Fa..la..la..la..la

Is Monday here yet...? Typically we would not be wishing for our vacation to end, but after an eventful week I think that we are all ready to get back to normalcy. Jaxson's cast procedure went very well, despite the fact that Monticello did not have colored casts and he can't get it wet. Most clinic now provide both, needless to say we were a little disappointed. All of this has not slowed him down a bit! He was very excited to go down to Rochester, he has his way with grandma and grandpa.:) He even got to go sledding with dad!

Tuesday we headed down to Roch and Wednesday, Vada's flu bug started in full force...! Then she graciously passed it onto me on Christmas day and then Presten and my mom on Friday. Even with everyone not at 100% we had a really nice Christmas. We all got some exciting new toys!! -some we are still looking forward to trying out! Christmas day night we went over to Vicky and Steve's- she made a 25 pound turkey and a ham!! I wished that I was feeling well enough to EAT!!- we did get plenty of leftovers! Jaxson had fun showing everyone is cast.

Vada has defiantly been running this house! She is such a little turkey! Her new fascination is doors..she is slamming them left and right and locking herself in every room. We have a officially transitioned her off the bottle, which she is doing fairly well with. We were suppose to do the nuk this weekend too, but with having the flu, we really were not up to the screaming that it is going to create!

The rest of the weekend we spent finding homes for all our new toys and also just trying to get everyone feeling better. Presten had to miss the game today because he woke up not in good shape...what a game to miss! At least he will be able to go next Sunday!

We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and safe Happy New Year! The Bean's

we made it through the weekend...broken bones and all!

Jaxson the night of the accident..still smiling

We had quite the excitement at our house on Friday. Presten took off work a little early so that I could go scrapbooking for the night. He got home and was in our bedroom with the Jaxson and Vada who were playing on the bed. As they were playing, Jaxson was not fully balanced and Vada gave him a little playful shove and Jaxson went over the foot board and landed on his arm. It was clearly broken, thankfully it did not break through the skin.

We rushed to the ER! He broke both bones in his right forearm. In order for them to cast it he has to be put under, so he has had it splinted over the weekend and he goes in Monday at 10:30 to have it casted. The first two days were a little rough for him, but today he is back to being Jaxson!! He wants a red cast for spider man so we are hoping that they can grant his wish!

He is really looking forward to going to Grandma's on Tuesday. He already packed his bag this morning! He is excited to go sledding so hopefully it won't be too cold!

Well, that was pretty much our weekend:) Presten went to the game today--which has not turned out to be very a good a game. Presten is off this week so he looking forward to a vacation, he has been very busy at work and January is only going to be crazier.

Lacey and Aaron are now mommy and daddy! They welcomed Hayden Ree Miller into the world on Saturday morning at 4:20. She weighed 8lbs 5oz and is 21 inches long. We can't wait to meet her!!

Safe travels this week! Happy Holidays! The Bean's

Jaxson giving me a demonstration on how to make pizza tonight

Busy..busy..busy..

What a week! Monday started out early, Presten and I headed down to the Minneapolis convention center with 11 other members from our church to volunteer at Project Homeless Connect. we spent the day connecting individuals that are homeless in our community to the services/resources that they need to hopefully be able to find a stable place to live. We participated with project homeless is April and we eager to pass this opportunity onto our congregation.

Park and Rec on Wednesday was a quick 2 hour meeting! We even finished planning for Santa Day, which took place this past Saturday. Unfortunately, we already had plans so I was not able to attend this event. I am anxious to hear how it went!

Friday, we took the kids down to meet my mom so they could spend the night at grandma's and grandpa's. We were able to do a little Christmas shopping before heading downtown. We went to MASA for dinner. We got there a little early, but it was really nice to just sit and talk, have a drink and an appetizer together. Stacy and Darrin joined us for dinner. We all had REALLY good food! I had this amazing shrimp and rice dish and Presten had this steak what was out of this world!! After dinner we headed down to the Newsroom for one last drink before calling it a night!

Saturday we spent the entire day finishing up our Christmas shopping- we are almost done!! Just a couple small things to pick up and wrapping to do!

Today we spent the afternoon making some Christmas cookies and watching football!!

We hope you have a great week!! Take Care, the BEAN's

PaRtIeS aNd BaBiEs!

December is here!! I have decided that no matter how much I plan for this month, it is not any less crazy... I don't recall feeling so rushed, tired and overwhelmed; maybe it is because I continue to block it out each year after it is over. Don't get me wrong, I love the Holidays, but they always come with a lot of work. This year, I am making a list of all things that I could of done before the first of December, to try and ease the Holiday madness for next year!

Friday night we enjoyed a night with the Colvin's. Michele had baby Brayden in September and we had not gotten a chance to go over and see them yet. (Jake lives with Michele and Donny) They also have a little guy Mason that is 2 months older than Jaxson. Mason is so sweet and he had so much fun showing Jaxson and Vada all his toys! He especially loved Vada! We brought over a baked Ziti and Salad for dinner and the kiddos had ice cream and sprinkles for dessert! We had a great night with them. The drive home was a little scary~I am so glad that we made it home safely as the roads were covered in black ice.

Saturday, the roads plowed, we made the trip down to Edina for a birthday party for a little boy named William in Jaxson's class. I think that there were about 25 kids there! Jaxson thought that it was neat that other kids from his class were there. It was a really nice party, a little over stimulating, but FUN!

Today, my girlfriend Kimmy from college, had a baby shower. She had a little Beau three weeks ago. He was so sweet with a full head of hair! It was also fun to see Kimmy's niece who was born 2 days after Vada. We saw them in the hospital when I was having Vada. Isabelle (Izzy) is adorable and a little peanut compared our baby monster Vada! It was so great to see her and Beau.

Presten and Ron, worked on the mudding and taping the bathroom today. Presten is hoping to have it all done by Christmas.....so that means it should be done by Valentines Day:)

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW is finally here! The shoveling starts!

Happy Winter! The Bean's

I can't believe it is December!!

After five days of vacation and lack of routine, I completely spaced my Sunday Blog update!

We had a really nice Thanksgiving at our house. My family was up and Presten's mom came over for dinner. We made all the Thanksgiving classics and everything turned out delicious!

Presten was off Wednesday and Friday!! He was so excited-this was the first time in 15 years that he didn't have to work one of those two days. We spent the majority of our time off shopping, relaxing, and tiling our bathroom (which is almost done)! YAY!

We put all up all our Christmas decorations on Thursday. Jaxson was such a big helper! He continues to redecorate the tree! Vada has only had one ornament casualty --I am hoping that is the only one...we'll see:)

Presten went tailgating yesterday for the Vikings game. He got down there around 12pm -so he had a full day down at the lot! Needless to say, he had a really good time.

Jaxson, Vada and I had a really nice day at home. I made homemade Challah bread-soo good!!

Well lots to do tonight! Have a great week! The Bean's

LiFe Is GoOd!

The Bean's had a crazy week it was full of friends and projects! Actual it was more me seeing friends and Presten working on the projects:)

I went out for my monthly dinner with Amy to TGI Fridays. It was so nice to have some "me" time and to catch up. Friday night I got together with two girlfriends from the neighborhood for our "Wine Party". A couple months back we went to a wine party together and each bought a bottle of wine and saved it to have a little get together. We finally found a night that worked. We did an Italian theme dinner full of bruschetta, salad, chicken cacciatore and a wonderful dessert! Wine and girl talk....it can't get better than that!

Then Saturday morning, Jaxson, Vada and I headed down to Rosedale to meet up with Erin and Kendall. The kids played in the little play land for over an hour and then we had lunch at the food court. Jaxson and Kendall are only 5 months apart so it so always fun to see them together. Vada loved the play land. She thought that she was such a big girl-of course the slide was her favorite!

Chris came over all day Saturday to start getting the bathroom put together. He got the shower in and the floor laid. He is such a great friend to come over and help us with this project that we would not be able to do without his help. Presten is working on his homework today and then Chris is coming back this week to help us get it finished up. A working bathroom by Thanksgiving....so exciting!

This week Presten also found out that he was elected to the board of directors for the Caring Rivers United Way. This is the chapter that serves Elk River and Otsego area. He is really excited!

Vada is becoming more destructive by the day. :) Yesterday in a matter of an hour, she had all my Tupperware spread around the house and then I found her in the bathroom scooping all water out of the toilet with one of the bowls she was carrying around. Oh and you know how much she likes Lexi's food dish- well she decided to throw it and it shattered all over the floor. She thinks that telling her"no" is hilarious and just thinks that it is hysterical when we say it to her. If she wasn't so darn sweet, I think that we would have more issues. :) I think that we have more fun just laughing at her. She has taken some pretty good spills this week. She got a little cut by her eye and on her cheek. She just keep truckin!

Vada is working on mastering her silverware. She always has to be holding them, but she may use her other hand to actually put food in her mouth. She also is getting very good at giving kisses- she loves to give them with her mouth wide open.

Jaxson had a good week. School is going great and he has been busy playing cars, reading books and probably his favorite playing with his sister.

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving! If you are traveling this week we wish you safe travels! We are so thankful to have such wonderful friends and family.

The Bean's

Construction Time!

This past week seemed to just fly by! We had a pretty typical week. I had a park and rec meeting on Wednesday night and those meetings are never short! There is always a lot to be discussed. We are at a point as I am sure many cities are where there is not as much money coming in as years past. This means that the construction of new parks has slowed, and we are trying to determine what makes the most sense for the current system. We are also in the midst of planning our next event which will take place in December. It's all very exciting!

Jaxson has been a little out sorts this weekend. He has been running a low fever-and just hasn't been acting like himself. He slept most of the day on Friday. Saturday, he woke up and seemed to be feeling a little better. We went to the Children's Museum in St. Paul and he had a really good time, but he just came home and crashed. Saturday night we went over the neighbors for a Mexican Fiesta! We always have so much fun with them! Vada was her usual self- into everything. Jaxson was a trooper. We ended up calling it an early night because he started to look pretty peeked. He seems to be doing a better tonight....we are crossing our fingers that he is on the way to 100%.

Today, Presten had to go to church early because he had to talk in all three services. We are doing something in December called Project Homeless and now that he is the Chair of Missions committee he working at recruiting some of our congregation members. He did a great job!

This afternoon Chris came over to help Presten get going on the bathroom. We may have a working toilet by Thanksgiving! Kristin and I spent the afternoon at the outlet mall-and we found some pretty exciting deals!

Vada continues to keep us on our toes! She is our little brute and she has no fears! She has learned how to bring to stool from the bathroom and get up onto the couch. She thinks that she is so funny that she can get up there. If she is not watching she will roll right off the couch....Jaxson would be a sobbing mess if that happened to him. Vada does this over and over and gets right up! She is one tough girl! We pretty much just laugh at her all day everyday!

This week we will be getting ready for Thanksgiving and hopefully making some progress on the bathroom! Thank goodness for Chris!!

Have a great week!! The Bean's

buuurrrr....it's cold outside!

Vada playing with her favorite toy!

We hope that everyone is staying warm-what a change from even last weekend. The winter coats are officially out!


We had a very low key week...also because it was cold and snowy and I really did not want to go out in it. We did however, go out for Jaxson's first dentist appointment! He did better than I ever could of expected. He did not seem scared at all and they were very nice to him. They took x-rays, polished and flossed his teeth and he got a fluoride treatment. Of course, he got to pick out a new toothbrush which he was thought was soooo cool!


Jaxson is doing great at school. He has a hard time letting me leave in the morning, but he has been having great days with no tears. He is making a lot of new friends and he is learning about chipmunks, bears, letters and numbers. I can really tell a difference in him since he has started school-he is really maturing.


Vada has turned into one goofy girl over the past couple of weeks. She has such a personality-which we knew:) but she is so funny! Besides her new game of chase she is now into wrestling. She is tackling Jaxson constantly and if he is not around to play with, she will pull the cushions off the couch and belly flop onto them. She knows where the pantry is now so she likes to go in there and try and see food she can find. If she can't reach she will point and say uh..uh..uh. She loves to sit at her little picnic table and play toys, but most of all she likes to play or wreck anything that Jaxson is using. Let me tell you...he LOVES that!:)


Presten had a great time at the game today-as you can imagine! What a game! Jaxson sang in church today, he was pretty cute. We spent the rest of the day hanging out at home...I am not sure I am ready for this winter thing! Especially now having to bundle up 2 kids!


Thanks for checking in on us! Have a great week! The Bean's

We hope that everyone had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Last week was pretty busy with work and meetings. Lately- Mondays seem to be my marathon day, leaving at 5:15a and getting home anywhere between 7 and 11p. It is a long day, but usually goes by fast. This past Friday I had to go into work for a few hours so Presten took a half day. It actually worked out okay because then he was able to carve the pumpkins and help me get a few things done around the house.

Jaxson dressed up as Harry Potter for Halloween! He LOVED his costume! Presten took Jaxson out for about 45 minutes. Vada and I stayed at the house and handed out candy. Actually she stood at the door --banging trying to get out. Whenever anyone would come to the door she would try and slip out. I should of sent her with Presten because she really just wanted to be outside. Jaxson got so much candy! --which now he wants to eat all the time! After going out in the neighborhood we went over to Vicky and Steve's so they could see the kids. We only stayed for a short time because it was well past Vada's 7pm bedtime- and she knew it!

Saturday morning we got up early and headed down to Maple Grove to do some shopping. It was a gorgeous day and it was really nice to not have any real plans. We got a lot done around the house and even had time to sneak in the movie Maid of Honor while the kids were napping. Presten went to the game today and Jaxson, Vada and I went to church this morning and then minus nap time we spent the rest of the day outside raking and cleaning up the flower beds. Presten came home and mowed so now it looks really nice. Vada LOVES being outside and sitting in the cozy coupe. I tried to take her out to show her something and boy was she mad at me!!

She has been so funny lately...she loves it when we chase her. So anytime that I have her bottle for her, or clothes etc.. she sees me coming and does this little U turn and runs into her bedroom. She thinks that it is soooo funny!

Jaxson had a great week at school. He has a tough time when I drop him off, but does well the rest of the day. He had a Halloween Party on Thursday and he got to wear his costume to school. He loved seeing all the other kids dressed up too!

Fall Retreat

This week was pretty good. Jaxson had a better week at school... No Tears!!! Yea for mommy... Krista has been a huge mom of the year. Taking Jaxson to school, helping him relax, and getting him excited about going. This week was more of a relief for Krista than for Jaxson. Jaxson also has really taken on his Spanish class. Usually when I come home from work I ask him how Spanish was. He usually just shurgs it off and talks about spider-man. This time when I asked he counted 5 in Spanish and was really excited. I was thrilled that he actaully was excited too. This week Vada had her annual and she was in the 60th percentile for weight and height. She is off to a great start for her new little life. The best news was that the doctor says she doesn't need a heart check up for her murmor. What a relief. The week was pretty uneventfull for the most part, till Thursday. It seemed like everything was happening that day. Krista had an annual I had a Missions meeting and we needed to play a balancing act with getting dinner ready and the kids packed for our minnie vacation.
On Friday though, I had the day off and we headed up north to celebrate her parents 30th aniversery. We stayed at the Grand View Resort. It was a beautiful place. Krista again came through with a phenomenal cabin for us. It was right on Gull Lake. Jaxson and I took this oppurtunity to take Grandpa fishing. Jaxson caught his first fish with Grandpa. It was pretty funny. There were a couple of guys fishing there all afternoon. Jaxson dropped his line in and he caught his first fish with Grandpa's help. The other guys were pretty upset but told him nice work. Jaxson was brining them in one by one for an hour.
We had a good day Friday just relaxing after that. Katie, Krista's sister, brought up this new mind boggeling game called Blokus. It was addicting and we played for hours. Saturday we took Jaxson to make some crafts and hang with some other kids. Than we went to get Vada and swam for the rest of the afternoon. That night Krista and I made sweetish meatballs and a cake for desert. Vada and Jaxson were playing hide-n-seek and I think they both wore out Katie. Especially Jaxson.
It was a calming trip home. Jaxson, Vada, and Krista all slept on the way home. It was a great weekend.

and the Bean's take first place!

Well the Bean's had another busy week!

Thursday night Presten and I went to the Faith and Action Gala at Rockwoods in Otsego. They had a silent and live auction; along with dinner and presentation. We ended the night with a group called the Happiness Emporium. They put on a very entertaining show for us. My sister came up for the night to watch the kids. Jaxson and Vada had so much fun with her. She even got to come grocery shopping with us on Friday. I don't think that she will be doing that again anytime soon..it was quite the experience for her.

Saturday was a big day! We had our Otsego Park and Rec Pumpkin Day event. I had to be at the event early to get everything set up. Presten had to work so thank goodness Vicky was able to come for a bit to help with the kiddos. I was not able to stay for the whole event because Vada was getting a little fussy, but there were so many people that came that we needed to get another 400 pumpkins delivered! So it was a success!

Saturday night we headed to Chris and Kristen's for their "Fall Party". We had a pumpkin carving contest that we WON and by a landslide! We came as TEAM BEAN and were ready for the show down! It took a couple hours to finish our masterpiece, but in the end it was all worth it! We stayed the night at their house, because we had a birthday party in St. Paul this afternoon. We had so much fun at our first slumber party! They even made us a great breakfast this morning!

Then it was off to Como Zoo for Nishad and Arun's birthday party. It was really nice. They put on a little educational presentation and then we had pizza and cake. It was a such a great way to spend a beautiful afternoon and end the weekend.

My sister met us a Como today to give us a whole bunch of apples raspberries, potatoes, pumpkins and squash from Bill's parents garden. I already made up my first batch of raspberry jam! I will be busy making applesauce this week!

Jaxson had a pretty good week at preschool this week. He even sat for school pictures and went to Spanish with no tears. We are making progress!

Vada has a couple more teeth coming in so she had a runny nose, but that is not slowing her down!

We'll off to bed early tonight! Have a great week! The Bean's!

Time to Celebrate

We had a weekend of Celebration. On Saturday afternoon we had Vada's first birthday party!! She had so much fun seeing all her friends and family. She went through a couple grumpy spouts, but she did pretty well. We a tough time with her opening presents because the first present that she opened was a toy so of course she wanted to play with that and wanted nothing to do with anything else! After getting through her presents it was CAKE time! Vada got a whole chocolate cake for herself! She quickly perked up after taking a taste of the frosting...but before long she was a mess and ready for a bath! She had a really nice party and it is hard to believe that she is already ONE!!

Then Saturday night Presten and I went out to the Oceannaire to celebrate our 5 year Wedding Anniversary. The food was AMAZING! When we left we said to ourselves-"why haven't we gone there before..?" Delicious! After dinner we walked around Nicollet Mall for awhile and then headed home. It had been a long day....

Jaxson's preschool update: Tuesday...we had quite the day. It was rainy- we were in bumper to bumper traffic and Jaxson did not want to go to school...he eventually worked himself up so much that he threw up all over himself. We were halfway between home and school. We ended up making it school and I had some extra clothes for him so he changed and ended up having an okay day...a couple meltdowns, but he made it. Thursday-much better! A couple meltdowns between some transitions, but he had the best day that he has had in a long time. He even earned a Pizza Party!! He decided that he wanted to have his pizza party with grandma and grandpa while Presten and I went out to dinner - so that is what they did!

Vada is now not only walking, but going from toy to toy to the table to her new rocking horse...we are having to chase her everywhere! She has also become quite the smuggler. She likes to give lots of hugs and loves being held! She can also give up high fives!

We are looking forward to all the things that both Jaxson and Vada will learn and do in the next year!

Well have a great week and we'll see you next Sunday!! The Bean's

Here is a little clip of Jaxson's first singing performance...you can tell he is really into it!

A year with Vader Baders!

Next Sunday Vada will be ONE!! Can you believe it? We certainly can't! The year has just flown by..it really seems like I was just in the hospital with her. She has been such a gift to us. She is so sweet and loving, loud and crazy...we could not imagine life without her. She provides us so much entertainment- with her brother of course!

Now that Vada is almost one...she can dump every toy out of her toy bin and then leave it for me to clean up. She can pull out all my Tupperware and scatter it all around the house. She can eat Lexi's food and splash in her water dish. She can scream at the top of her lungs to get what she wants. She can make a complete mess when stuffing every last bit of food into her mouth. She can say mama and dada. She can smile so big that your heart melts. She is our little angel.

Last week went so fast....I went out for dinner with Amy on Monday night. We had to reschedule like 15 times so it was exciting to finally find a night that worked! Other than that we had a typical week. Friday the kids stayed at my parents house in Rochester. We had a Wedding on Friday night for a co-worker of Presten's. The Wedding and Reception was really nice. Saturday I went scrapbooking with some friends from the neighborhood. I finally am starting Vada's first year book! I scrapped from 10a-7p and they were still going! I didn't get quite as much done as I would of liked, but it takes some time to get the creative juices flowing!

Jaxson and Vada were really good for my parents -from what I hear. Katie made them spaghetti pie on Friday night and they took the kids to the park on Saturday. Jaxson said that he had so much fun at the park! He was so excited to go their house and he did not want to come home. Presten bribed him with a movie, so he got to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks when they got home on Saturday.

We hope that everyone had a good week and we'll see ya next Sunday! The Bean's

Preschool Blues!

Well things took a turn for the worse this week for Jaxson at preschool! He is still having a hard time adjusting to his new routines and kids. On Tuesday he had a pretty big break down and his teacher called me and I went up to try and calm him during his meltdown. -which was all over him not wanting to go to Spanish class. I got him to go, but I am not sure that he will go again. Then on Thursday he had a couple more breakdowns during the day. He also is not eating his lunch-or at least not much. When I pick him up he is starving so he eats it on the way home from school. I talked with his teacher for quite awhile on Thursday. He is just having some big attachment issues. He not only gets upset when I leave, but if his teacher has to leave the classroom he has a meltdown. She said that he is very hesitant with the other kids and she tries to pair him up with the quieter kids so they don't upset him. This all just seems so out of character for him. We are working on a "no tears" reward system this week, so cross your fingers!

Vada had a tough week too with her teeth. I think that they are finally broken through because today was a better day for her. She is working at mastering the shoe thing-which she really doesn't care for, but she'll get it.

Friday we had Chris and Kristen over for dinner. Presten and Chris worked on the bathroom, but there is still lots to do! We had a really good time chatting, talking a little politics and watching the debate!

Saturday we had a big day! St. David's had their annual Fall Festival-Art Gone Wild! There were a ton of different activities for the kids to do different art projects, mini golf, climbing wall. Jaxson had a good time. Vada was a little crabby, but what's new! Then off to the apple orchard! Both of the kids perked up when we got there. Jaxson went on a pony ride! I wasn't sure how brave he was going to be, but he did great! Vada loved playing in the hay and going down the little slides. Then on our way home we stopped off at Vicky and Steve's to wish Steve a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Grandpa even took Jaxson down on the lawn mower to see the neighbors horses!

Then today after church, Presten and Jaxson, went to a place called Kids Against Hunger. It is similar to Feed my Starving Children. This one is located in Becker. They fill bags of food that are shipped around the world. Today the boxes that they filled were being shipped to Haiti. Presten said Jaxson did so good. His job was to add a cup of soy to the bag and he worked just as hard as everyone else.

The rest of today has been spent watching football of course! Have a great week!! The Bean's

We've Recovered so Time to BBQ

The crazy kids!!

After a couple sore days at the beginning of the week, Presten and I have recovered from the marathon! Now only if I could get rid of this darn head cold that I have been carrying around all week..we would be in excellent shape! Things just don't run as smoothly around the house when mom is sick!

I think that we are all starting to adjust to our new routines. Jaxson has allowed me to leave him at preschool without kicking and screaming so I am grateful for that! Vada is now walking at full speed and has all the bumps and bruises to show for it! She apparently has the Bean gene too- you know that accident prone gene! :) Her head has a couple pretty big welts and she has gotten two bloody lips in the past couple of days as well. Her two top teeth look like they are almost ready to break through so she should have 2 new toothers for her BiRtHdAy!

Saturday we had some neighbors over for one last BBQ before the summer officially ends! The kids had so much fun--all Eleven of them! They all played really well together --and each one has another one their age so everyone has a playmate! Jaxson had more treats than I could count...but he slept in this morning! We have such great neighbors! I am not sure if anyone else is having a problem with flies...but seriously! With the door opening so much on Saturday night we had about 15 families of flies in our house. Jaxson and I went on a fly hunt this morning, but I think that we still have a couple families to go! Along with those darn crickets..cricket..cricket!!!!

Thanks for checkin in! The Bean's

All three across the finish line!!

We are excited to tell everyone that we all made it across the finish line!! Presten and my sister Katie finished in awesome time! I had an equipment issue that held me up at the start of the race. About 1/4 of mile in a I felt like something was wrong with my right blade and sure enough I look down and my front wheel had lost the nut to keep the wheel in place. If I would not of realized it my wheel would of just flown off. I found someone that was able to fix my wheel however, at this point I was probably a good 1/2 mile behind all 4,000 skaters! It took me a mile or two to catch up and start passing some skaters so I wasn't the absolute last person across the finish line. Presten finished in 2.5 hours and I was somewhere around 3 hours...which beat my time in 2004 so we are making progress! We skated from Two Harbors to Duluth right along the North Shore. We are excited that we finished...but we are sooo SORE today!

We drove up to Duluth on Friday and went took the kids to the Zoo. Jaxson loves animals so he had a really good time...minus this crazy monkey that we were watching through the glass. He decided to lunge straight at us..I thought I was going to have a heart attack! We then went and checked in at the hotel. We stayed at Black Bear Casino just a few miles outside of Duluth. We were really impressed with the hotel. They had a really nice heated pool and two hot tubs and a big buffet that we indulged ourselves in after the race!

Jaxson and Vada had fun hanging out with grandma and grandpa....there are always lots of treats!

Jaxson had two good days at preschool. He was a little bit of a stinker on Tuesday, but on Thursday he was a bit better..we'll get there. He just has these little meltdowns when I drop him off and pick him up, but is good in class.

Vada is starting to get her top two teeth in, so she been a little more fussy these last few days. Other than that she is into everything...all the time! One more month until she is ONE!!

Have a great week! The Bean's

it's all a blur.....

Jaxson's first day of preschool

This past week was pretty crazy for all of us. We are all transitioning onto our new schedules....we have only encountered some minor bumps in the road so we say praise for that!

Jaxson had a great first week at preschool. Tuesday I almost forgot to say good bye to him because he was already off playing! Thursday he was a little more clingy and had a pretty big melt down when I picked him up..but we made it through and learned some lessons so this week hopefully will be a little smoother.

This was also Jaxson first week of Sunshine choir practice at church and Sunday school. Apparently being three is a pretty BIG deal! Jaxson met a little boy named Nicholas at choir practice on Wednesday-they hit it off right away! Nicholas is such a hoot! This morning at Sunday school there was a little girl that came into the class and Nicholas said, "Hi Sara-this is my friend Jaxson." Jaxson was being a little shy and Nicholas said to him, "Jaxson, don't be shy it is just Sara." It was pretty cute. I asked Jaxson how Sunday School went- and I asked him what they did with these spoons that I saw in the classroom-Jaxson said, "oh me and Nicholas didn't do those because we were being monkeys instead!" I can just imagine what they were doing! There were 12 three and four year olds this morning and 2 teachers! Jaxson also received his preschool bible on Thursday night from Paster Phil. He has been carrying it all over the house and he looks through it and asks us to read him the stories. It is not going to take long to get through it!

We had Heidi and Keith over on Saturday. We spent a lot of the afternoon with them and then we made dinner and played some games-with Jaxson:) and then they left around the time that we put the kids to bed. We hadn't seen them in a long time so it was nice to be able to spend that much time with them!

Vada is still our little monster! She is starting to take some more steps. She can do about 5 in a row..so it won't be long before she is running!

Well I think that we are all exhausted this today so we will be going to bed early!

Wish us luck we have the marathon on Saturday and we haven't rollerbladed for a couple weeks now...so at this point I really am not sure what we got ourselves into!

Have a great week! The Bean's

Here is a little video of Vada working on taking some steps!

State Fair and Summer Projects!

Happy Labor Day! We hope that everyone had a chance to relax and celebrate all the hard work you do all year long. Or you could do what we did and try and pack in an entire summers worth of projects in 3 days!

We decided to paint the basement this weekend among other things...we have been talking about doing it all summer so finally we did it and it looks so good. We had to work in shifts around when the kids schedule so it took us the whole three days. Jaxson was quite the foreman...as I was painting I asked him how it was looking and he told me that it didn't look good yet because he could still see white on the wall. He is so funny.

Jaxson has a big day coming up tomorrow..It is his first day of preschool!! He is super excited. After his 3 year check-up on Friday we went to meet his teacher and some of the of the other kids that are going to be in his class. He will be going St. David's now on Tuesdays and Thursdays. By the way..the check-up went great. He was a little stinker about the eye check-maybe next year.

Vada is doing great! She LOVES to eat!! We went to the State Fair on Wednesday and all she wanted to do was eat...it didn't matter if it was our food or not..if she saw food she wanted it! She did really well at the fair, she even got in a little nap which she needed! We had been looking forward to the fair all winter/spring/summer! Of course it had to rain, but it didn't slow us down a bit! We ate a lot--but next year I think that we are going to be a bit more daring!

Vada is also our little dancer now-she hears music and shakes her butt!

We are looking forward to a short week..it is going to busy, busy for us..so I am already looking forward to the weekend!

Have a great week! The Bean's

not a minute to spare...!

This week started out a bit on the rocky side....Vada was still battling her flu and her little body took a turn downward on Monday night. We were able to make it through the night, but took her into the doctor on Tuesday. Of course our pediatrician was out so we went to the Champlain office..and saw Dr. Weird-o! He kept calling her a he..which was just the start of it. However, he told us that she had developed reflux from the flu. He prescribed her Zantex and told us to continue having her sleep in her swing because 90% of the time that she was throwing up it was when we were laying her down. After 5 days of the medication she is back our sweet little Vada. We decided to try and lay her in her bed and she slept for 3 hours! I think that she was so happy to not have to sleep sitting up anymore! --and she didn't throw up! Jaxson was so cute..whenever she would wake up he would run into her room and check if she threw up and I would hear him saying to her, "Good Job Vada--mama she didn't throw up!" He was very understanding with her and us over the past week while she was sick.

Tuesday was also Jaxson "real" birthday..which we also knew was VERY important to celebrate. We decided that Dairy Queen was a much needed treat for everyone. Of course, Vada threw up all over herself in the car on the way there, but being the master puke cleaner uppers that we are we pulled over and cleaned her up, changed her and cleaned out the car and headed back on our way. We ate there and then had an ice cream treat! YUM! Jaxson was a little upset when we left because he found out that we were not going to Elm Creek Park-he loves that place and thought that he should get to go there for his birthday!

Thursday after work we headed down to Rochester. We stopped at Kali's parents house..they were having a little family get together and we thought we would join them! It was their first time meeting Vada and she had fun showing them all her little tricks!

Friday we had pictures taken at Oxbow park (near Rochester). They turned out so great! We struggled to get a good family one, but I think that we can make one of them work. We got some great shots of the kids separately. We BBQ at my parents in the evening. Jaxson loves playing with Katie and Bill (Katie's boyfriend) so he didn't really give them a choice of not playing with him!

We drove back up on Saturday and Presten and Jaxson got in their Vikings gear and headed down to the metrodome for the game. I think that Jaxson's favorite part was riding the train to and from the game. Jaxson cheered and told everyone around their seats to say "Go VIKES!" Presten also said that he LOVED the cheerleaders! He kept asking about them! oh boy! He lasted about two quarters and then he was ready to come home.

After church today we headed down to the Bean Family Reunion in Brooklyn Park. This was our second time attending. We had a really good time visiting with family that we do not get to see very often. I was pregnant last year at the reunion so it was fun to have everyone be able to meet Vada. She was a bit on the fussy side today with no nap, but we managed and Jaxson had a good time playing with Kylie, Briac and Trenton.

So tonight we are going to enjoy this gorgeous night and get ready for a hopefully little slower week! Have a great week! The Bean's

Happy Birthday Jaxson!!!

We had quite the week! Vada got a little flu bug this past week. She was throwing up for 4 days straight....She is now keeping some food down, but we are going to completely stop the formula for right now because that is really upsetting her stomach. She is drinking water and she is in good spirits, but still acting a little peeked. We are hoping that tomorrow is a good day! Vada has probably had more bathes this past week than she has in the past month!

Vada is starting say mama now! She has been saying dada for a long time so we have been working on it..she is getting it!

After cleaning up Vada's projectile vomit for thee days I finally needed a break! Friday I went scrapbooking with some friends from our neighborhood. I have not worked on Jaxson's book since I was on maternity leave with him. It was so fun to get back into it! We did a scrap mania class from 4-11pm so I got a lot done! Of course Vada did not throw up once for Presten! Plus I laid the 5 things that I told him that she could eat. I told him no milk only water and vitamin water. I knew that was what she was keeping down. I call at 8pm and he told me that he had given her french fries (those were not on the list) and MILK! He is so funny and LUCKY that he did not have one big mess to clean up!

Jaxson had his birthday party on Saturday at Elm Creek Park Reserve. We barbecued, opened gifts and had cake. He had sooo much fun! He is so animated and has the funniest expressions! He got so many nice gifts and has been playing with them non stop! He of course wanted to open the gifts at the park-so we opened his McQueen Car and the Mystery Machine. His friend Nishad and him drove those vehicles all over the park! He loves playing with Nishad-they play so well together.

This week we are going down to Rochester for a couple days and having the kids pictures taken. I think that the week is going to go fast! Have a great week! The Bean's

Girls, Girls, Girls

The Bean's had a very exciting week!

We started the week out with National Night Out. We had a really great turnout of families. The kids had a little bike parade followed by the baby crawl and races. Then we heard the sirens! The fire trucks were coming! There were two fire trucks that the kids were able to jump into. Jaxson got to sit in the drivers seat and even put on one of the helmets!

Thursday we went down to see Presten's grandpa at North Memorial. He had been in there for three weeks. He needs to have surgery done, but his body has not fully recovered from the last one so they are not ready to do it. We did hear that he is home now, so hopefully he will start to feel better and then he can go back in and have the surgery done.

Friday, my girlfriend Lacey came up and stayed the night before our girl's weekend. She got here around 8pm so of course we stayed up way to late talking and really regretted it the next morning!

Saturday morning, Lacey wanted to go over to the outlet mall to go to Motherhood Maternity. Sure enough about 5 minutes after we got there Kimmy walks in! We had our little reunion in Motherhood Maternity. They did a little fashion show and bought some really cute clothes. Being around them makes me want to be pregnant again~however, I am very HAPPY with TWO!

After shopping we headed down to Melissa's in Minneapolis. Erin was there when we arrived. We spent several hours chatting and LAUGHING! We went to Brit's Pub for dinner--horrible service so we left. We decided that dessert sounded way better than lawn bowling anyways. We went to Zeno's in uptown for dessert. They have awesome desserts! The raspberry cheesecake was to die for. After over indulging ourselves we went to comedy sportz. We laughed so hard at the show..it was really good.

Sunday morning we got up and Mel made us blueberry pancakes!~YUM! Then we went down to the Minneapolis Farmers Market. I bought corn for supper and this gorgeous bunch of flowers for $5.00! So another awesome Girl's Weekend for the books!

Presten had his hands full this weekend without me. Vada of course threw up three times! She never gets sick~we think it must of been just a little bug. Presten and Jaxson got chinese for supper and then watched a movie and had a popcorn party. Presten is such a great dad~he is so good to Jaxson and Vada.

Tonight we had Stacy and Darrin over for dinner for quesadillas, black bean soup and corn. We have not seen them for so long~we love spending time with them and we don't get to do it enough. Next time I think we are going to do a night on the town!

Now off to bed~ the weekend just flew by...I can't believe that it is over!

Have a great week! The Bean's

You can only imagine what was coming out of her mouth.......!

The Bean's had a pretty low key week...Wednesday Jaxson had his first movie date. Dianna asked him if he wanted to come over and watch and movie and of course he was so excited that there was no way that I could tell him "no". He had so much fun--we are not sure what movie they watch we couldn't understand what he was telling us:) On Friday we had a sprinkler date with Nishad. The kids love playing together..it took them a little while to get wet, but before long they were soaked!


On Thursday I went to a wine tasting party with one of our neighbors. Her sister was hosting it in Hudson, WI. It was a bit of a drive, but it was super fun and we really learned a lot about wine!


We stayed home this weekend-Presten had to work on Saturday. We did some random household stuff. We watched a movie both nights....P.S. I love you and The Bucket List. We recommend both.


Today we had Presten's work picnic at Elm Creek Park in Maple Grove. Jaxson LOVES this park so it was a little hard to get him to eat or do anything else for that matter...


Vada is continuing to try new foods every week. She had salmon this week-she just shoveled it into her mouth! She has started to make some pretty funny noises...she does this grunting one -it is so funny she sounds like a man. She loves wrestling with Jaxson and following him around the house. She is so close to taking a real step...she wants to and then changes her mind..crawling is so much easier.


Pretty slow week for us.....We have a lot planned for this week, so I guess we will make up for it!





Have a Great Week! The Bean's

Jaxson the BRAVE.....

Jaxson has been showing us all week how BRAVE he is....Jaxson moved into his bedroom shortly after Vada was born. He was so used to being in a crib that he would not get out of bed until we came and got him. We would encourage him to be a big boy...but he was still our little chicken. Well, we are now starting to regret this encouragement! Jaxson has been waking very early and coming to our bed to let us know that is "awake time". Two nights in a row he came up at 3:30! When I took him back to his bed he did stay there, but we are hoping that this is a short phase!

Jaxson continues to spend every minute that he can with Dianna. It is going to be a sad day if she ever decides not to come over and play with him. The minute Jaxson comes outside, Dianna is right over. Jaxson even went over to her house this weekend to play. We could hear them just giggling from across the street. Dianna has two roosters that just run around their backyard and Jaxson loves to watch them.

Vada continues to keep us on our toes. She wants to be the center of attention ALL the time! She is VERY demanding!! She has quite the personality and I have a feeling that it is more than just a phase. I am not sure that I am ready for it! She has also been standing for longer periods of time now by herself so I have a feeling that it will not be long and she will be running! -Oh and if you remember the little hand thing that Jaxson did when he was a baby...well Vada is starting to do it! (They just twirl their hands in circles over --happy, mad ..the hands are twirling!)

This past week I was able to meet up with my girlfriend Amy for dinner. Kid FREE! It had been a couple months since our last dinner date so we had a lot to catch up on. It was gorgeous night so we had dinner on the patio and combined with great conversation -what more is there!

Then Wednesday we went out for dinner with Jon and Lindsey to Bennihana's. This was with the kids...and was pretty interesting. Jaxson did awesome, but Vada is just at that age that it can be a little tricky to take her out. Her little high pitched squealing doesn't really help matters either. The chef did a good presentation so Jaxson thought that was pretty cool to watch.

Saturday was our first Saturday that we were home and Presten did not have to work. We did some landscaping, cleaning and other misc. tasks. That night we went to our friends and neighbors to celebrate Ashish's 10 years in the USA. They provided some wonderful Indian food and then each family that came brought one of their family favorites. We always have such a good time with them and it was a really nice celebration. After Ashish's party I decided that I still had some socializing to do. I joined another group of neighbors for drinks on the patio. We laughed and laughed ....this is always the time that you REALLY get to know your neighbors. We are so blessed to have such good friends that live so close to us.

Today we had our church picnic. Great food and fellowship! Jaxson played and played at the park and chased the big kids around because he tries so hard to be a BIG kid. He also did the water balloon toss and the watermelon seed spitting contest. I'll need a little more practice before doing that one again!

We spent some really meaningful time with some great friends this week and we are so thankful to live such rich lives....

Have a wonderful week! The Bean's

Vada eating her new favorite black beans!

This week Vada had her 9 month check up. I cannot believe how fast she is growing up! She weighs 19 pounds! She was in the 63% for height and weight and the 44% for her head. She has a clean bill of health too! Hopefully she can stay as healthy as Jaxson...both have only been seen for their well visits! Knock on wood! Jaxson was very good at the appointment this time, so after I took him over to Barnes and Noble to play with their Thomas the Train set display that he loves.


Vada continues to get into everything that she can...she is so QUICK!! She still wants me to hold her whenever I am in the same room as her...and when she wants something you will know! Presten and Jaxon are having a VERY hard time with her ear piercing squealing! Over the past few weeks my ears I think have adjusted--at least most of the time. She is trying new foods every week. Her new favorite is black beans. I made a big pot this week and she could not get them in her mouth fast enough!


Grandpa Steve and Grandma Vicky gave Jaxson their motorized jeep this week. He was so excited when he saw it! He has been doing really good with getting around in it. It has also been a good bargaining piece, because if he doesn't listen then I tell him that I will take the jeep back to Grandma Vicky's. It has been working....for how long..we'll see!


This week we also made it down to the St. Louis Park Splash Pad with our neighbor Erica and her three kids. Jaxson had so much fun! He was a little timid at first as usual, but after about a half hour he was running all over the place. We will definitely be going back!


Presten and I are continuing to try and train for this marathon....it is going so-so... I rollerbladed 9 miles today and Presten did 5! It is a far cry from 26, but it is a start.....


Have a great week! The Bean's

Mini Vacation... By Presten Bean

Jaxson and Me watching the storm!!

WOW, what a great weekend. We survived a severe weather storm in a shower room. Our tent stayed standing and no one got burnt from the sun. All in all a good weekend.



We decided to go to Taylor Falls this weekend to take in WILD MOUNTAIN and spend time Krista's family. It is an amazing water park for the whole family. So, I took Friday off so we could head out and camp the weekend and spend Saturday at Wild Mountain. We arrived to our campsite to see that Krista's family was already there. Krista's sister Katie and new boyfriend Bill were there waiting to greet us. We had a great site and we were tucked in the tree's in the nice shade.

Then came the storm. Yea, it was pretty intense. We got all set up Friday with the tents, the fire, we had dinner, went swimming, played at the park and were just relaxing when the Fire Marshall came. Telling everyone to get to the shelters because we were in the path of a severe storm that had strong winds and a possibility of producing a tornado. So, Krista and Katie took Jaxson to the shelter, while Bill and I sat on chairs commenting on every one's oohing and ahhhhing the lighting in the sky. It was rather amusing. The nice thing was Krista's parents took Vada to their hotel, so we knew she would be alright. The coolest thing was when the wall cloud finally arrived. The winds gusted and the rain came. It from hot and humid to freezing cold wind. It felt good. The whole thing lasted about an hour. When we got back to camp we were amazed to see our tents up and dry inside. The lighting kept up all night but we were fast a sleep...

Saturday could not have come any quicker. It was bright cool morning. We cooked up breakfast over the fire which was interesting seeing Krista and I hold grate so it was level to cook the eggs. It was good. I rustled up some toast and burnt it like a toaster would. Oh well what do ya do. After that Krista's parent showed up with Vada and we headed to Wild Mountain...

I heard it was a cool place to ski, however I think it is even better in the summer... One Phrase... ALPINE SLIDES RULE... Don't believe me ask Jaxson he went like 10 or 11 times. You basically take a chair lift to the top of the mountain get in a plastic sled to slide done a fiberglass chute. To make it more interesting the sled has a brake and wheels on the same lever. Jaxson didn't like the break. He pushed forward to go faster... WHOA!!! It was awesome. There were great water slides and a kids water park. We raced in go karts and had a little picnic lunch. Krista, Katie and Bill would not let me leave with out going down the black whole water slide. It is basically a straight drop down that goes under ground. It takes 5 mins to get to the top, but only 6 seconds to get to the bottom... Yea that's fast...

After Wild Mountain we headed back to camp to make dinner. We had spaghetti on the grill. Yea, it works, you just have to have a lot of wood. Or in my case go around and find some because I needed more than I thought. Krista, however came through. She found us plenty to last through dinner. We made SMOREs and called it a night. We were exhausted. Jaxson was out and soon there after were Krista and I.

All in all it was a great weekend. Krista kept us organized (because I would have forgot half the stuff we needed), Jaxson kept us on our toes, and Vada, well she let us know she was there.

Have phenominal week...
The Bean's

Summer Time Fun Continues......

Monday was our last night of soccer. We had a really great time with all the kids! They each received a little metal for participating and then we received a gift from the kids~a picture of the team and a gift card to Home Depot!! After soccer on Monday we had an initial meeting for a neighborhood watch. We decided to start the watch after several disturbances within the neighborhood. One of the Wright county deputies led the meeting to help guide us in our efforts to keep our neighborhood safe. The turnout was great --so we are very excited!

Wednesday morning Rachel, one of the girls that I used to work with at St. D's, came out because she needed a "child" to videotape for one of her class projects. She taped us playing playdough and now she has to transcribe everything that Jaxson said. He always says some pretty funny things-so I have a feeling she will be doing a lot of laughing!

We have been continuing to pick strawberries from the garden, but when Rachel was here I asked Jaxson to tell Rachel where we have been getting the strawberries from...He said "Coborns" (the grocery store in albertville)....it was pretty funny:) I guess he forgot that we get them from the backyard!

Friday, we went to Bunker Hills Beach in Coon Rapids. It was a gorgeous day. We played and played in the water and went down the little water slides. Jaxson, was pretty upset that he could not go down the big slides with Presten-maybe next year! We brought a picnic lunch and spent two more hours in the water after lunch. Jaxson finally decided that we could leave and then when he woke up from his mini nap on the car ride home he was mad because he wanted to go back to the waterpark! We rested for a little while at home then went down to lake Orono in Elk River for the 4th of July Carnival. Last year Jaxson went on the pony ride and LOVED it--this year was a total chicken and would not have anything to do with it!

We did not make it out to the fireworks because we were all exhausted. Presten and I did see some from our deck and then watch the finale on Channel 4!:)

Saturday we had Presten's family over for a BBQ and bonfire. The kids had a good time running through the sprinkler, making and throwing water balloons and trying to douse Jake with water! We had a really good time.

Today was a day of leisure--which is probably an understatement. We are all still in our pajamas! Presten and I have spent the day laying around and watching the Deadliest Catch (catching king crabs) on the discovery channel. I think that it is like a 10 hour marathon! I don't think that I have even been outside today! Everyone needs a day like that every 6 months or so --right?!

Vada has been a little under the weather. She has been sleeping a lot. She has a really runny nose and has been really drooling and is pretty crabby. Which all points to teething, so I am hoping that is all it is. Every week she is moving more and more. She can now do stairs! She is so fast that I can barely keep up with her. No big tumbles yet...... She is also starting to stand! She can make it about 10-20 seconds.

This next weekend we are going to Taylor's Falls with my parents. We are excited for another day of water slides!! -and another 4 day week!!

Have a great week and thank you for tuning into another week of buzzing with the Bean's!

Here is our next installment of our "next American Idol!"

Bowling and Fishing!

Another busy week! We had a pretty typical routine this week. Soccer on Monday and then I raced off to church for what has turned into our weekly staff parish meeting. I told them that pretty soon I am not going to know what to do with my Monday nights! We don't have one tomorrow, but Presten has another meeting at church so it will still be busy!

Thursday Presten packed up for his fishing trip and I went down to Rockwoods for a gathering to say goodbye to our Otsego Mayor. He had been mayor for 30 years! Otsego has now appointed our first female mayor-which is very exciting! She serves as a representative on the park and rec board so I have gotten to know her over the last few months.

Friday morning Presten left with Jake and Paul and headed up north for their fishing trip. Presten said that they had a really good time and they all caught a fare amount of fish-mostly bass and northerns. Presten brought some home and we are going try it out next weekend! I had the kids all weekend and tonight I am exhausted!

On Friday night we had a popcorn party and watched Meet the Robinsons. Jaxson and I had quite the time keeping Vada and Lexi out of the popcorn! Saturday we invited Nishad and Beverly to come bowling with us in Monticello. The boys had a really good time. They play so well together. Then Beverly and Nishad decided to treat us to Pizza-so that was an extra treat!

Saturday night Jaxson helped me make pigs in a blanket for supper-he thought that was sooo cool! Then we spent the night playing candyland, Dora's memory game playing with play-doh and reading books. He missed Dad a lot this weekend -so their were lots of tears! It was a little rainy this weekend so we did not get to play outside as much as I would of liked. On Saturday when I told Jaxson that it was raining out he said, "no it's not mom it is just drizzling".--the things he says!

Vada is just growing up so fast. Still no hair-but it will come! She wants to eat everything now-sometimes this makes it easier for me and sometimes harder. If it is something that I know she can eat then I don't have to make something different, but a lot of the she isn't quite ready for it. Presten has been trying to teach her to say "dada" -she actually does a pretty good job imitating. She tries so hard to keep up with her brother. Thank goodness he does a really good job including her.

Jaxson and Vada also have been having fun helping in the garden-or digging in the dirt! Our strawberries are now turning red so Jaxson has been helping me pick and -of course eat them!

Well I am off to bed early tonight! At least this week is a short week with the 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! The Bean's

Summer Time!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had a really busy week. On Monday, Jaxson had soccer. He had a little bit of a meltdown. He was having a hard time with Presten being the coach. He wanted his full attention and Presten could not give it to him, so that was tough. Then I was off to church for another staff parish meeting.

Wednesday morning we went to our weekly playgroup at the park. Jaxson has fun seeing all his little friends. Presten had to work late on Wednesday so Jaxson, Vada and I went to the library and then out for pizza. Jaxson thought it was so cool that we got to eat there because we usually bring it home.

On Thursday, Presten had his mission's meeting at church so Jaxson, Vada and I went and played at the park. This week was so nice-we spent almost every minute we could outside. Presten got out and roller bladed some too-he even took Lexi!! Some of the neighbors said that they couldn't watch!:) I would probably have an anxiety attack if I watched him on blades with the dog. I just keep the phone handy in case we have to take a trip to the hospital!

Friday, Presten had his head shaved at work! He had a bet that while he was on vacation that they could not get to a certain percentage as a store and they did! It was a good bet to lose, but he lost his hair!

Friday night we packed up for our camping trip. Presten had to work on Saturday morning so we left when he got home. We just went up to a KOA in Clearwater. It was only about 20 minutes from our house. This was our first trip with Vada and Lexi so we thought one night would be a good start. Lexi can get a little crazy, so we were a little worried. She had a few small barking episodes, but she did surprisingly well. We had a really nice corner site that was really grassy which was nice for her too. Vada struggled a bit. She just did not want to take a nap and she was up several times at night until I brought her into bed with me and she went right to sleep. Jaxson did a great job. He had so much fun swimming, golfing, eating marshmallows and sleeping in the tent! I think that we are going to try and go again in a couple weeks-hopefully it will go as smoothly.

Well we are exhausted and Presten leaves on Friday for his fishing trip with the guys! Have a great week! The Bean's

Here is a cute little video of Jaxson.