli's reaction to Sparky the dog at Playworld. He did not run under the table and hide, but simply said, "Go Home." I realized then he was terrified of the big thing and I wanted to kick myself for ever thinking that my animal loving son would just adore the 6 foot beast towering over him. Eli is the most sweet, kind-hearted thing, so I knew it was not out of rudeness, but sheer terror that asked Sparky to kindly leave the building. Never again, Beck, never again!




I can't believe my sweet baby boy is 5! Eric informed me that he was halfway to 10 and I told him to just shut his mouth! No need for rushing these things. The only thing Eli wanted to eat for his family bday meal was mac n cheese. So, being the new "experimental" cook that I am, I searched Food Network high and low for the perfect homemade mac n cheese recipe. After finding a recipe with 5 stars across the board, I gave one a whirl. Well, my sweet child could not even eat it, it was so awful. If you enjoy the taste of curdled sharp cheddar, then this recipe is for you! Not only did I terrify my son with the beast, but I couldn't even get the mac n cheese to be edible! Well, I did one thing right, and that was giving birth to a 10 pound 5 oz. baby 5 years ago without killing myself in the process. Eli, thanks for being such a good sport and being a joy and delight to us! We praise God for entrusting you into our care.

Moop and Saba??

OK, I know what you are thinking! What in the world are moop and saba? Well, in our family, moop is milk and saba is excuse me. I love how toddlers create their own little words for things! And, by golly, some of their words are way more fun than that ol' English language! So, I am sure that your family has adopted some words from your toddlers and over the years, you adults just refuse to let them go. I guess initiating the words into your vocabulary somehow psychologically makes your little ones stay little just for a bit longer. I would love to hear about your "new" words!
Well, this is my first post on my new blog. I just couldn't let everyone else be having all of the fun! I love being able to see other people's pics and read hilarious stories, so here goes!