I don’t spend much time online these days.  Blogging is on the bottom of my long list of things to get done in a very short amount of time.  However, I don’t want to get too far behind, so just like the last time, I am going to do a quick catch up.

Beckham spent a good 2.5 months with Chris in Abu Dhabi.  He got a lot of attention and did a lot of fun things.

But it came time for him to come home… so I took a long weekend and flew to Abu Dhabi, spent 30 hours there packing him up, catching a game, getting some hugs from Chris, and spending time at my favorite Dubai Mall, then flew home with Beckham.

These were the moments of peace.  There were a few here and there, but mostly it was incredibly difficult.  Imagine a 17 hour flight with a 1 year old (then a layover and another flight).  Fun stuff right? It’s even harder than it sounds.  Because of jet lag while in Abu Dhabi and just because of the shear anxiety about the trip home I got about 6 hours of sleep in 4 days.  Perfect for a 24 hour trip with a high maintenance little booger like my Beckham.  But alas, we made it home safe and sound on Sunday night.  I had to get up and go to school the next morning.

My amazing mom once again came to my rescue to help with the kids.  Zachary still wakes most nights…. boo.  Beckham had started crawling out of any crib you tried to contain him in, so not only were we changing him from an 11 hour time difference (don’t complain to me about daylight savings time), we were switching him from a crib to a bed.  It was a rough week, but we were consistent and made progress daily, and the day finally came where he would stay in bed without getting out and got his inner clock changed and slept all night.  It all really only took a couple weeks and now he’s golden.  I couldn’t have done it without my mom.  Love her to pieces.

Once everyone was feeling a bit better we took care of some things.  Haircut, doctor’s appointment (not surprisingly we learned that yes, Beckham is very BIG for his age), got reunited with his little brother, and was taken to show and tell by Kelli Jo who was beside herself happy that he was back home.

Some other things going on… Zoey won first prize in her grade at school for her poster for Arbor Day.  I outlined the letters but she did everything else.  It was definitely a favorite.  Good Job Zoey.

Zachary is sitting now and got his first 2 teeth on the same day.  Unless you felt his gums, you wouldn’t have even known he was teething.  He is the best baby.  He brings me so much joy.

Easter crept up on us.  We had an Easter egg hunt with some fabulous friends.

Easter Morning after finding their baskets.  In true Beckham style, he threw his to the ground and then went for Ava’s (his favorite target). I know this isn’t the prettiest picture, but it’s daily life here.. messy hair, Beckham making things tough, nobody looking at the camera… normal life.. Easter or not.

Beckham before church… (Can you say Euro Jeans?)

The girls after church. Can you tell those are Ava’s favorite leggings?

Even though it was Easter, we took the afternoon and evening to celebrate Zoey’s birthday with family.  She requested pizza for dinner (her favorite food) and that was just fine by me (and everyone else for that matter).  It was a beautiful spring day and everyone enjoyed playing outside.  Kelli Jo and Zoey had gotten double dutch jump ropes in their Easter basket, so those were put to good use, as well as jumping on the tramp.  Grandma Burgess brought a bunch of plastic Easter eggs filled with candy.  Kelli Jo and her cousin Madison hid them and then all the kids were able to have a little Easter egg hunt.  They, of course, loved that and quickly gobbled up candy right before dinner.  Zoey wanted to open her gifts in front of everyone and since I was going to be at school the next day (her birthday) I thought it was a great idea.

After dinner, we sang Happy Birthday to her and to my Mom, who’s birthday was a few days prior (the 29th of March).  We let her blow the candles out a couple times to make sure she got a good wish and then everyone enjoyed some ice cream cake.  The kids played and played until it was time for the evening to come to a close.  It was a great day.

Zoey was born on April Fool’s Day.  It could not be a more fitting day for her.  She is our little goof ball.  She loves to be loud and crazy and loves to make others laugh.  She lives life full and fast.  She has broken her arm 3 times and that just proves who she is.  She is a bit of a drama queen, but we are working on calming that a bit.  She loves to sing and loves to smother her little brothers and boss around her little sister.  I love her to pieces and am so happy she is my April Fool’s baby.  Happy Birthday to my big brown eyed girl.  We love you!

And that’s about the end of the update.  I’m still in school and staying incredibly busy.  Chris is still in Abu Dhabi playing basketball.  We are not sure when he will be coming home so we try not to think about it yet.  The girls are absolutely loving school.  Beckham is a full time job, and cute Zachary is a better baby than I could have asked for.. now if he would just sleep all night!  My mom continues to be my rock that I lean on more than anyone will ever know.  I don’t know what I would do without her.  I pray that one of these days I can get a full night’s sleep on a regular basis.  Is that even possible as a mom?  I can always hope.