Some of our Favorite Disney Characters

Our Favorite Disneyland Rides

The Flying Elephants- also known as Dumbo

A number of times we asked Joshua Stephen what his favorite ride was and his response was always the same.
"Ummmm, I don't know- maybe the flying elephants."

Each time it was just precious to hear his response. But then again I think just about everything sounds cute coming out of his mouth with his adorable little two year old accent. He is very thoughtful and inquisitive each time he answers a question, even if he has heard the question a dozen times.

We also had a blast riding all of the other rides Disneyland has to offer. We were a little surprised that Joshua Stephen was frightened by a number of the rides in Fantasyland. Even the rides from movies with his favorite characters (like Peter Pan and Finding Nemo) seemed to scare him. However, it didn't take us long to discover that the scare factor came from the fact that most of the rides were dark inside. He also wasn't too crazy about the nighttime fireworks display (he was not too fond of all of the loud explosion noises). But all in all, he was a brave little champ and we were able to experience almost every ride and attraction that Disney has to offer (as long as it didn't have a height restriction). Here are some pictures of us on fun rides.

Gotta love Mickey Mouse!!!

You just have to love Mickey Mouse- or at least I do. I often refer to Disney as "My Happy Place". I don't know why, but there is just something about Mickey Mouse, princess castles, fun characters and Disney in general that brings a smile to my face. So after being away from Disneyworld for almost 17 months (we lived in Orlando Joshua Stephen's first year of life and we had season passes to Disneyworld so we made lots of fun trips to visit Mickey Mouse), we decided it was time to go and visit my Happy Place once again. But this time we decided we would give Disneyland a try. It was a non-stop three days- if we weren't sleeping then we were inside Disneyland having fun. Joshua Stephen loved it, and each morning when he woke up the first thing he would say is "I want to go to Disneyland". Without a doubt, I think we did Disney to the fullest and we loved every minute of it!!!

Disneyland here we come!!!!

Joshua Stephen was so excited to get to on the airplane to go to Disneyland. He loves riding on the airplane and he is such a great Little Flyer. Time flew by on our flight as we all played, read books and napped. Before we knew it we arrived in Los Angeles ready to start our Disneyland Adventure!

Caleb's new toy

Caleb is having so much fun playing in his new exersaucer toy (which used to belong to Big Brother). He loves to spin around and play with all of the fun toys it has to offer. It has proven to be pretty irresistible for big brother too. Joshua Stephen always loves to help Caleb when it comes time to play. These pictures are from the first time Caleb tried out his new toy on October 23.

Above Average or Below

These are two of my favorite signs that are displayed at the Magic House (a fun Children's Museum that we like to visit). I am happy to report that both of my boys have been below average when it comes to newborn crying (but only by the grace of God). Our joke is that Bean babies take it easy their first year and save up all of their energy so that they have energy to spare during their second year of life. (Our two year old Joshua Stephen is a hard little man to keep up with.) I have a sneaking suspicion that my boys will be average or above average when it comes to asking questions. Joshua Stephen is already well on his way to 437 questions a day. Everyday I am amazed and challenged by just how much he comprehends and how quick he is learning new things. Praise God for these precious little boys I have the privilege of shaping and molding! I only hope I am helping to mold them more into the image of our precious Savior each day.

Gotta love Ronald McDonald

We like to give Ronald hugs and lots of love!

Hold that pose- Best Buddies

We especially like to play with Ronald's fun hair.

As you can see, Joshua Stephen had fun playing with Ronald McDonald (even if he's not real). Any Mom of little ones would agree that McDonald's playland comes in handy when it's cold outside.

A Day for baking cookies

Today the weather was dreary, wet and cool outside. So we decided it was the perfect day for baking warm, gooie chocolate chip cookies. And boy did we have fun baking our little hearts out! We made the kitchen floor our work station and we got to work mixing up some yummy cookie dough. Joshua Stephen loved being the official taste tester and cookie counter, and Caleb enjoyed watching his silly Big Brother. Together we make a Great cookie Baking Team!

Working on the Computer

Joshua Stephen just loves to act like his Daddy. It is not uncommon for Joshua Stephen to disappear for a few moments, and when I discover him he is often sitting in the office in Daddy's big chair playing with the computer mouse. The moment he sees me he is always quick to say "I am working on the compute-or like Daddy". He just gives me a big smile and then laughs.

Flowers for Mommy

My Joshua Stephen has such a great imagiation and such a Sweet heart! The other night when we were out for dinner there was a small peg board on the table. Joshua Stephen gently took my hand and began placing the pegs in my hand one at a time. He said "See Mommy flowers for you, I give you flowers". I had so much fun enjoying my beautiful bouquet and my little boy's sweet heart.

Who can resist Caleb Drue?

Boy, these hands taste good!

I ask you: "Who can resist this cute little baby?" He is just adorable and super Sweet too! I just love my babies! Sometimes I wish they could stay little forever, but then I remember how fun it is to watch them grow up. One things for sure, I am addicted to babies and all of the cute things they do!

Caleb's New Trick

Caleb is on the verge of rolling over for the first time! He has been learning to move his whole lower body- which is quite a feat for our little guy. It won't be long before he rolls himself over and finds himself laying on his tummy. It is so fun to watch him explore all the new things he can do!

Mom & Dad fall to the stomach bug

Well, The Bean family fell like dominos to the stomach bug. We're sad to say that the bug went through the whole family and even Mom and Dad got sick. Caleb had it the worst. Our poor little guy couldn't keep any fluids down for more than 30 hours. It was very frightening and lots of calls were made to the doctor and after hour nurses. We are so thankful that he never got dehydrated. We are happy to report that we are all feeling better this week, and hopefully are immune systems will be even stronger to fight off the next icky bug that comes along.

Two sick boys

Well, I am sad to report that I have two sick little boys in my house. A bug has been going around campus that causes little ones to feel sick and vomit, and I am sad to say that it has hit the Bean household. It landed on Joshua Stephen yesterday evening when out of no where he decided to empty out his stomach while we were in the car on our way to Chick-fil-a. After a quick clean up of Joshua Stephen we returned home to hose down the car and his carseat. We've been taking things easy today, avoiding our friends and eating light meals (even though Joshua Stephen wants to eat everything in sight). Exactly 24 hours after the bug hit Joshua Stephen, Baby Caleb came down with the same symptoms and decided to empty out the contents of his poor little tummy. At the moment, Caleb is not doing so good. He has thrown up several times and hasn't been nursing at all. But we have called the doctor and we know what signs to look for in case of dehydration. We'll keep you posted on how our little men are doing. We are anxious for everyone to be feeling better and we are hopeful that Mom and Dad can avoid the bug altogether.

Super Man is missing Super Dad

After some extensive shopping I was able to find the perfect Halloween costume for Joshua Stephen. He is going to be Super Man since he is such a Super boy. He was so excited when I surprised him with his costume. He just couldn't wait to try it on and show it to Dad. He ran outside and waited for Dad to come home. Here he is waiting on the steps confident that Dad will be arriving home any minute. And just like Clark Kent, Dad arrived home in just the nick of time.

What should I be for Halloween????

I took Joshua Stephen shopping for his Halloween costume and I let him try on a couple of costumes that he picked out. Of course he just couldn't resist trying on his favorite zoo animal costumes.

Here we have the giraffe.

And a monkey.

But as you can see, we decided we didn't like any of these costumes.

My Best Friend the Bride

My best friend, Sweet Amanda, with her new husband, Tom.
We had so much fun at their wedding!

What a Beautiful Bride!

Here we are dancing the night away with our Sweet Little Caleb Drue. He joined us for part of the reception and we had such a blast. Who knew it could be so much fun to two step with a party of three?!?!?

Road Trip

We took a road trip to Indiana this weekend so we could attend my best friend's wedding. Joshua Stephen got sick the night before we left (with a bug that has been going around campus), but we are thankful to report that he stayed well through out our entire trip. Joshua Stephen was so excited to get in the car Thursday morning because we promised him that he would get to watch movies in the car- a fun treat that we reserve only for long car rides. We all had so much fun getting to spend some quality time together as a family. Plus we got to see lots of corn- who could ask for anything more!?!?