The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Baby Beckham is almost 9 months now and OH how he shines!  He makes life so much more fun. He belly laughs at his Daddy, eats heartily, and absolutely adores his big sister.  In his eyes she can do no wrong.  Watching them chase each other around the house and listening to them giggle from the other room are two of my greatest joys!  

Elle still can't quite say "Beckham" so her little brother is either "Bubba" {an unfortunate nickname} or "Baby Gabe"  

She knows his middle name is Gabriel and she's figured out she can say Gabe.

So we'll see what sticks :)

9 Month Highlights:

FINALLY sleeps through the night (7-7)

Eats anything and everything

{His favorite snack is blueberries but sweet boy isn't picky}

Crawls quickly

Loves to play peek-a-boo with Elle

Pulls up

Gives great big open mouth kisses.

Says "mama" and "dada" occasionally

Loves balls and trucks {and the occasional dollhouse session with Elle}

Very laid back and easy going. 

Happy happy boy!

Thank you, sweet Mimi, for our Christmas PJ's. 

And at 2 our little Elle is still as spirited and fun-loving as ever.

She's never met a stranger

Talks about "ho ho" constantly

Loves helping mama in the kitchen, playing with her "hop hop" house, playdates with friends, and new clothes {shocking}

She makes us laugh out loud all day long!

Currently her one liners are:

"Sorry mama.  I didn't mean to."

" It's fine.  It's fine"  {When she knows she's about to get in trouble}

and "I'm good" {when asked to eat something she doesn't like}

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Lots of love from the Knotts Crew.

Merry Christmas

I never thought I would be too busy to get a Christmas card out.  I told myself I'd be the mom that made it look easy and effortless.  In my mind, I would send out my beautifully embossed cards the day after Thanksgiving.  They would arrive in your mailbox in plenty of time for Christmas and you would open  them and see our family photo all coordinated and smiley for our family pictures. (obviously)

Reality strikes.  I now live in work out clothes (and most days they are NOT to actually work out in), spit up on one shoulder is perfectly acceptable, and gold foiled cards are way WAY down on the priority list.   There's always next year, right? 

For now, though, here's a bit of Christmas cheer :) 

We love you all!

-Michael, Em, Elle & Beckham

{The second annual photo shoot with Elle's best friend Peter didn't go much better than the first unfortunately}

One day they'll love him.... I hope :)

Merry Christmas from our crew to yours!

Happy Half, Baby Beckham!

Our lives have been forever changed by this sweet little boy!  He's so much fun, so relaxed, always happy.  He makes being a mama very easy.

And thank goodness for that; because nothing else has been easy about this season of life we're in. 

Between apartment living, raising a toddler, and planning our dream home we've had our hands quite full.  But.... "full hands, happy hearts"

Speaking of hands....  

He still has tiny dimples in his and I could hold them all. day. long.

In the midst of chaos, we've still had so many sweet moments with these two:

There are some days when the hours seem crazy long and others days when they fly by all too quickly. But there's few nothing better than being a wife to Michael and a mom to these sweet faces- no matter what kind of day it is.  

So we learn....

We learn to breathe through all sorts of tantrums.

To make tough decisions for our little loves.

To embrace every ounce of their personalities: all the zeal and all of the opinions!

To put the needs of these tiny people ahead of our own.

To show so much grace- to ourselves and to them.

And to LOVE WELL!

 We are learning, our Father is teaching. 

I am so grateful that all four of us have a Father who can guide our family to places that we've not yet even imagined. 

Psalm 107:29

"He hushes the storm to a calm and to a gentle whisper, so that the waves of the sea are still."

So thankful for quiet moments like this even in this busy season. 

And then there's our vivacious and spirited little Elle who reminds us of His JOY constantly.  She lives life out loud, loves hard, and has some BIG feelings!

I'm so thankful for that! Otherwise I may be tempted to over-analyze every single detail of our renovation, forgetting about what's truly important. 

This girl keeps us real!

Because who has time to discuss floor stains in detail when you're chasing a covered-in-mud toddler?

It'll be what it'll be and we'll be blessed to call this little piece of earth our home.

We'll be back at Corradale before you know it.

But I have a feeling when these littles are all grown up, we'll look back on these days with fondness (and a whole lotta mud!)

Love,

The Knotts Crew

Elle, Beckham, Michael & Emily 

Summer Highlight Reel

Hard to believe this little guy is 5 months!  I know I say that every month; but it really does go SO very fast...somehow it seems time slips away even quicker now that we have TWO littles. 

So we're soaking up every minute of cuddles and giggles, realizing that these are days we'll cherish FOREVER!

Goodness gracious I love everything about this little guy! 

He's just so cool!  He giggles non-stop, loves to roll around, and ADORES his big sister. 

I mean, his face literally lights up when she comes in the room.

He especially loves bath time with Elle.  When she splashes and jumps in the water, it's as if she's hung the moon! 

There really is nothing sweeter than watching the two smallest loves of your life become best friends.

Trying out Mom & Dad's new tub!

Pool Days are the best days!

Cousin Time!

Nothing like a baby bum!

Sweet friends!

We saw the cows three times in one week! She can't get enough :)

Love you all, 

Michael, Emily, Elle & Beckham