Another Photo Shoot

We got the Beaver grandchildren together at our house for a quick photo shoot--Mimi has a great picture of her fabulous 5 hanging in her dining room, and we wanted to recreate the shot as a surprise to her. Thanks to Jenni's camera, a white sheet, and three exhausted adults, we were able to get a good picture! Here are the results!

The famous pose.

T and Lindsey

Lindsey and Gabby--I love how Gabby is looking to
see what Lindsey is doing! They are adorable.

A rare shot of them all smiling at the camera!

The Big Boy Bed

Christmas morning, Trenton woke to find a new bed waiting for him next to the Christmas tree! It is a teeny little toddler bed, and it is a perfect fit. He loved it right away, and had no problem climbing in and making himself at home. He even opened presents while he sat on it!

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So far, we have had no problems transitioning to the bed from the crib (which was promptly taken apart and put in the garage before noon Christmas Day!). We are lucky to have only found him on the floor one time at night. He was sitting straight up, so we think he must have climbed out and wasn't sure what to do next. He also won't get out of bed in the morning until one of us goes into his room and tells him to "roll." Somehow, he hasn't realized that we have given him the control to do this on his own! And let me tell you, we are okay with that! Especially with a feeding pump at night. I'm sure it won't last, but for now, things are working out well! Stay tuned for a future blog entitled: "He Won't Stay in Bed and We are Getting No Sleep." :)

Preschool Christmas Party

We had lots of Christmas projects planned for John this week, but due to 2 snow days, we had to pack them all into one day! Karie rushed to the store to buy some cookie-making supplies while John and I finished making and wrapping small gifts for his family, made a chain to count the days left til Christmas, and made some reindeer prints with hands and feet! Then we unleashed the cookies and supplies on the boys . . . it was a huge mess (hence their shirts being off!) but so much fun! John was a mad man with the green frosting, and Trenton loved the sprinkles and red hots! We will definitely have to do this again. Later, we tried on Trenton's Christmas sweater. . . he was clearly thrilled. :)

Our Friend Ash

One of my favorite things about our friend Ashley is that no matter the situation, she can reference some episode of Friends that fits perfectly! Every time she says, "That reminds me of . . ." I know there is about to be a story coming up about Joey and sandwiches, or one of Phoebe's crazy songs. The stories (and Ash's ability to remember every single detail about anything she sees!) make me laugh every time. I love laughing as we remember episodes and each of the Friends characters together.

Last night, there were six of us, and we joked around trying to decide which Friends characters we are most like (Yeah, we might be dorks--or bored--but come on, you know you've tried to figure out whether you're more a Monica or a Rachel!). :) Naturally, my sarcastic husband is Chandler, and Karie got pegged as the animal-loving vegetarian, Phoebe, and so on. I'd rather not mention who I got likened to, as I've always hoped to be the cool Rachel! But no. I got Ross. Yes, Ross! We all laughed so hard as I slowly realized that I really am as dorky and awkward as the character that annoys me most on that show. Looks like I need to find a Bloomingdale's and practice up on my Rachel-ness! :)

Oh, and we tried to stump Ashley with the ridiculous, impossibly difficult questions on the Friends board game (Yes, I have the Friends game--didn't buy it, never played it, as it's so hard!). Next time you see her, you might ask Ash the last name of Joey's agent, or which one of Joey's sisters Chandler dated. You'll be impressed! But only if you haven't been around her to hear the Friends memories yourself! We love you, Ashley!!!

Dr. Beaver

Thursday morning as we were waiting for Trenton to go in for his heart cath surgery, doctors were in and out of the room talking to us and checking over Trenton. After one doctor left, Trenton eyed a stethescope and asked for it. We have two of these at home--gifts from our first stay at Riley--and he loves to listen to us talk through the tubes as he wears them. I expected him to put them on his ears, so I explained to Matt's mom that he wanted her to talk into the other end for him. Apparently I was wrong! He quickly stole her end of the stethescope and placed it on his heart! He must have been paying attention to what the doctors actually do! He is really something else. If only he would have been so happy to play with a blood pressure cuff, or an IV--our visit would have gone a bit smoother! :)

Reject Christmas Pictures

We tried to get some good pics of Trenton (and Marley) for our Christmas picture last night. Didn't go so well, as you will see. . . Here are the best of the rejects!

My phone rang during this picture--he was not so unhappy that he couldn't dance. But his facial expression sure didn't change! Reminds me so much of Matt--able to keep his expressionless face no matter what happens.

Last night I was in the living room when I heard a sound in the kitchen that can only be described as a "that can't be good" sound. I quickly surveyed the living room to get an idea of who might have caused it - Karie? Nope, she was with me. Ashley, too. Matt was at work. Both dogs were in the living room, so that only left one possible culprit. And here he is, in all his glory! Apparently he wanted some chocolate "hop-hops" and thought he could get them himself!

I wish we had a video of this whole event. I am told I had the look of panic on my face when I heard the splashing of hop-hops on the floor, Ashley yelled, "CRAP!", Trenton was absolutely stunned, the dogs were frantically scarfing down as many crackers as they could before they were caught, and Karie was dying laughing as she grabbed the camera! Never a dull moment. :)

Update

There's a new update on Trenton's blog about his cardiology appointment yesterday, and his upcoming heart cath surgery next week. Check it out at www.caringbridge.org/visit/trentonbeaver. :)

Tubes and Racecars

Nikki, Trenton's awesome physical therapist has been taking him to "That Fun Place," which is basically a Chuck E. Cheese without the mouse! They climb and crawl through tubes together (despite the claustrophobia we adults feel crawling through those things!), and slide down the static-filled tunnel slides. He has a blast, and it all helps him work on skills he still needs to develop.

I am not really allowed in therapy, because Trenton really fixates on being with me and won't actually let himself have any fun or do work! So when I came to pick him up last week, I was excited to hear how much he loved the tubes! I had to try myself (see claustrophobia note above!). By this time, he was so exhausted that he would lay down in the tubes and on ledges to rest! I declared our tube-time over, and was headed out the door when Trenton stopped fast at this racecar. He climbed in BY HIMSELF, and grunted his way into getting my keys before he would begin to play with the steering wheel and buttons in the car. I was shocked to see him trying to start the car with my keys! I have asked around, and I don't know that anyone taught him this! He's a genius. Okay, so I'm a little biased. :)