Mama has a melt down!!

I was busy, busy, busy with last minute Christmas preparations. It snowed and they cancelled school (can you believe it?). So instead of doing what I needed to do, I did what I wanted to do and that was play in the snow with the kids.

We made a snow family with a mama, papa and 6 little ones! Of course by the next afternoon it was melting rapidly and the mama had a melt down. I almost followed her because there was so much to do, but life is just too short to worry about meltdowns!

So I just put my smile on and kept going. Turns out that there really wasn't anything to worry about after all...everything turned out fabulously!

What a wonderful holiday we have had.

Hope yours was as well!

Don't worry be happy!

What the heck is a tag?

Okay this is a new one on me! Tia tagged me and I really hope that I am doing this right or I will feel sooooo stupid!

This is the fourth photo in my fourth folder! (say that 10 times fast) :)

Batter Up!!

Larson played machine pitch this year and it was really fun to watch him get into it so much! He could play just about every position and really got frustrated when the new comers to baseball wouldn't move, throw or catch fast enough! He is such a happy kid and I really love having him around!

Naomi runs the Butch Cassidy 10K

Naomi has tenacity. She had to look that up, then decided that she liked the word. I used it the other morning at 5:45 when I was struggling to keep up as I rode the bike and she ran 3 miles.

It all started about a month ago when one of her soccer playing friends commented on how volleyball players weren't really in that great of shape, because volleyball doesn't require much running. Naomi argued with her about how hard they work and the amount of exertion that is put forth, both in practice and games. But to no avail.

Another friend who didn't make the volleyball team, decided to get into better shape for the next tryouts and decided to run a 10K. She invited Naomi to do it with her. Naomi began training and thought that this would be a great way to show her soccer friend that she was indeed in as good if not better shape than the soccer players! She even invited the soccer friend to participate with her in the 10K. The friend suddenly had something else scheduled for that same day. Hmmmm????

Naomi was diligent in her running and really came to like it.

The day of the race came. It was a chilly morning. Over six hundred participants started in Springdale and ran to the small town of Grafton. (This is well known as one of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids hideouts) Most of the course is on a dirt road, up and down hills.

I waited anxiously at the finish line. Naomi hadn't ever ran the whole 10K at one time. I was nervous, was she okay? could she really make it? could she do it without me riding a bike with her? (okay that was a silly thought, because I was always lagging behind)

Pretty soon, here she came down the dusty dirt road. She was still running and had the biggest smile on her face. She was so excited! She had done it! And then she found out..... she was first in her division! That was the icing on the cake!

Needless to say, she took that medal to school the next week and bragged it up to her friend. The friend didn't have much to say, but Naomi knew that she had proven something to herself... she really is in shape. She didn't need a 10K to prove it, you can see it when she plays volleyball!

Way to go Naomi!!

What I've learned!

It really isn't fun to "Blog Blitz". I think the anticipation is the key! You anticipate an "occasional" post from me (and you know it tends to be more sporadic than occasional) and I anticipate an occasional comment from you. It works best that way! I guess I will just have to try to keep up on the blogging. It is still a fun way to keep up on all that is happening! Thanks for being good sports with my blogging lesson!

Warm Springs... Again!

We love this place!!!! We invited some families to join us this time. Everyone had a friend, including mom and dad! We thought that there was going to be around 600 other people there, so we decided to go in the morning, have lunch then leave when the crowds arrived. They never came and we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

The teens played water basketball for a solid two hours, then we ate, played volleyball, ultimate frisbee, explored and swam some more! It was delightful.

Thanks to the Spendloves, Heatons, Fishers, and others who joined us!!

What are you doing for Spring Break?

Rototilling

As I mentioned before, we are doing some super duper remodeling of the backyard! (Don't even get Rick started on it... it just gets him all worked up). We had a rototiller break down, so Rick rented one for the day and he a Presten went at it like gangbusters. I think if the truth be told they were really having fun with a Big Boy Toy!

Getting Wood

We have been trying to get the whole family to go to the cabin so that we could enjoy the beautiful fall colors and also to clear some of the dead trees nearby, but the kids are so busy with school and "such", they can't go so Rick took the day off and we went with his mom and dad.

The boys did the cutting and the girls did the loading. We didn't do too badly either. Three loads in about 2 hours.

We ate a little bit of lunch then headed back down the mountain and got home right when the kids were coming home from school.

Now the kids get to do the splitting and the stacking!

Pumpkin Carving

We just held the traditional carving of the pumpkin family home evening with Uncle Trevor and Aunt Kim.

The kids all had their own pumpkins this year instead of buddying up. I think they all did a great job. There was lots of laughs, food, and pumpkins!

Presten's room

Now that Tia has moved out, the traditional room shuffle has begun. Presten decided to move into her room, but refused to deal with purple walls and yellow daisys.

Enter mom (and grandma Johnson) ... we spent the better part of two weeks scrapping paint off the walls, retexturing, priming, and painting.

We were smarter this time and painted the walls white (Presten wanted black and red... a Tiger room!). I did consent to paint one wall red. That was a trick... every sample we tried was either pink or orange. Presten was happy when we finally go it RED! Then I took an idea Denise sent to my college girl for using contact paper.

I just finished painting the contact paper stripes and got them up. They really helped to break up all of the white ( I love color!)

We still aren't done, but he's moved in and we'll keep working toward accessories and bedding in the future.

I think Presten is pretty happy about it.

Presten's Goal Wall!

Larson's does his own hair!

Larson has started doing his own hair in the morning. The funny thing is.... he gives each hair do a name. I have to admit he gets pretty creative on both the names and the style. Here's a small sample...



This one is... speed cruizer



other style names include: cockroach, frog legs, electrified, and praying mantis. The frog legs is my favorite because he makes two leg type things come down on his forehead. It's hilarious!

TTTIIIIMMMBBBEEERRR!!!

The cold weather is fast approaching and we really enjoy having a fire in the fireplace instead of using our gas heaters ,so we have been going up to the cabin and cutting down the dead trees around it so they won't fall on the cabin with all of the snow fall. We were finally able to get Presten to go with us (it goes so much faster with two men using chainsaws).

It was his first time to "fell" a tree and he was nervous (he didn't want it to fall on anything or harm anyone), but he was also very excited. (i.e. power saw, adrenalin, testosterone)

It was just the boys and I and we got 3 loads of wood. They are good workers! Austen's main goal for the day was to get as dirty as possible, so he really got into hauling the wood to the trailer. Larson's main goal for the day was to ask us what time it was every 2 minutes.:)

Eventually Presten's saw quit working, so Rick cut our pieces bigger (about 4-6 feet) and Austen and I were having a heck of a time lifting them into the truck. Presten took pity on us (we probably looked pathetic trying to lift them) and came over and just lifted the whole piece by himself. His new name is Hercules.

He kept asking me what I was going to do when he no longer lived at home. I told him I would pay him money to come home and help me! Of course by then Austen and Larson will be grown and then all three of them can pick up the pieces and load them while I sit back and drink lemonade and marvel at their strength!

Backyard S'mores

We have been doing some major overhauling on the backyard. Part of that has been cutting down trees and burning the stumps. One day we set the stumps on fire and then waited for some good coals, nothing like some yummy smores in your own backyard!

On our way to State!!??

The Tigers Football team is doing awesome. We enter our first round of play-offs this weekend. They are a bunch of dedicated and fun guys who have a dream of a state championship. It is going to be fun to follow them as they work to achieve their dream. We'll keep you posted on their progress toward a state football championship!!

Ballgames Galore!

(I love how Austen is resting his arm on the helmet of his teammate!)



If you can believe it... our family attended six different games in six days! Normally we don't do any extracurricular activities on Monday, but it was Austen's playoff game, so we held our family home evening activity at the stadium!! Austen caught the first TD of the night and had an awesome defensive tackle later. He's really getting the hang of blocking for the running backs too!

The next two nights were spent watching Larson play some awesome defense in the flag football league. Boy is he speedy! Next was a couple nights of football for Presten. He plays JV and Varsity, so that means two seperate nights of games! He does a great job. On the Friday night game we even got to be on the Fox News TV show. The helicopter flew in and there was all kinds of hoopla for the sports guy! It just made the game all the more fun to watch. The JV team ended their season undefeated. (more on the Varsity later).

Then on Saturday we caught part of Naomi's games as she battled for the border-league championship. Volleyball is pretty fun to watch, and she did fabulous! Whew! Six days of games! Guess what? I loved every minute of it!

Fireplace Therapy

We had a bit of cold weather sneek up on us a week ago. Rick was just waiting for me to give him permission to build a fire in the stove insert that we bought last winter. Well, I gave him the okay one night after sitting outside all afternoon (probably at a ballgame). It was so wonderful!!! We all just congregated in the living room and sat watching the fire.

It reminds me of the words John Denver sang on Grandma's Feather bed...

(except the spit and chew part) :)

"After supper we'd sit around the fire

The old folks'd spit and chew

Pa would talk about the farm and the war

And granny'd sing a ballad or two

I'd sit and listen and watch the fire

Til the cobwebs filled my head.....

That's exactly the feeling you get when you sit and stare at the fire. Rick loves to tell people about his new therapy program... build a fire and then sit and stare at it until you fall asleep on the couch. I love to watch him when he falls asleep there all relaxed! The kids are especially excited to have a fire to wake up to in the morning. Unfortunately the cold spell passed and we're back to days in the 80's. So the fire therapy has been postponed for a few more weeks! But we're anxiously awaiting the nights of therapy again.

BEWARE!!! Blogging Blitz about to Begin

I have been saving up on the blogs. Quite frankly life has been rather hectic these last few weeks. So I took time today to download photos from my camera and made a folder just for photos to post about. So watch out, I'm going to throw them at you all in one clump. Check back often to make sure that you don't miss any! Happy reading! (Did I get enough B's in the title?)

One Less Teenager In The House!!

Today was another milestone in our house. We have one less teen in the house. Ashli turned 20 years old today. It is amazing to me how young that seems. I guess it's because I'm getting older. (I'm also in denial that any of my children could possibly be that old.) We don't really get to see Ashli much these days, but let me fill you in on what a great young lady she has become.

She is currently in her second year of college and doing fantastic. She loves her Biology class as well as sign language. She is a Presidential Ambassador and gets to meet new people and continue to develop her leadership skills. She is currently pursuing a degree in Radiation Therapy.

Ashli is a very talented musician. Her passion is to compose music and she is good at it. She looks forward to coming home so she can play the piano. She is AMAZING!

Ashli has great qualities. She is incredibly friendly and loves to help others. She has a strong desire to succeed and has the Beatty family spirit of competition. She sets high goals and shows great determination as she strives to reach them.

She is such a ray of sunshine in our family and we're so grateful she's ours!

Happy Birthday Ashli!!

My Table is FULL!

No, I'm not talking about food. I'm talking about people. It was general conference weekend, tradionally we go to the cabin on Kolob and spend the day listening to conference. The rain put a damper on our plans and we didn't end up going. Tia still came down to be with us, she had a blast taking photos in the rain. (She is getting really good!) Sunday morning came and the kids were sleeping in. Rick and I sat there in the morning silence and both commented on how much we wished that Ashli would've come home to be with us for the weekend. (It's so hard when your kids grow up and aren't around for all of life's little traditions). As I was busy with breakfast in the kitchen, who should be standing at the door.... it was ASHLI!!!!! She must have heard our hearts calling for her to come home.



The most thrilling part of the day was when we all sat down to the table for lunch. Yes, we put the leaf back in and every seat was filled! (see Something is Missing post) Just like the good ole' days. We ate and laughed and visited. And just like old times Dad told a story and kept us all on the edge of our seats as he shared the skill required to sneek up on a deer while bow hunting! Hilarious!



It was awesome!!! My table was full..... with the people I love the most in this world.



Hope your table is full!

Prince Charming goes to Homecoming

Couldn't resist posting photos of Presten looking very sharp for his homecoming date! They played olympics for the day-date, and Presten and Breann nearly swept it all, from volleyball to foosball and even guitar hero. Later that evening they got dressed up and all the parents met for a big photo shoot. Don't they look cute? Breann was most excited about her new hot pink shoes. Presten wears pink well too don't you think?

Growin up to be like Grandpa

So it was spirit week at the intermediate school this week, and one of the dress up days was career day. The kids all dress up in an outfit that represents what they want to be when they grow up. Most of Austen's friends were going to wear their football jerseys. Austen didn't want to do that because he thought "how likely is it that they will be pro football players"? After a few ideas tossed around, someone said how about a rancher. This was it! Austen loves to go the ranch with Grandpa Beatty. He looks forward to round ups and just hanging around all those great cowboys! So we started putting together a costume. He had the boots (Grandpa had just given them to him), he had the levis, belt and felt cowboy hat. The look was complete! The next morning Austen came downstairs all decked out in his costume looking pretty proud of his choice of careers. I kept hearing this jingling sound. I finally noticed a big set of keys fastened to Austen beltloop. I asked him about it and he said... "Grandpa always has a big set of keys fastened to his belt and they clink when he walks." Austen had even gone to the trouble of putting them on a fastner like Grandpa so he could mimick the way he takes his keys off to open a gate or door.

Ain't nothing better than being like your Grandpa... a true american rancher!

Something is Missing!

Look closely at this table... what is missing? If you were a regular guest at this table you would instantly know that it is smaller. It was almost a reverent moment for me as we removed the leaf from our large family table because without the extra two seats filled it makes it a little tricky to practice the "please pass" rule. It was like missing a few links in our assembly line. Plus the silliness that happened here, the discussions about the gospel, or world events, or what they learned at school that day. I know it seems a silly thing to cry over, but I did shed a few tears only because my family is slowly leaving and it's two less people joining in on the discussion of the day.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want it any other way. I am delighted that my two oldest have spread their wings and are having the greatest adventure. BUT... our home just isn't the same without their laughter, smiles, and fun. I miss them.

Isn't it amazing how our lifes run in cycles? I am having a bit of a challenge dealing with the new cycle, but I'll adapt and about that time it will be time for a different cycle to come around.

Cherish your little families, especially around the table!

Watch Children Playing like Monkeys

I took the kids to the mountain a few weeks ago, just me and the younger 3. We saw this sign and got the giggles.

Larson is a monkey somtimes, but always such a trooper. We take him with us wherever we go, with whoever is doing something. Last week he hung out at the summer games, and had a great time. He played football with Ashli, took photos with Tia, cheered Presten on in every race, and ate all the treats he could find. He is such a happy and adventureous kid. He is our Monkey who is always playing!

Naomi the Homemaker

Naomi decided that we were not going to buy any store bread for the entire summer. She made 4 loaves of homemade bread thinking that it would last the entire week. She didn't remember the fact that 1. We LOVE homemade bread, 2. Presten's new favorite snack is two peanut butter and honey sandwiches before football and two sandwiches after football!!! There is no way that 4 loaves was going to make it through the week. She was pretty posessive of that bread, but also really happy that it was so well loved. And NO it didn't make through one week.

The next week she thought... okay I'm making bread, might as well make a bunch of it to last at least the week. She made 12 loaves of bread. It took all day! She was very happy with herself, and magically the homemade bread novelty has worn off and the kids aren't consuming it quite as quickly!

In keeping with her new found homemaking skills Naomi also attempted pickled beets. She did not have to fight off family members from this one. In fact Tia left the house in protest of the stinky smell (plus she hates pickled beets). Naomi is becoming quite the little baker, but still enjoys making a batch of "cow pies" that we all love! She now wants to try a few new recipes every week. Yeah! I can leave the kitchen!

Summer Games Medalist

Austen, Ashli and Presten all competed in the Summer Games!


Ashli competed in the javelin and did really great considering she hasn't thrown for over a year. She is getting geared up to throw for her school next year. She took the gold in her division. Way to go Ashli!



Presten competed in several running and field events ( the 100 meter, 200 meter, and the long jump). He also got invited by some other guys from up north to be in the 4X100 meter relay. He took the gold in each event! He is coming along really nicely with his racing as well as jumping and looks forward to helping the track team next spring! Keep it up Presten!

Austen's soccer team played and fought hard to earn the bronze medal this year. They are getting better and stronger every year. I'm sure the gold is on it's way for this group of hard fighting soccer players. Keep it up Austen!

Mom and Dad celebrate 54 years!

Mom and Dad Beatty celebrated 54 years of marriage. Paulette and Eva made plans to surprise them on this special day. They got 54 balloons and wrote the many memories of the past 54 years, including birthdays of grandkids, wedding days, camping, Kolob, hunting trips, Mabel, Bandit, boats, friends, and many more. The balloons were delivered while they were on the mountain so they came home to a surprise. So many people have been blessed because these two people fell in love. Happy Anniversary!

Ashli does the Hula

I convinced Ashli to move home for part of the summer. We've missed her. She has brought her contagious spirit back home and the little ones are so excited. She had a great, but trying first year of college and still can't wait to return in the Fall. She jumped into college with both feet and ended up joining the Hip Hop Dance Team and then later she switched to the Polynesian club. All while fulfilling her Presidential Ambassador responsibilities and school work. We went to see the year end Luau and she did fantastic. She made lots of friends and is enjoying the friendship of some of her returning missionary friends as well. She is an amazing young lady with a strong determination to do good, learn new things and achieve her dreams.

Moving on in Life

Tia has reached a great milestone in her life! Highschool graduation! She was so busy with the end of the year activities and planning graduation with the other class officers. She is working at the movie theatre and really loves that job, but is also hoping to find something in Cedar so she can get moved up there and settled in for her first year of school. She is such an amazing girl. Very independant and responsible. Mom is really going to miss having her around. As a special surprise she got a new car for graduation. She was delighted and has already taken her first road trip to BYU for EFY. She is definetly still moving on in her life!