The Beckstrands

Backlogged Blog

2011-11-10T19:09:00.002-05:00

I am so far behind in my blogging it is CRAZY! October seemed to fly by and I cannot believe it is already November.
To catch up, I made a slide show of all the things happening in the Beckstrand household. Here is a quick rundown of everything.....

1-Karly's field trip to the farmers market
2-My birthday celebration (28yrs. old) Stephen totally spoiled me:)
3- My mom and nephew Sean's birthday
4- Our annual NC State Fair trip (11 1/2 hrs.) what a fantastic day!!
5- Pumpkin painting for Halloween
6- Halloween Trunk-or-treat at church and Halloween night
7- Kaleb's lost his first tooth (during Sacrament meeting)
8- Hailey's cheer showcase and award

I think that about covers it. We really had a fun month.

SURPRISE!!

2011-10-09T17:44:00.004-04:00

Stephen and I had the opportunity to go out to Utah and surprise his family. Oh, and welcome home this handsome man...

Stephen's brother Daniel returned home from his 2 yr. mission to Argentina on Sept. 28th and we were lucky to be able to be out there.

It was so awesome, b/c only 2 people knew we were coming and it was so fun to see everyone's face. We had not seen our family in about 4 yrs!!!! We are so thankful to Kellie and Garrett for allowing us this WONDERFUL opportunity to be with everyone.

We had such a blast visiting with everyone, catching up, playing games and laughing. We did a lot of laughing. We were able to go the Temple and do baptisms, which was so cool, and we were able to watch Jon, Kristal and Joel cross the finish line at the St. George marathon.

This is the spot where Stephen proposed to me almost 10yrs. ago

and what would a trip to St. George be without a couple games of dunk ball:)

We were also SUPER lucky to attend a session of General Conference in Salt Lake. That was such a great experience.

Thanks so much to everyone for a FANTASTIC trip. We love and miss you all so much. Hopefully we will be out there sooner then you know it!

Oh, I need to give a big shout out to Angie who made some of the most delicious food for us, I hope she knows I will expect that every time we are out there ;)

Super Busy and Super Fun

2011-09-25T15:45:00.002-04:00

Things have been CRAZY here for the past few weeks. So, here is how our week plays out..
Mondays: I have my basketball league
Tuesday: Hailey cheer leading
Wednesday: Stephen scouts, Hailey Activity girls, Stephen basketball league

Thursday: Hailey cheer leading
Friday: Family night
Saturday: Kaleb football and Hailey cheer leading
Between school and all the activities, we keep pretty busy and you know what.. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love watching my kids in all their games and practices, I love watching Stephen use all his talents, and I love playing:)

This past Saturday Hailey had her first game for cheering and she did great(it even rained for the first 30 min.).

Here is a video of the teams "hello" cheer

2011-09-13T17:02:00.002-04:00

Karly started her preschool class last Thursday and absolutely LOVES it!! The only thing I am worried about is that every new friend she tells me about is a boy. I asked her why she really didn't play with the girls and she said "boys are more fun." ha ha ha, that girl cracks me up:) This should be a great year for her.

After I picked Karly up on Thursday, this is where I headed....

THE BEACH!! My mom and I had our annual beach trip together, and as always it was FANTASTIC. We sat on the beach, went out to dinner, played putt-putt(where I had 4 hole-in-ones) and went shopping. What could be better?? I did miss Stephen and the kids, but it is nice to get a break once in while, especially when I get to do it with one of my best friends:)
Thanks mama for a wonderful trip, I love you!!

1st, 3rd, and Football

2011-09-05T13:47:00.003-04:00

Here is my new 1st grader

Here is my new 3rd grader

And they both had an excellent first week of school. The kids and I love their teachers and I am thankful for that. This should be a great year!

On Saturday, my whole family went to cheer on the WOLFPACK in their first football game of the season. It was such a fun time and the kids really got into the game and I have to say that was my favorite part. When NCSU scored a touchdown, Blake would yell out "TOUCHDOWN, GO PACK" It was so cute. State did win and that just made things even better:) Thanks so much to my fabulous parents for the tickets!!

Quick Catch Up

2011-08-24T19:57:00.002-04:00

So, I know I haven't blogged in a while, but we have been really busy. A couple weeks ago Amber and her kids, my mom, my kids and I headed down to the beach for the day, and we had a BLAST!! The weather was perfect and it was such a fun trip. Right after that trip I started to pack for our move...... back with my parents. Yes, we are back with my parents for a little bit and I so much appreciate their willingness to put up with us, again. It was sad to leave the house, but I know good things will come. I know this was short, but I'll post again in the next couple of days b/c school starts TOMORROW! Enjoy the pictures.

A Special Day

2011-08-02T13:34:00.003-04:00

Hailey was baptized on Friday and it was such an amazing night. The spirit was so strong and I was in awe of my little girl. Hailey was so ready to be baptized and just couldn't stop smiling the whole time. The program was beautiful and I was so thankful for all those that participated. Hailey had asked a few of the YW in our ward to sing "When I am Baptized" and they did amazing. She also asked Kaleb,Karly,Sean, and Jackson to sing "I am a Child of God" and they did fantastic. It was very hard for me to keep it together. Two things that Hailey said really made an impression on me. Right after she was baptized and she was changing, she said "Mommy, I feel great, I want to get baptized again, I can't wait to baptism's for the dead, this is amazing". Then, as we were getting ready to head out, she said" This was great, I felt like angels were here, I just feel like all of heaven was here". I felt like that too, it really was a wonderful night. Hailey really is something special and all those at her baptism felt the spirit . I am so proud of her!
Here a few pictures, I didn't take a lot of her in her dress, b/c my sis-in-law Amber took those, and when I get those I'll post them.

It's PARTY Time!!!

2011-07-11T19:47:00.004-04:00

We had Hailey's party on Saturday and it was.....

AWESOME!!!

We went to Adventure Landing and had a blast. We played in the arcade, had popcorn, pizza, and cupcakes, then played laser tag, rode the go carts, and did some putt-putt. All the kids LOVED it. My favorite part was seeing Hailey just enjoy her family and friends.

She sure has some very generous friends and family:)

Happy 4th and Happy #8

2011-07-07T15:14:00.005-04:00

We had a WONDERFUL 4th of July! We hit the pool and then headed to my parents for a cook-out. My dad seriously makes THE BEST hamburgers EVER!! After dinner Stephen, the kids, and I walked to the park by parents house and had fun time playing. The weather got kind of crazy so they cancelled the fireworks for that night. We had a great day though and
I am so PROUD to be an AMERICAN!!

Hmm, Happy #8... My beautiful Hailey turned 8 yrs. old on the 5th. I cannot believe how time flies. She had a great day and loved all the gifts she got. I think my favorite part and the kids was going to eat at Golden Corral, the kids ate every kind of dessert imaginable! She is having a party on Saturday, so I will post more about that later. It was perfect that the fireworks were cancelled the night before, b/c they rescheduled them for the 5th. So, we had fireworks to end the birthday celebration. Hailey loved it!! Hailey is such a blessing to our family and I love her so much!! She will be getting baptized at the end of this month and we are super excited for that.

It was a PERFECT 4th and 5th!

Beach Trip

2011-06-30T13:07:00.004-04:00

*WARNING*

lots of pictures!

Last week was a PERFECT week!! The kids and I headed down with my mom to Myrtle Beach for the WHOLE week!! We LOVED it! Stephen and my dad came down Thursday night to finish the week out with us. We swam in the pool, hung out in the lazy river, played in the ocean, went to a little fair, watched an amazing dinner show, played putt-putt and.....

just relaxed!!

Thank you so much mom and dad, this trip was AWESOME!!

Happy Dad's Day

2011-06-19T08:16:00.002-04:00

I have been truly blessed in my life..

I have a WONDERFUL daddy, who is always there for me

I have an AMAZING husband, who works hard for our family and loves us so much

I have a SUPER father in law who supports our family in all we do.

I am so thankful for these men and I love them all very much!!

Happy Dad's Day!!!

Happy # 6

2011-06-09T20:45:00.004-04:00

Kaleb is 6 today and I am ever so grateful that this little man is a part of our family.

We had his party last Saturday at the bowling alley with a bunch of his friends and family. He had a blast, the kids had a blast, and the adults had a blast, let's just say it was AWESOME!!

He even got a strike!!!

Today we had his family party and it was a lot of fun. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then I took his class some cookies to eat at school. He wanted choc. chip pancakes for dinner, and then we went to Goodberry's for ice cream. It was a wonderful day, and he LOVED it!

I love this last picture!! My silly family:)

Kaleb, I LOVE YOU BUBBA!!

Throw like a GIRL!!!

2011-06-03T17:04:00.002-04:00

Hailey had a wonderful baseball season. This was her first year with coach pitch and she did AWESOME!! I was so proud of her and how hard she worked. When she was frustrated with her hitting, she practiced and listened to what her coaches and family said to help her. She actually hit a double in one of her games!! We cannot wait till next season.

In this video she got a great hit, and since she was last batter she got all around the bases:)

Memorial Day

2011-06-01T20:30:00.002-04:00

We had a great Memorial Day. We played some tennis, headed out to the pool, and then had some fabulous hamburgers at my parents house. To top it off we watched "Saints at War", which was awesome. I am so thankful for all the men and women who sacrificed their lives so that my family can enjoy the freedoms we have.

Happy #2

2011-05-25T12:30:00.003-04:00

I can't believe this adorable little baby.....

Is this handsome little man

Blake is now 2 years old!! It sure is crazy how time flies. We had a great time celebrating his birthday this past Friday. We had pizza for dinner and then went to Skinny Dip for dessert. On Sunday, we had a little party with just the family and it was great! Hot dogs and brats for dinner and a yummy cake for dessert. It was so fun to have the family there. Blake loved his presents and really enjoyed opening them. He was so cute, because when he opened a present and we told him who it was from, he thought he was supposed to give them the gift. He smiled and then would hand the gift back, and then smiled even bigger when we told "no, no they are for you". I love Blake so much, his smile just brightens my day. He is all boy and loves to do everything his older siblings do. I am so blessed he is a part of our family!!!

The Winning Shot

2011-05-20T06:06:00.003-04:00

Well, I just have to post this for my awesome wife. Katie had a playoff basketball game this past Monday at Trinity Baptist and it was very exciting! Her team was down by three points 44-47 with one minute left on the clock. Katie gets the ball and swings it to a wide open teammate at the top of the key. Katie gets the assist as her teamate knocks down the three and ties the game at 47. Katie's team plays great defense on the other end and gets the ball back with like 20 seconds left and runs the floor. Katie this time gets the ball at the top of the key and passes to the wing on the left side and then cuts to the basket and she receives a bounce pass and Katie makes a beautiful layup with about 6 seconds left on the clock to put them up 49-47 and then Katie's team steals the inbound pass and held it for the last 3 sec. and the game was over. It was an awesome game that had a spectacular ending. It was really fun to watch. Our daughter Hailey ran up to Katie at the end of the game hugging and cheering "You made the winning shot!! And I saw it!" Katie, I am so proud of you and so grateful you are my wife! I love you and thank you for all that you do. You are the best!

Happy Anniversary!!

2011-05-10T21:57:00.004-04:00

Happy Anniversary Katie! Wow, 9 years ago today I got to marry the girl of my dreams. You are truly the love of my life and I am the luckiest man alive to have you as my wife. I love you so much and you are my best friend, I enjoy being with you every minute. Thank you for being such a wonderful wife and an amazing person. You have given me more than I could have ever imagined, you have enriched my life and because of you I want to be a better man. I love you Katie and I will forever & always!
love,
Stephen

I LOVE YOU STEPHEN!!!!

9 down, eternity to go!

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-09T14:04:00.004-04:00

I had an absolutely fantastic Mothers Day!! My husband and kids totally spoil me and

I LOVE IT!

I am so blessed to have my kids, they are so wonderful. Being a mom isn't always a glamorous job and it can be really stressful, but when my kids give me hugs and tell me they love me nothing else really matters. I love being a mom and I am grateful that I have such a wonderful mother for an example. Love you mom!

Sweet Moment

2011-05-04T14:29:00.000-04:00

I love these guys!!

Spring Break and Easter

2011-04-27T14:34:00.002-04:00

We had such a fun Spring Break. We hung out at the house, went the zoo, played games and went to the 1.50 movies. I really love just being with my kids, they are great! We also had a great Easter. We do all the Easter bunny stuff and egg hunts on Saturday, so Sunday we can focus on our Savior and his love for us. Our weekend was a lot of fun. Enjoy the slideshow, sorry about the pictures being fuzzy at the end, I really need a new camera.

Free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

We are the Champions

2011-04-21T13:50:00.004-04:00

Yup! My Raleigh 2/3 YW are Stake Champions, again! That is right back to back champs!! These ladies are so awesome on and off the court, I love coaching them. A big thanks goes out the my mom, she is a great coach and I love working with her.

Also, our women's team won as well!! YEA US!

Fun Visit

2011-04-11T14:02:00.003-04:00

We were so lucky to have Stephen's parents visit us during conference weekend. It had been over a year since we last saw them!! That is just crazy. It was a wonderful weekend filled with watching General Conference, playing baseball and basketball, putting puzzles together, eating frozen yogurt, going to the movies, having yummy Krispy Kreme doughnuts and just hanging out. Whew, I think I got everything:) We loved having them here, and wish so bad that we could see them more, along with are other family members in Utah and Oregon. Blake did have fun with grandma and papa beckstrand, despite the look on his face, he just really did not want to have his picture taken:) We miss you guys so much and hope to head out your way very soon, we love you!!!

Happy #4

2011-03-31T15:11:00.006-04:00

My little peanut turned 4 last Saturday and we had a fun weekend!

It started with cinnamon rolls for breakfast

And then we had fun little party at "Skinny Dip" a frozen yogurt bar. It was a lot of fun and all the kids had a great time. Karly has been really into Monkey's and she loves the color green, so we played pin the green tail on the monkey! I am so glad I'm married to such a talented artist:)

After a little down time, we headed to the $1.50 theater to see "Tangled" and then went to IHOP for dinner. It really was a great day and Karly had a lot of fun.

On Sunday we celebrated again with my parents and brothers Brent and Kyle, Karly kept saying that it was her second birthday:) We made homemade pizza and then I made a cookie cake and we just enjoyed the evening with each other.

I think these last three pictures are my favorite.

my brothers faces are just awesome, they were having as much fun as the kids!

Karly I am so happy that came to our family, we all love you so much!

HAPPY # 4!

SLACKER!

2011-03-21T15:21:00.006-04:00

I know I've been a total slacker, but
I'M BACK!!

Sorry to be gone so long, but I hope you enjoy all the updates.

Disney
We had an absolutely FABULOUS time at Disney! I had never been before, and now I am determined to go back every year, it really is "magical"! I am so glad that we went with my brother Derek and his family, b/c he pretty much planned everything and all we really had to do was be there:) It was great! We went to all 4 parks and went to Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios twice. The kids, of course, loved every minute of the trip. Here were their favorite rides: Hailey- Rockin Rollercoaster, Kaleb- Test Track, Karly- Tower of Terror ( she rode it 3 times), Blake- Teacups. I was so proud of them for wanting to ride everything and not being scared. I honestly would not go in the summer, this was the perfect time to go and we never had to wait to ride ANYTHING! We loved it! I cannot wait to go back!!

This free slideshow design made with Smilebox

Hailey Basketball

Hailey had a fun basketball season and she did AWESOME! I love the video below b/c is shows how her dribbling improved this year. Stephen and I were very proud of her!

Beautiful Weather

Blake and I have had a lot of fun at the park since the weather warmed up! He is so cute!

Brent's Birthday

My super awesome brother Brent turned 31!! We had a family party Saturday and it was a BLAST!! We always have a meat fest for Brent and boy is it YUMMY! My dad sure knows how to grill!

Ok- I seem to be back on track and I promise not to wait till FOREVER to post again!

Quick note

2011-02-04T11:24:00.005-05:00

I know you are all waiting for some Disney pictures, but you will have a to wait just a little longer. I don't have all of them yet, but I'll have them this weekend:) In the mean time I wanted to catch up on a few things I missed.

Stephen's Birthday: I just wanted to post a few a my favorite pictures of his celebration. We had my whole family over that Sunday for a party and then I took him out Tuesday for his birthday.

Kaleb's basketball:

Kaleb had a great basketball season! He did so well, he didn't make a basket this year, but he tried so hard, and almost every game he got like 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Of course he had a fabulous coach (Stephen), who works so well with the kids. I really love watching the kids play, Hailey's season finishes up this month, and it is just so fun!

Here is a video of Kaleb almost scoring:

I love this last picture! This is how Karly and Blake help me with the laundry:)

OK- stay tuned for the Disney post:) It was a wonderful trip!!

I'll Be Back...

2011-01-20T08:42:00.002-05:00

I'll be away for a while, and again I have a great reason:)

Enjoy the video below to see where we will be!!

I promise lots of pictures and more posts when I return.

It's Your Birthday, Shout HOORAY!!!!

2011-01-11T14:39:00.002-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
STEPHEN!!!!!

My WONDERFUL husband is 31 today!! Stephen is such an AMAZING guy, I am so lucky to have him. He works so hard to take care of our family, and always does so with a smile. He brings joy to the kids faces every time he walks through the door after work. He makes me laugh and comforts me when I have had a bad day. He helps me to be a better person and he makes the best popcorn EVER!!

I love you Stephen,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STUD!

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T14:43:00.006-05:00

I can't believe it is 2011!!! We had a fabulous year and the best part was at the end... being in our own place again. I am so thankful to my parents who allowed us to come and live with them while we got back on our feet. It was such a comfort to know that when we needed help, they were there, and still are. Thank you mom and dad!!

Our New Years Eve was nice, my parents come over that evening to babysit, and Stephen and I went and exchanged some things from Christmas and then went out to dinner. We came home and put a movie on till midnight. We went and got Hailey up at 11:30pm so she could ring in the New Year. She was very excited to be the only kid up. We watched the acorn drop on TV and said

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!""

All was great, until... Hailey being excited spilled her sparkling white(thank goodness) grape juice on our new coach. I was a tad angry. I went and looked up on line how to clean the sofa and luckily found out that baby wipes, a hair dryer, and toothbrush does the trick. So, about 30min later, my sofa was clean, Happy New Year:)

you can just see the joy on my face

New Years day we did some more shopping and then had a late lunch at my parents with the rest of the family. It was a nice relaxing day.

I look forward to what 2011 will hold for our family!

Ok, here a few pictures of the house, please excuse all the clutter:)

kitchen before

kitchen after

living room

Christmas tree in living room, which is now the playroom

family room, not too much done, just paint and furniture

I will get more up soon.

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-30T14:35:00.005-05:00

We had an absolutely WONDERFUL Christmas!!
We were able to move into the new house on the 18th and we got busy unpacking and setting up for Christmas. That Monday for family home evening we went and got out tree. I think there was like 6 left on the lot, but we got a good one we loved.

On Christmas eve my family bakes a bunch of goodies to deliver to our friends. We all met at my parents house to make the goody plates and then delivered them to our neighbors. When we got back we had our first ever kids Nativity play. Th kids did such a good job and I look forward to continuing that tradition.

Hailey was Mary, Kaleb was Joesph, Jackson and Karly were shepherds, Sean was an angel and a wise man, and Blake and Conner were the other wise men.

We said bye to the family and went and delivered our goodies to friends. We then headed home and opened one present. Guess what it was...PAJAMAS!

Christmas morning was so fun! I love seeing the kids enjoy their Santa gifts and watching them open presents.

After presents we headed over to my parents for some YUMMY breakfast and more presents. I think the highlight for me was watching all the kids open presents. We had them all sitting on the ground with their pile and Amber and I would read who it was from and then say " 1, 2, 3.. GO!" The kids would rip open the paper and grin loving what they got. It was so FUN!

The whole day was PERFECT!! I loved being with my family!

To make the whole Christmas experience even better, we woke up the next morning to SNOW!!!!

The kids and Stephen played outside for hours!

I am so grateful for my family, it is always such a blessing to spend time with them. I do miss the rest of family that is out west, my kids love seeing pictures of everyone. We hope to get out there soon.

Oh, don't worry I will post pics of the house soon!

It's the most BUSIEST time of the Year!

2010-12-14T14:53:00.005-05:00

Ok, Ok, I know I have totally slacked on my blogging. After the great post about trying to blog more often, I seemed to have failed, but I do have a GREAT reason( I'll get to that reason later).

I actually don't a lot of time to post right now, so I'll go through some things quickly. Hailey and Kaleb have both started basketball and both are doing great and having a lot of fun. Kaleb had a little performance at school and he did super! He was the cutest reindeer:)

And both Hailey and Kaleb performed at our ward Christmas party. Kaleb was in the heavenly choir. He is dressed like a lamb, not sure why, but still way cute. Hailey had a part in the play. She was the 1st innkeeper and said her one line perfect, and then joined the choir. It was very sweet and I was proud of both of them.

All is well with the rest of family, it's just that Stephen and I have been EXTREMELY busy getting things done at................................

OUR NEW HOUSE!!!!!!!

Yep, we are moving out, on the 18th to be exact. We have had a lot of long days and late nights getting the house fixed up. Here is a little preview of what is going on. Don't worry when it is all done, I'll have plenty of pictures.

This really is just a small part of everything, but I will go into more detail when it is complete! See, I told you I had a good reason for not blogging;)

Stephen and I are so thankful to have this opportunity and VERY blessed to have amazing friends and family to help us out. Stay tuned for more to come:)

Oh, also check out the new pics of the fam, my super talented friend Christina took them!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-12-01T14:53:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! The kids and I watched Stephen, my dad, and Kyle play football that morning, which was a lot of fun. Stephen loves football and I love being able to watch him play. That afternoon, I helped my mom cook. I made the stuffing and potatoes, and I have to say they were very yummy:) I am just thankful that my mom is such a great cook and has taught me so much. All the food was FABULOUS and we enjoyed being with everyone!

I LOVE this picture!!

Friday, my mom and I got up and went shopping!! We went to target at 3:45am and got all that we wanted, well almost. I needed one item for Karly and they didn't have it at that target, but thankfully there are 3 Targets within 15min. of each other and at the last one we went I found what I wanted. We also went to Wal-mart and I was able to get what I needed as well. We were back home by 9:30am, and very happy with all that we got. Some may think I am crazy, but I love shopping on Black Friday!! Stephen, the kids and I did goto the mall that afternoon, after I took a nap;)

Saturday, we were fortunate enough to get some tickets to the NCSU basketball game. We got 4 tickets and figured we would just take Hailey and Kaleb, hoping that Karly wouldn't be to bummed. Well, when we told the kids about the tickets, Karly wanted to go so bad. I was about to try and explain to her, that we could take her another time, when Kaleb says "I want to go,but I'll stay here, so they(the girls) can go." The girls were so happy and grateful that they cleaned Kaleb's room for him. It was so awesome to be there and see how much they care for each other. I was so proud of Kaleb, he is such an AWESOME kid! We had a fun time watching NC State win, and both girls got on the big screen!!

Football

2010-11-24T10:15:00.003-05:00

Kaleb had a great football season! I really enjoyed watching him play and play well. He is an awesome little blocker, and made some sweet running plays. I guess he just had fantastic coaches... Stephen, my dad, and brother Kyle:) OH, I need to say a big thanks to my other brothers Derek and Brent for helping out for the last game, I am so lucky to have such an AMAZING family!! Now it is on to basketball!

All Contained

2010-11-19T14:31:00.006-05:00

I finished cleaning out and organizing my mom's craft cabinet outside and the kids one inside. I started my mom's Monday, with the help from Stephanie, and then finished it on Tuesday. And on Wednesday, I started and finished the kids. I am really proud of myself:) I wish I had taken a before picture of my mom's, but at least you can see the after. I had a lot of fun shopping for all the containers at The Container Store, it is like my new favorite store. I need to give a big thanks to my friend Stephanie for helping me get started on my mom's, it made the task a lot easier. And, I need to give a huge thanks to Karly for helping me with the kids cabinet. She helped clean stuff out, throw stuff away, put items in new boxes, and help put everything back on the shelf's. She was AWESOME!!! I actually really like organizing and it feels great to have it done!

The leaves have been absolutely gorgeous this year. Karly and I went outside this afternoon to take some picture of the neighborhood.

Crazy Mondays!!

2010-11-15T20:38:00.002-05:00

Mondays are always a busy day for me, and today was no exception. I usually try and get all my "chores" done on Mondays, so I can just have fun the rest of the week. Okay, so here is how the day went...

I Slowly get out of bed, really not wanting to face the day. I got the girls ready for school and Stephen got the boys ready ( I love when he is home in the mornings), and then headed down for breakfast. Kissed Stephen goodbye, got lunches ready, book bags packed, and then cleaned the kitchen. Hailey and Kaleb go to the neighbor who we carpool with and Karly and Blake hang out and play. I made out the dinner menu for the week, and realize I haven't eaten and grab me something to eat while I organize my coupons ( I LOVE COUPONS). Then, I sorted the laundry and started a load and finished up with coupons and the grocery list. Finished the grocery list, took the kids upstairs, checked my email and paid some bills. Next, I switched the clothes, with help from Blake, and then headed out the door. We stopped by the bank first, which is a hassle since my drivers side window doesn't work and then headed to the store. The store is actually pretty fun. We always get there when they put out the samples, so the kids and I enjoy all the yummy treats. We rushed today b/c I had my friend coming over to help with a project. When I got home I was on my cell phone with Stephen, and Karly didn't want to wait for me to get off, so she hopped out and went inside. She came back out with my dad and brothers Derek and Kyle, and they brought all the groceries in!! It was so nice. Steph, got there right as I was going inside. I got the kids lunch and started to put away groceries, while Steph was cleaning out the craft cabinet. I put all the groceries away, cleaned up the kids, then cleaned up their lunch, and took Blake for his nap. Steph had her little boy with her, so Karly played with him. I helped Steph with all the craft stuff for about an hour, and then she had to go, but I was so thankful for all her help, I really don't have much left to do. After Steph left, I put Karly in my room to watch TV for some quiet time, and then got dinner in the crock pot and realized again, that I had not eaten, so I grabbed me some lunch. I also forgot about the laundry, so I got the load out and put the other one in the dryer. When that was done it was time to get the kids from school. Picked up the kids from school, helped with homework, practiced basketball with the kids, finished dinner, and rushed off to Hailey's basketball practice!!! We all went to Hailey's practice and then for a special treat went to Krispy Kreme for some hot doughnuts!! It was a prefect ending to a crazy day.

Whoa, I wrote a lot, but it actually helps me feel better to realize I accomplished a lot today. I usually feel like I get nothing done, but putting it all done really helps me to see EVERYTHING.

Oh, and I need to give big thanks to Stephen who put all the laundry away while I was writing this. He is the best husband EVER!!

WHY??

2010-11-14T14:20:00.002-05:00

Why do I blog?? I blog for 2 reasons...
1- So our WONDERFUL family in Utah, and Oregon know what is going on in our lives. We love them dearly, but sadly never get to see them.
2- I keep this blog as my journal, so I can have a record of what my family has done.

I try really hard to blog each week, but sometimes I get lazy or just think that nothing special has happened so I don't need to blog. But, I realized special things happen everyday and I need to record them. So, I decided that I would like to blog every night, and I am going to try really hard to do so. Now I know there will be some nights I can't get to it, but I will at least do more than one a week. When I print out my blog I want to be able to show them to my kids, and remind them of all the fun things they did or said, and how proud of them I am. And yes, I will even blog without pictures:)

Wish me luck!

A little Halloween and a trip to the Zoo!

2010-11-01T11:07:00.003-04:00

I really hope these videos work, fingers crossed!

We had a fun Halloween week. Here are some highlights:

*pumpkin carving with Stephen

*ward trunk or treat

* Stephen being Lord Voldemort and Blake being young Harry (everyone loved it)

* me winning the chili cook off at church!! my chili was so good, no one else even bothered to bring any:)

* helping sew Uncle Brent's Willy Wonka costume, I helped with the jacket, but the vest was all me!!

* watching Harry Potter, baking cupcakes, and handing out candy instead of trick-or-treating AND

* the kids telling me this was the best Halloween!!

The kids didn't have school Friday so I loaded them up and headed to the NC Zoo. We brought Hailey's friend Taylor with us too, she also joined us for trunk or treat. The Zoo was super fun and we had a GREAT time. I think the highlight of the Zoo trip for me was watching the kids faces while at the elk exhibit... it was mating season;) ha ha ha. Ahh, good times.

The Fair!!!!

2010-10-25T18:37:00.006-04:00

This past Thursday we headed out to the NC State Fair!! I love, love, LOVE the fair. Here is how the day went....

We arrive at the fair about 10:30am and enjoy some ham, sausage, and plain biscuits then head out to watch the bike show and saw some amazing stunts like this...

Then we ate the most delicious ice cream ever, from the NCSU creamery. It's the BEST!!

After ice cream we went off to ride some rides

Took a little walk and learned about farming

We held some baby chicks, ducks and turkeys. And checked out all the other animals

We walked around some more and looked at all the fun things. Then met up with Grandma and Papa and had some yummy food. Who doesn't love ribbon fries, turkey legs, corn on the cob, corn dogs, and cotton candy??

We walked around the exhibit halls and collected stickers(Hailey got the most with 10), and then went on some more rides and played some games.

Lastly we gathered on a hill to see my most favorite thing....FIREWORKS!!!

After the amazing fireworks display, we walked to car to head home. We left about 10:30pm, and had a BLAST!! Can't wait till next year!

THE END!!!

What's Going On...

2010-10-20T14:12:00.004-04:00

Okay, sorry I have slacked on my blogging, but here are the fun happenings of the Beckstrand family.... Hailey got to cheer lead with the Louisburg High School (where my mom teaches) cheerleaders. She LOVED it, and she did a great job. I was very proud!

Blake is growing up! He likes to take showers all by himself:) And he has moved to a big boy bed!! So long crib, Blake prefers the bunk bed now:)

I turned 27!! And had a great birthday WEEKEND!! It started Thursday when my BEAUTIFUL friends surprised me with dinner (notice all the food on the table)! Friday, I celebrated with Stephen and the kids at home, it was PERFECT. We had pizza and cookie cake. And Stephen surprised me with a Nook!! He is WONDERFUL!

On Saturday, my parents watched the kiddos so Stephen and I could go to Dave Ramsey Live!! It was fun and helped us get even more motivated to pay off our debt!! After that Stephen and I went to dinner just the two of us. Sunday was my mom's and nephew Sean's birthday, so we all got together and celebrated!! We had to move the party to my sis-in- law Amber's parents house, because the power went off at our house. Ahh, good times! It really was a FANTASTIC birthday!!! Thanks to everyone for making me feel so loved, you all are the BEST!

I think that about wraps it up.

Happy Birthday Pops!!

2010-09-26T14:28:00.003-04:00

Yesterday my family had a blast celebrating my dad's 61st birthday!! He helped coach Kaleb's football team that morning, we watched NC State BEAT Georgia Tech, the boys helped stain the deck that he fixed and rebuilt, we had steaks for dinner with everyone, he opened his presents, and we had angel food cake and ice cream, what a wonderful day! My dad is such an amazing person, I love him so very much and appreciate all he does for my family. I am so glad we celebrated with him yesterday, you're the GREATEST dad and papa EVER!!!

can you tell we are big NC STATE fans?!? I think that last picture is my favorite!

My Mom Rocks!!

2010-09-23T19:18:00.003-04:00

This is my mom and I

and we love to go here

So each year we take a trip just the two of us, for some fun in the sun. Last weekend we had a blast at the beach, Thanks mom for being absolutely WONDERFUL!!! I love our getaways!

*a big THANKS goes out to my AMAZING husband and FANTASTIC father for taking care of the kids while we were away, you guys are the BEST!*

Growing Up

2010-09-15T14:10:00.006-04:00

Well, our little Karly has started Pre-school. She goes 2 days a week and loves it!! She wanted to get her hair cut before starting school, so we went last week and she looks so CUTE!

She picked out her own outfit and was so excited on the first day, I just love her!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that..

2010-09-08T21:08:00.005-04:00

Here's what we have been up to lately....

some rock climbing and sand digging

making faces and putting on mommy's makeup and just being super cute!

going to a Mudcats baseball game

hanging out in a fort with uncle Brent and uncle Kyle

(Karly was having fun,despite the look on her face).

and just being extremely happy!!!

Ahh, what a life!

*if you click on the pictures, they get bigger*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

2010-09-03T19:38:00.002-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!!

WE LOVE YOU LOTS AND MISS YOU!

1st Day of School!!!

2010-08-29T13:14:00.006-04:00

On Wednesday, Hailey and Kaleb started school!! Hailey started 2nd grade and loves it! She has a great class with lots of friends and she really enjoys her teacher. Kaleb started Kindergarten, I can't believe it!!! He had a fantastic day and already made 3 new friends. I was a little nervous for Kaleb being in school all day, but there was no need he really had a great time. I am pretty sure this will be an awesome year for both of them. Another great thing is that they are walking home, it is so nice not to have to sit in carpool. Good Times!!

I can't leave Karly and Blake out. They had a fun time while the older two were at school:)

just laughing and enjoying Oreos!!

Blake has also mastered folding his arms and closing his eyes for prayer! He is such a cutie!

To the Mountains We Go!

2010-08-22T12:57:00.006-04:00

Last weekend we had a fabulous trip to Asheville, NC!! I always LOVE going to the mountains, it is so beautiful up there and I get to see my wonderful aunt Ellen, her partner Meg, and usually their beautiful daughter Anna. Sadly, Anna had already left for college in Alabama, but we did get to Skype with her so that was fun. We had decided back in June we wanted to go up there to visit Lake Lure Beach and just hang out with family. Lake Lure Beach was so AWESOME!! They have a spray park, water slides, and of course a Lake:) The kids had a blast and we really liked that grandma, papa, and aunt Ellen were there. I am not a big fan of lake water, but I did like the spray area and I did venture out to play with kids. Kaleb wanted to the water slides so bad, but he was like half an inch to short:( So only Hailey went down the slides and she loved it! We had great weather up until lunch, then it poured rain, but we had been there a couple of hours so we just headed out. We hope to go back there next year to play some more!

After the lake we went back to my aunt's house and rested up till dinner. We had pizza for dinner and then headed to downtown Asheville. We didn't know they were have a festival downtown, but we were glad to find out:) They had a bunch of blue grass bands, and cloggers. They even had an area for kids to dance. All the kids got out there and danced it was great!!! Hailey even made a couple of new friends and dance around with them. It was such a great night!!

Thanks so much Ellen and Meg for letting us stay with you!! We had a BLAST!!! I can't to go back again!!

Hot Doughnuts Now!!

2010-08-08T12:43:00.004-04:00

I LOVE KRISPY KREME!!! They are the best doughnuts EVER, especially when they are warm.

YUM!!!

On Monday our family decided to head to Krispy Kreme after Family Home Evening to get some hot doughnuts. Best FHE snack and activity, I think I'll have to do this as a regular thing:)

papa and grandma came with us!

I think they like them!!

A Day at the Beach

2010-08-01T13:10:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we headed out early and spent the day at the beach. We went with the super fabulous Derek and Amber and their awesome boys. It was great. I don't think we could have asked for a better day. The ocean was a little rough, but that didn't stop Hailey, Kaleb and Sean. They would get out there and be completely knocked down by a wave, hop right back up with big smiles and do it again. Karly and Jackson loved to sit on the sand and have a wave turn them around and pull them backwards, it was so cute. Blake and Conner loved the sand. Blake liked digging and putting the sand in his buckets, and Conner loved the sand so much he decided to eat some:)

After fun in the sun we headed over to Fort Fisher Aquarium and looked at all the cool stuff there. We actually got there just in time to watch them feed the alligators! All the kids loved the big water tank with the sharks and giant stingrays. We stayed at the aquarium a couple hours then headed home. It was a long day, but a FANTASTIC day!!

Under Construction

2010-07-18T12:58:00.004-04:00

The kids have been hard at work helping Papa and uncle Kyle fix the deck out back. They have a lot of fun and I love watching them:)

Birthdays!

2010-07-11T13:03:00.004-04:00

I say birthdays because we celebrated 2 this week. We celebrated America's birthday on the 4th and then my sweet Hailey's 7th on the 5th:)
July 4th was very nice and relaxing. We had a great testimony meeting at church and then came home and enjoyed the afternoon. That evening we had a friend from church come over with her little boy Aiden, or as the kids say "Blake's best friend", Aiden is only 2 days older than Blake. We cooked out and had my Dad's delicious hamburgers and then just played till it was time for the fireworks. We headed out to the fairgrounds to watch the fireworks and it was so FUN! We played Frisbee and football while we waited and we also did sparklers. The fireworks were GREAT, as usual, and all the kids loved them. Blake just sat in my lap staring at them the whole time. I am so thankful to be in this country and proud to be an AMERICAN!

Well, my beautiful Hales is 7! I still can't believe it, she is growing up way to fast. We had a really fun time on Monday and Hailey was so HAPPY that Stephen did not have to work. Hailey had originally wanted to go the children's museum that morning, but it was closed so we headed to Chuckie Cheese instead. It was a blast. The kids love getting tickets and then turning them in for prizes. After Chuckie Cheeses we headed back home for the little ones to take a nap. After the naps we went bowling. Hailey was so excited and she did really good. All the kids love going up and either, throwing or pushing the ball down the lane. Next, we went back to the house to meet up with the rest of the family for pizza, presents and cake. Hailey LOVED her fairy decorations, her Oreo cake, presents, but mostly her family. She really enjoys being with everyone and is always so gracious for the gifts she gets. Hailey is a true angel and I am so blessed to have her as my daughter!

Happy #7

2010-07-05T10:32:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Hales!!

WE LOVE YOU!!

Summer Fun

2010-07-04T13:10:00.006-04:00

We have just been busy going to parks, pools and museums. I love SUMMER!!

My favorite thing so far this summer has been seeing the kids at the pool. Both Hailey and Kaleb have started jumping off the diving boards at the pool. They both jumped off the 5ft. board and then jumped off the 10ft. board!! I knew Hailey would but was totally surprised when Kaleb did, he just ran off and then swam to the side. Then Hailey did a spin jump off the high dive and Kaleb did a flip off the low dive. I was so proud of them. Karly is still a little timid about swimming without her float, but she does great cannon balls in the baby pool:) Blake also likes to jump in off the side, weather there is an adult there or not. I definitely have to keep an eye on him, but I am glad he loves the water. We just have so much fun!!

HAPPY 4th of July!! I am so proud to be an AMERICAN!!!

Just Beachy!

2010-06-27T14:46:00.006-04:00

I LOVE THE BEACH!! I could seriously live there all summer. I love laying out, playing in the water and digging in the sand, which is exactly what we did last weekend. Kaleb and Hailey said the wanted to go the beach for their birthday, so we went:) And, to make the beach even better, my WHOLE family came. It was so much FUN!!! We stayed at this awesome hotel that a little water park area including a water slide that the kids LOVED!! I think they went down the thing like a million times, no kidding! We went out to the beach in the morning, played all day and then went in for dinner and on the last night putt-putt. On Saturday Stephen and I let Hailey and Kaleb, with the help of Uncle Kyle go out on the banana boat as a present for their birthdays. Again, they LOVED it!!! They said it was really bumpy and fast. I really did not want to leave on Sunday, but hopefully we can go back another time this summer.

Family, Fun and the Beach, what more could you want

A Sure Sign of Summer

2010-06-24T14:02:00.002-04:00

chopping your long hair....

for short hair!!!

Dad's Day

2010-06-20T16:21:00.003-04:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

to the the most amazing dad's and papa's I know!!

LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!

I LOVE MY FAMILY!

2010-06-13T13:19:00.007-04:00

This past week was awesome! Kaleb had his birthday, Hailey finished up school, and we just did a lot of fun things all together. Wednesday we had the whole fam over to celebrate Kaleb turning 5! We had pizza, and thanks to a last minute pickup from grandma, a pinata, presents and cake. Kaleb loved it. I think the pinata was everyone's favorite, all the kids were having a blast hitting the thing. Kaleb's favorite gift by far was his new Nintendo DS, and the Lego Indiana Jones game. He has been playing that thing like crazy. I am just so glad he had a great time and I still cannot believe my little boy is 5!

Seriously, I have the best family. My husband is just wonderful and my kids are so loving and fun. Yes, we do have problems now and then, but there are so many AWESOME moments that make the not so good ones, disappear.

For Example:

Blake eating an ice cream cone all by himself

The kids playing at Monkey Joe's and totally having a blast!

watching Hailey play SUPER at her t-ball games

Playing all together at Marbles

I am so blessed to have such a fantastic life!!!

Happy #5

2010-06-09T21:49:00.004-04:00

LOVE YOU KALEB!!

Graduation

2010-06-06T12:39:00.004-04:00

I should have put this with last week's post, but decided it deserved it's own. My Kaleb graduated from preschool on May 20th. Kaleb loved school and enjoyed going the past two years. He did so good singing the songs during graduation and I was very proud of him. I just cannot believe he will be 5 on Wednesday and starting Kindergarten in Aug. Time sure flies when you are having fun!

GOOD JOB KALEB!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

A Birthday, A Road Trip, and SOLD

2010-05-30T13:31:00.013-04:00

The "birthday boy" on birthday morning enjoying cinnamon rolls and his new present!

enjoying his other gifts at his party in Asheville, NC eating yummy pizza and LOVING his cupcake!

Blake pretty much had a birthday weekend. He actually was a little sick, but was a trooper and had a fun time being the center of attention. We love our Blakers!

We had a lot of fun in Asheville. We watched my beautiful cousin graduate high school, took walks, went to the park and just have a wonderful time being with my aunt ellen, meg and Anna.

taking the dogs for a walk(the kids LOVED the dogs) and enjoying the amazing view

Just having fun playing at the park!

more fun at the park (can you see Karly's grump face in the smaller pic)

On the way from Asheville we went through Chimney Rock, NC. We had a lot of fun climbing on the rocks and walking around the river. Only Kaleb and Hailey fell in:) It was so much fun.

Everyone getting their feet wet

We had such a fabulous time on our trip. I love being with my family. Thank you Aunt El for letting us stay with you, you're the BEST!!

Hmmm, what could SOLD mean?? WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!! After 10 long months we finally did it. Everything closed on the 21st and we are so happy. Our agent was a friend of mine that I a grew up with and she was great and we really are so thankful we worked with her.

#1

2010-05-20T10:25:00.004-04:00

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY BLAKE!!!

Thanks for bringing lots of smiles to our family! We love you so much!

Good Times

2010-05-16T13:16:00.011-04:00

We have had a busy and fun week.....

Last Saturday:
Hailey had another t-ball game and did great. She loves running the bases and tries to slide every time. It was so hot that day, but she goes right out and does her best.

After the game we got ready to head out to Holly Springs to celebrate Derek's birthday. I just have to say that my older brother Derek is AWESOME!! He is very caring and always willing to help out when needed. He is such a great example to me. He is a wonderful father to his children, a super fun uncle to my kids, and again an AWESOME brother to me. Love you Derek, our family is lucky to have you!

We had a really fun time at the party with the family. We all got together to play Beatles Rock Band, and it was a blast! This was the first time I had ever played Rock Band, and of course now I want it. Hailey loved to sing and Kaleb loved the drums. Stephen did great on the guitar and singing. I think my favorite was the drums.

Sunday:
Mothers Day was great! My husband and kids totally spoil me and I love it! I am so thankful to be a mom. It is very challenging at times, but also very rewarding and I am blessed to have such wonderful kids. We had a nice big dinner with everyone including Amber's parents. The husbands got the meal together and it was delicious, steak, potatoes, salad, and rolls, with a yummy chocolate pie for dessert!

Tuesday:
Stephen and I celebrated 8 fantastic years together. We had a nice evening out to the Cheesecake Factory and then Stephen surprised me with my favorite dessert, cookie cake, that we ate by candlelight outside at North Hills. He is so romantic and sweet! It was a fabulous anniversary I look forward to spending eternity with my handsome hubby!

Thursday:

Kaleb had a field trip to a Amante's Pizza. The kids all got to make their own pizza's. He loved it, and I loved it to b/c we got to eat pizza and they have the best pizza. Every Monday is kids night, so we will probably go back for an FHE.

Saturday:

We be jammin! My mom, Amber, and I (with some help by the kids and Stephen) made a whole bunch of delicious strawberry jam. This was awesome, the house smelled like sweet berries and it was fun to be with everyone. I love strawberry jam season.

Whoa! That was a lot, but I hope you made it all the way through:) This week is a busy one as well, so hope you come back for more updates.

#8

2010-05-11T08:41:00.003-04:00

I have been married 8yrs. to the most wonderful, kind, hardworking, loving, strong, handsome, thoughtful, and AMAZING man!!!

two young kids in love

still two "young" kids in love

I love you, Stephen!!

HAPPY #8!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T13:45:00.004-04:00

I am pretty sure that I know the two most amazing mothers...

My mom is just absolutely fabulous. She has taught me so many wonderful things and I treasure the time we get to spend together. She works so unbelievably hard for the family and I am so proud to be her daughter. I love you mom!

My mother-in-law Elaine is wonderful. I still don't know how she raised 10 kids!! I can barely handle 4. I don't get to spend a lot of time with her, but when we are together she is such an example of love and kindness. She is a great mother and I am thankful to be apart her family.

Happy Mother's Day!

A Few First's

2010-05-07T20:54:00.004-04:00

Hailey had her first T-ball game and did great!

Kaleb gave Blake a bath for the first time, and says "Mommy this is my first time giving a baby a bath! You have to take a picture!"

Karly buckled her seat belt for the first time all by herself!! Making things a little bit easier for mommy:)

Blake has learned how to go downstairs and out doors left open by the kids, sorry no picture of this b/c I am usually trying to catch him as he runs outside.

Park... again

2010-05-02T13:18:00.004-04:00

Well, I didn't blog last week because in my mind I can't blog without pictures( I know crazy), and I didn't take any. This week we went to the park a couple of days and I actually brought my camera on only one of the days, but at least I remembered:) Hailey has her first t-ball game tomorrow, and we are excited about that. I am finishing up my basketball season this month, and I hoping that we win our tournament game tomorrow. Other than that not much is going on. May will be pretty busy so I hope to be able to remember it all. I am going to try and post a few things during the week, but we'll see how it goes;)

Ok, enjoy the pictures of my super cute kids and our adorable friend Delainey who went to the park with us.

what are you looking at??

oh, the geese with the babies

WHEEE!!

Beautiful Days

2010-04-18T12:55:00.005-04:00

The weather has been so nice here, we can't help but be outside. On Thursday, Kaleb's preschool class went on a field trip to Blue Jay Point. It is a beautiful park and learning center. The kids learned all about animal habitats and then got to check out a cool pond where the saw salamanders, turtles and a snake. Kaleb was in little boy heaven! After there little pond adventure they played on the playground and had a blast. Kaleb was playing in the sand when he found a toad, which of course he immediately picked up and showed everyone. He loved it.

On Saturday we took a family outing to a yard sale, where the kids picked out books, and then we headed to Shelly Lake Park. I go to Shelly a lot, b/c the have a great walking trail and playground. I typically go after I drop Kaleb off at preschool and walk pushing the little two and then let them play when I am done. On Saturday we all went and let the kids bring their scooters or bike. I was so proud of Hailey and Kaleb, they rode their scooters all the way around the 2mile trail. Karly rode her bike about half way, which is awesome. Blake did great riding in the stroller:) We just had so much fun walking, riding and playing.

Spring Break

2010-04-11T14:05:00.004-04:00

We had such a fun Spring Break while Hailey and Kaleb were out of school. It started off with a little mini vacation down to Holly Springs (30 min. away) where my fabulous brother Derek and his amazing wife Amber live. We stayed down there Monday and Tuesday playing and having a good ole time. Derek and Amber's boys are so great and my kids just LOVE playing with them. Thanks Derek and Amber for letting us stay with you:) On Wednesday the kids and I went to the Zoo with Amber and the boys. We have a blast at the Zoo. I think our favorite animals this time was the giraffe and ostrich, they were kinda of chasing each other. On Thursday when Stephen got off work we headed to the BEACH!!! It was FANTASTIC!! We went down to Emerald Isle and played. The weather was 80 degrees and perfect. We spent all day on the beach Friday and Saturday. The kids swam in the freezing cold water and built castles in the sand. Blake really liked the sand, so much so that he couldn't help but put it in his mouth. We also went the aquarium, and they had an egg hunt there where you had to find eggs in the different exhibits (my camera died while there). The kids loved it. Oh, and we played putt-putt one night after dinner. AHHH, I LOVE THE BEACH!! It really was such a great trip, and just a great Spring Break.

Happy Easter

2010-04-07T18:13:00.002-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter with the family and enjoyed listening to conference.

# 3

2010-03-28T20:34:00.003-04:00

My little stinker from the previous post turned 3 on Friday!! I still cannot believe it, my peanut. my Karly is 3. Karly is such an awesome little girl and our family is so lucky to have her. She is loving, kind, stubborn, feisty, funny, and just AWESOME. On Friday, I took the kids to the $1.50 movies and we saw Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakual (really cute), and then when Stephen got home Karly picked Cici's pizza for dinner. It was a super fun day. Saturday evening we had my family over for her party, and this is what we did....

We had a yummy dinner

Opened some presents

Played a fun game (Karly put in the correct spot TWICE)!

Had a delicious "Curious George" cake (made by me:)

all to celebrate this little cutie!

Little Stinker

2010-03-24T18:32:00.007-04:00

Karly was supposed to be having rest/nap time.

This is what she did instead...

When I came in and told her she better clean this up
she did this.......

She fell sound asleep, that little stinker!

Spring Fever

2010-03-21T13:00:00.008-04:00

The weather this past week was fantastic!! We have played outside everyday. I love spring and all the pretty flowers, and everything just seems fresh and new. I don't even mind "spring cleaning".

We went to the park the other day for a picnic lunch and to play on the playground...

Kaleb was with his friend Nathan in the woods. They were playing pretend battle. They have such a good imagination.

We also went to the science museum with Kaleb's preschool class. The museum is great, the kids love it and best of all it is FREE!! They have asked to go back several times

On Wednesday we celebrated my brother Brent's birthday!! He turned the big 3-0!!!

Brent is....

a great brother

a wonderful uncle

and just an all around fantastic guy!!!

PS: I just had to throw this picture in:)

oh, how I love my family!

Updates

2010-03-07T13:53:00.005-05:00

I want to start this update with Blake. My little buddy is 9mo old. I have a couple of videos of all the awesome things he has learned to do, including WALKING!!! Yup, just this past week he has started to walk. He is always smiling and just so fun to be around. He really loves any type of ball and has a pretty good arm:) He enjoys his brother and sisters....most of the time. He is such a joy to have in our family!

Blake is enjoying his first Oreo, YUM!!

Stephen and I started these charts for the kids to help them be more responsible. Each week we see how they did and if they fill in there chart the earn a dollar. We would also find ways during the week they could earn extra (doing more chores, babysitting, etc.) Then for Family Home Evening we went to Target and they chose a toy that they wanted, but they needed to save their dollars to get the toy. Well, last FHE they had earned enough and we went to get their toys. They were so happy to pay the cashier and get the toy. I need to add that these toys were not a dollar or two(Karly's was $3), they were over ten dollars, and that just made Stephen and I more proud of them. They were also proud of themselves. The kids didn't spend all they earned, they wanted to save some of the money, which also made us proud. We are just so happy with them!

Wolverine claws

dolphin pool toy

Barbie and dogs

Last weekend was our Stake basketball tournament and it was a crazy weekend. I am the female assistant athletic director for the stake and Stephen refs, so we were there the whole time. We love it, but it is tiring. This year I helped run things, played with the women's team, and coached. Stephen also coached the YM team. Unfortunately, the YM lost, but played a good game and my women's team lost, but the YW team that my mom and I coach WON!!! We have such a great group of girls, so it made it even sweeter to win. The final score was 27-14!! We rocked that game. We can't wait till next season.

Yesterday Stephen received a letter from the City of Raleigh Parks and Rec. Here is what the opening said...

Raleigh Parks and Rec Department has over 6,000 volunteers who assist with programs, events, and parks each year. In recognition of your outstanding volunteer service to the City of Raleigh and our Parks and Recreation Department, you have been nominated as a "2010 Fred Fletcher Outstanding Volunteer".

Stephen was one of 40 volunteers to be nominated!!! 6,ooo volunteers and only 40 nominated! WAY TO GO STEPHEN!!!! I am so proud of him. Stephen has done a lot of refereeing and umpiring for the city, but he gets paid for that. This was for his coaching:) It just made him feel so good. He is going to be recognized at a ceremony in May. Stephen is so wonderful and I am proud to be his wife!

Fancy Dance

2010-02-21T17:43:00.003-05:00

Last night Stephen and I went to the Fancy Dance out in Durham. Our WONDERFUL friends the Gilreaths are in a ward out there and their youth put on a dance for the adults. The provide babysitting, have a DJ, and good refreshments. Plus, you get to dress up!!! I mean really, how often as adults do you get to dress fancy and go dancing?? We really loved it!! We had a fantastic evening with FABULOUS friends!! I love our "formal" pictures and our silly pictures:)

The other AWESOME couple are the Fife's, we have so much fun with these couples!! They are so great!!!

*A big THANKS to the absolutely wonderful Afton for my dress!*

Beautiful Day!

2010-02-21T17:39:00.003-05:00

I love having a park within walking distance, on warmer days we love heading down and having fun! Uncle Kyle even has some fun too!

Valentines Day!!

2010-02-21T17:26:00.003-05:00

I think I had the best Valentines Day EVER!!!! My husband is so WONDERFUL!!! Not only did he write the beautiful post for me, but he had the whole weekend planned! He totally surprised me this year. He arranged for the older kids to be at friends houses for the weekend, and the younger two to be at home with uncle Kyle, so that we could go to a hotel for the whole weekend. And if that wasn't enough, he had a treatment at the spa for me, and he bought other gifts. I was just in awe! He really is that AWESOME!!! I loved every minute of my getaway, Thank you Stephen!

Sunday when we got home, we enjoyed being with the family and having a nice steak dinner with angel food cake for dessert. It was so YUMMY! Stephen and I gave the kids their cards and little treats, which they really enjoyed. It was just PERFECT!!!

To My Sweet Wife, Katie!

2010-02-11T22:02:00.005-05:00

Wow!! I have the most amazing wife in the world!! Katie, you are the best and I am so grateful that you are my wife. You do so much for me and help me be such a better man. You are a wonderful mom to our children, who love and respect you! You give so freely of yourself and do so much for your family without any thought of return. At times you may feel that you are taken for granted but I cannot thank you enough for all that you do and the wonderful person you are.

I do not know nor will ever understand how you can take care of 4 kids, keep the house spotless, cook such wonderful meals, make lunches, change diapers, feed babies, do loads of laundry, take time to call me during the day just to hear my voice, go shopping, put away groceries, help with homework, prepare lessons, coach basketball, and then give me the sweetest kiss with the biggest smile on your face when I get home! I am so proud of you and so blessed to have you in my life. I would never want it any other way. I love you so much and love being with you. You have truly made my life worthwhile. Thank you so much!!!

love forever and always your husband,

Stephen
P.S. I love to watch you play basketball!! You are awesome!

Future All-Star

2010-02-07T14:18:00.003-05:00

Thursday was Hailey's last basketball game and she had a great season. I really like watching her play and seeing her try her very best. She is quite funny about playing though. Some games she will be really in to it, and will block shots, get steals, and get open, but other times she is out playing with her hair, or laughing with a friend. As long as she is having fun it is great. I tried very hard to record her games, but I am awful at filming, and with the other 3 with me it just didn't work out. So, I just a got a few pictures and one video of her defense in a game and one of her making a basket during warm-up. She didn't make a basket in a game, but she never really got the ball that much, and when she did she usually passed it. Hailey did really well on defense and I loved when she would block a shot or get a rebound.

SNOW FUN!!!

2010-01-31T14:55:00.004-05:00

I love the snow!!! I am so glad that we got snow this weekend, and that we could go out and enjoy it! Stephen, the kids and I have loved sledding, snowboarding(kaleb and hailey rocked at it), and having snowball fights. I am so glad that I went and got snowsuits this year b/c the kids have been able to play longer. Blake liked it a little better today, but when we put him down in it yesterday he just cried. This has been such a fun weekend!

here are some videos!

Weekly Update

2010-01-24T14:43:00.007-05:00

I try very hard to post stuff during the week, but it usually doesn't happen. With that being said, I think I will just post weekly updates on Sunday. I still will try:) to get some quick posts during the week, but for the most part it will be on Sundays. Ok, well Stephen's parents left on Monday and we had such a fun visit with them. It was so nice having them here and we sure miss them. My super great father-in-law did bring his camera and took some more pictures of the fun, so here a few more.

We miss you!

Some of you may notice that in one of the pictures my brother Kyle is home. He has been serving his mission out in Colorado, but injured his back and needed to come home. He will hopefully get everything cleared up quickly and is scheduled to go back in April to finish his last 9 mo. It has been wonderful having him home, and when the kids saw him, they were ecstatic. Hailey even cried, she told me "they are happy tears mommy." Kyle is such a awesome brother and uncle. He sets such a great example to my kids and I love him lots!

This last picture is of Karly. This is what Stephen and I found when we went in to check on the kids before going to bed. I guess it was too bright in her room.

SURPRISE!!

2010-01-17T15:23:00.005-05:00

So, as I stated in my previous post Stephen had a birthday and since it was the big 3-0 I wanted to do something fun. I actually had been planning this since September and it was killing me not to let it slip. I decided to fly his parents out (who we hadn't seen in about 2yrs) and then surprise him at dinner with family and friends. Stephen thought that it was just going to be me and him at the restaurant, but he soon found out otherwise:) He didn't know a thing and it was great! It wasn't a huge party, just my family, his parents, and a couple of our favorite friends. Stephen could not believe his parents were there, let a lone everyone else and it was just awesome. We had a great dinner (which of course I took no pictures of ), and then headed back to the house for cake, ice cream and presents. I love my husband very much and I was so glad to do this for him. He is a wonderful husband and father, and he deserved to be celebrated. I do have a few pics of when we first came into the restaurant (thanks to my friend Sarah), and of his cake. A big thanks to everyone for making that night AWESOME and for not spoiling the secret.

Oh, and to make the birthday even better, Stephen had just started his new job (YEA!!) that day.

Well, we have had fun this week with Stephen's parents. On Tuesday, Stephen went up to SVU with his mom and dad to visit some old friends and watch the SVU basketball game (again, no pictures). They had a lot fun. We went to lunch downtown and then went to Marbles kids museum. Watched Hailey's basketball game. And went to a really fun park (which I did actually bring my camera).

On Friday night we had to be at church for the youth basketball games (Stephen and I both coach, and I am also in Stake athletics). The YW game that night was AMAZING!!! My mom and I both coach our girls and this game was against a tough team. I have never seen the gym so full and so loud ( I mean there had to be at least 100 people). Our girls were behind, but came back to win by 2pts. When we won the YM and other youth watching stormed the court, it was like we had won a national championship. I was so proud of the girls, they are just awesome. I look forward to the tournament in February.

This has been such a fun week and it will be sad to see Mike and Elaine go, but hopefully (cross your fingers) we can be out in Utah this summer to visit all the family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

2010-01-10T16:52:00.003-05:00

My super fabulous, wonderful, talented, and extremely handsome husband is

30!!!

Well, almost his birthday is tomorrow, but I don't think I will have time to get on tomorrow. Stephen, I love you and I hope you have an awesome birthday!!!!

Catch Up Time

2010-01-03T14:37:00.003-05:00

Again, I have let to much time slip by without blogging, so this post should catch me up:)

Ok, starting back on Dec 16th..... Kaleb had his carol sing at his preschool and he did so good. He looked so cute up there singing, I was very proud of him. Here is the video of that.

The next evening Dec. 17th, my wonderful brother Derek got everyone tickets to the NCSU basketball game!!! We are all huge NSCU fans and basketball fans, so it was a win win situation. I so wish I could afford season tickets, b/c I love going to games! The kids were great they cheered, ate popcorn and overall had a blast. Stephen and I had a fun time too:)

The weekend before Christmas Stephen the kids and I all had a campout downstairs. We watched a movie and roasted marshmallows. I think we will start a new tradition with this, because it was so much fun!!!

I guess the next thing would be Christmas. I really think this was the best Christmas EVER!!! A few days before Christmas my Aunt Ellen, Meg and Anna came down for a visit. We did something different this year with them, we had a "white elephant" gift exchange. That was so much fun and I think it is going to be a great tradition. Ellen, Meg and Anna also got the kids some awesome clothes. We did our usual Christmas Eve baking (we made peanut butter cookies w/ kisses in the middle) and then that evening we took them to are friends. When we got back we all opened one present(pj's) and took some pictures and then it was off to bed to wait for Santa Clause. The kids didn't get up till about 7:15 and then waited ever so patiently to see if Santa came. Then like a thundering herd, they ran downstairs to see their spoils. Best line ever "This is just what I wanted!!!" Santa did a good job. We all opened our gifts and then had a delicious breakfast and waited for Derek and Amber and the boys to arrive. After they got there we exchanged gifts again with the kids and then let them go off and play with their new loot. The adults did our exchange where Stephen and I got the best surprise.... We thought everything was done, but my parents told us we had one more gift. They brought us a package that looked like a new comforter (which we said we wanted), but when we opened it it was some old pillows. I thought ha ha, there must be something small in the middle, then my dad says "oh well if don't want those, this might be better." Stephen and I look up to see my brothers holding a new TV!!! I lost it, I stared crying so hard (thankfully, I don't have any pictures). Stephen actually got a little teary eyed as well. We both could not believe the love my family has for us. I loved the TV, but I was so overcome with gratitude and love I just couldn't keep it in. This past year was a hard one for us, with Stephen being out of work for so long, and a new baby. My parents have sacrificed a lot for us and I will be forever thankful. I love my family and I am so grateful for the blessings they bring to my life. The rest of the day was pretty relaxed. My brother Kyle called home, which was wonderful! I loved talking to him, he sounds so grown up. He loves serving a mission and is doing awesome. His back was hurting him, but that is better as well. Ambers parents and younger brother Taylor came over and we had a delicious dinner. After all was cleaned up, we headed to bed, to have sweet dreams of this truly blessed day! I am so thankful for my Savior, I have learned that I cannot do everything myself, but with Him I can do anything! That knowledge has helped me so much to let go of things and leave it the Lord's hands. I know that he will always take care of me and my family, and I look forward to this New Year!!

*You can click on the picture to make them bigger*

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T10:49:00.004-05:00

The pictures were taken by one of my favorite and super talented friends Sarah, and my wonderful husband created the card. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!!

*more posts to come later:)

Marbles and Holiday Treats

2009-12-15T21:31:00.004-05:00

My parents gave me a Marbles membership for my birthday, the kids and I love going. Marbles is such a fun kids museum, there is so much to do and explore. Blake can actually crawl around and play as well. This time we went with our friend Delainey and her wonderful mommy Sarah, it was a blast!

Blake having fun with all the cool stuff!

Kaleb and Karly just playing around

Last night we made our holiday treats for FHE. I wish I could take credit for these, but I got this idea from my friend Jessica. It is just pretzels, chocolate chips, and M&M's. These are so yummy and easy to make. The kids love making them and then we give them to teachers and friends for Christmas. Oh and we love eating them:) It is beginning to be a fun tradition for our us.

fun stuff

yummy treats!

Tis the Season!

2009-12-06T14:33:00.004-05:00

Ahh, I love Christmas time!!! We had a fun time decorating the tree this weekend.
Now, I can't wait till Santa comes:)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-27T13:54:00.002-05:00

I love Thanksgiving, it really is one of my favorite holidays. I love having my family all together and remembering all that we have to be thankful for. Oh, and the food is out of this world. My mom can seriously cook! Yesterday was such a good day and it put a smile on my face. I actually spent the majority of the day in the kitchen. Which, I haven't ever really done. My mom had her knee surgery and needed a lot more help this year and I was happy to do it. I loved being with her and having her show me all ropes to cooking the delicious dinner. It made me really want to host my own Thanksgiving(when we get our own place again). My mom is amazing and I am truly thankful that she is my mother. I loved watching the kids play with their cousins and have so much fun. I love that Stephen gets to go out and play football and then comes home and plays with the kids. I loved hearing Kaleb say the prayer and remember (all by himself) to bless Uncle Kyle that his back will get better ( I cried). And again, most of all... I love my family! I am so thankful to have an eternal family, and I look forward to many fabulous Thanksgivings with them.

Almost

2009-11-16T18:58:00.002-05:00

Blake is so close to crawling!! He starts out trying to crawl and then just decides he can roll faster. It is so cute to watch him roll all over the place. I took this video a couple weeks ago, enjoy:)

FAIR!!!

2009-11-08T16:46:00.002-05:00

This is a little behind schedule since the fair was a few weeks ago, but oh well:) I LOVE the FAIR!!! I always have, it is so fun and the food is the best! It has been so great to take the kids and see them enjoy it as well. Every year we spend the whole day out there. We get there between 10am and 11am, and stay till about 10:30pm when the fireworks are done. The kids ride the rides, we look at exhibits, hold the baby chicks and ducks, eat a ton of delicious food, and lastly watch the AMAZING fireworks(that is my favorite part)! I cannot wait to go next year!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Soccer Star

2009-11-07T08:50:00.002-05:00

Kaleb finished up his soccer season a couple weeks ago, and he did really good. He was funny though, he did not like to practice, he just wanted to play. Stephen was the coach and I don't know if we will do that again unless they have smaller teams. But, overall Kaleb did have fun and he was happy to get a trophy. I was very proud of Kaleb, and I loved watching him play.

Happy Halloween!!

2009-11-02T10:35:00.004-05:00

We had such a fun Halloween!! We had 2 kittens, Ben 10, and a pumpkin. Oh, and we were lucky to have Indiana Jones with us as well. Indiana also won best adult costume for our ward:) The kids loved the ward party and trick or treating, double the candy. Now, we just have to eat it all:)

Good Times

2009-10-29T20:28:00.002-04:00

It seems like time will go by and I have nothing to post, and then everything happens at once and I can't find time to post! So, a couple of weeks ago was pretty busy for us, we celebrated my birthday... the big 2-6! It was so fun! Stephen really spoils me. We had a little family party Thursday night with my favorite pizza (papa johns) and then Stephen took me out to dinner on Friday night. The kids all made me really sweet cards and each got me a box of Junior Mints (yum)! I got some other really great stuff from Stephen and my parents. Thanks all for a wonderful birthday. Then on Friday I took all the kids to the NC Zoo with my friend Stephanie and her kids. It was so much fun!! The kids had a blast and I loved it too! We really enjoyed seeing all the animals. You will see in the slide show a picture of an elephant. Well, the elephant started out far away, so we told the girls (Hailey and Rachel) to make elephant sounds. They started doing it and the elephant came running towards us!! It was AWESOME!! All the kids were thrilled. After the zoo we got home and I rushed to get ready for my date with Stephen. We had a great dinner and enjoyed our evening out. Then on Saturday we went fishing and shooting for my nephew Sean's birthday. All the kids caught fish and just enjoyed playing with each other. After the fishing we went shooting. The kids are good shooters and Stephen and I aren't half bad either:) I have to say I was most impressed with Karly. She is so little, but got right up there and shot really well. She listened to to Jim (Sean's pop pop) and did great! I am so proud of my little shooters. After we went shooting we came home rested for a bit and then went to Sean's house for his party. On Sunday we had a big family party for my mom (her birthday was also on Saturday) and me. It is so fun to have everyone together. I love my family tons!! OH, I can't leave out Kyle (Elder Garrison), on my birthday he hit the 1 yr. mark!! Only 1 more to go. Way to go Elder Garrison we love you, miss you, and are so proud that you are serving the Lord. I think that about wraps it up for now. I do have a lot more to post, but I didn't want to have like 100 pictures, so I am just going to divide them up:)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Smart Girl

2009-10-11T16:26:00.003-04:00

The other night we were sitting eating dinner and someone brought up getting married. Hailey thinks she has to pick someone out now. She was telling us about some boys, and says...

"Well, I like Nate he is cute, but he sometimes doesn't listen to Mrs. Nance (the teacher), so if I married him he might not listen to me." Ahh, what a smart girl:)

Stephen and I just laughed and then reminded her that she just needs to be friends with the boys right now and not worry about getting married till she is older.

Blake

2009-09-29T13:47:00.002-04:00

This is one cute kid!! He really does smile all the time!

A Blue Card

2009-09-20T11:27:00.002-04:00

Friday when I picked Hailey up from school, she jumped in the car and said... "Mommy, I got a blue card today!!". I was so proud of her!! Oh, you don't know what a blue card is?? In her class they have a flip card system to follow their behavior. They have different colors (blue green, orange,yellow, and red) that go with how the student was acting that day. If the student wasn't making good choices they have to flip their card down. Hailey has wanted so bad to earn a blue card, b/c that card is the best. Here is a little excerpt from the newsletter I got at the beginning of the year explaining about the blue card.

-Each day the students will start on their green card, because each day is a brand new chance to make good choices. The blue card will be awarded sparingly, on a day that a student is ‘going above and beyond’ to make great choices in our classroom. Those choices not only benefit themselves but others too.

She always has a green card, which I am so proud, but Friday she did it, she earned a blue card!!! She was proud of herself and that makes me even more happy! love ya Hales!

Life

2009-09-13T14:05:00.003-04:00

** WARNING: Due to lack of blogging this is a long post**

Finally! I am blogging again. Our computer got a virus right before we moved and we just now got everything back and running, YEA! So, now I get to sit down and catch up with all that has been happening in the Beckstrand household:) Hmmm, let's start with the youngest...

Blake: He will be 4mo. on the 20th and this kid is growing fast. He is rolling all over the place and has been for about 3wks. He loves to get into the walker and push himself around (yes, he really can get around) I am going to take video of this soon and post it. He is such a talker and drooler! He rarely spits up, but boy can he drool. I love going to get him from naps b/c he will just look at you and smile. He really likes his brother and sisters and laughs when they play with him. He is a great sleeper, I lay him down at nap time or bed time, and he talks for a few minutes, rolls over and goes to sleep. We are going to start rice cereal this week, so more to come with that endeavor. Blake is so fun, I love this kid!

Karly: She is a little pistol! This girl can drive me crazy one minute and then melt my heart the next. About 2 wks ago I had had enough of double diaper duty, so I told Karly she was not going to wear diapers anymore and put her in panties. It took 3 days and a lot of candy, but she doesn't wear diapers anymore, and I couldn't be happier! I was so proud of her and she was proud of herself. Karly is so funny, really she is! If you tell her she is pretty, she says "No, I handsome", it just cracks me up. She has been taking speech classes for about 3mo, and she is talking so much better, and she talks a lot more. She really wants to be in school like Hailey and Kaleb, but we are enjoying the time together. She is still my little peanut and she is wonderful.

Kaleb: My 4yr old boy started preschool last week and loves it!! He is happy to be in the older class and playing on the big playground. After his first day he was so happy, he got in the car and told me,"mommy, it was fun. I made a new friend!" Except when I asked what his friends name was he said, "I don't know", ah little boys:) Kaleb has also started soccer and is really getting into that. He had a game yesterday and scored a goal!!! Stephen is coaching his team, and that was a little hard at first, but now he is doing really well. Kaleb is really into every super hero and pretends to be a different one everyday. He has such a good imagination. Kaleb is such a boy and I love that....most of the time;)

Hailey: Oh, my sweet Hailey, she is growing up to fast! She stared 1st grade this year and is doing awesome. Since we moved, she is going to a new school, but she already made a lot of new friends and just enjoys going. We decided not to have her in soccer this year, but she will start gymnastics soon and is really excited. Hailey is really helpful, if I need to her to feed Blake a bottle so I can cook dinner, she is right there with a smile. She helps Karly at night and in the morning get ready. She can be very sassy at times, but she will just go and chill out by her self and then she is good to go. Last Sunday she had a really bad scooter accident. She and Stephen were riding her scooter and going really fast. Stephen was trying to stop when the were going down the curb and lost control. The scooter went out from under them and Hailey hit face first on the street. I ran up to her and all I saw was blood. She has bleeding from somewhere on her face, but I couldn't see b/c it was just all red. I have never been so scared in my life. We got her over to the ER and saw that it was her chin and it had split all the way to the bone. She received 8 stitches and has a cast on her wrist (they thought it was a small hairline fracture, but ended up being just a bad sprain). Hailey was a trooper the whole time and is back to her normal self. I don't ever want to go through anything like that again!!! Hailey is such an awesome girl and I love her.

Katie and Stephen: We are doing really great! Stephen is working hard with his job cleaning carpets and I am working hard being a mom. Stephen is still umpiring and refereeing, and he also coaches Kaleb's team. His church bball season is starting soon and I am looking forward to watching him play. I am just doing the whole mom thing, and my basketball season starts tomorrow and I can't wait!!! I still play every week at church and go walking when I can. Living with my parents has been good. I enjoy going grocery shopping with my mom and cooking dinners each night for the family. I know I have said this before, but I am so grateful for all that my parents have done for us, it is such a blessing to be living here.

Well, this last little bit is about our beach trip we took back in August. We went down to Myrtle Beach for a long weekend and loved it. I was so surprised at how Hailey and Kaleb just jumped right into the ocean and stared riding in waves. It was great! Karly played in the water, just not as far out as the other two. And, Blake just slept:) I love the beach!!!

Enjoy the slideshow!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

M.I.A

2009-08-11T13:37:00.002-04:00

OK, so I have been off the computer for a while, but I wanted to get a quick post out. The last few weeks have been busy with painting, building, cleaning, and packing! I am telling you, if you ever have to move and have 4 small children, send them away for at least a week:) You then might actually get things done. Actually, the kids were pretty good, but it was difficult to keep them entertained (and not just watching TV) while trying to accomplish anything. Thankfully, I have a super fantastic sis-in-law who took the 3 older kids for the weekend so I could finish packing and we could move without any problems. She seriously is a saint, she had her 2boys, and my 3 big ones, plus she is 8mo. pregnant!!! I know, she is superwomen! OK, I better give a big thanks to my brother as well, he did help with the kids and then came and helped with the move. I really have the best family, I am so blessed!! I guess you might have figured out that we moved and are getting settled in with my parents. I really cannot stand being unorganized, but I know I will get everything unpacked. I really appreciate my parents for allowing us to live here, it is so comforting to know how wonderful my parents are. Well, I think that wraps it up for now, I will hopefully get pictures up as soon as we are out of boxes:)

Oh, I also need to thank the R4 priesthood, they were AMAZING at getting everything out of our old house and into our new one. Seriously it only took about an hour and a half!!

Girl Party!

2009-07-27T20:33:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday we had Hailey's friend party. We painted fingernails, decorated cupcakes and then went to see "The Hannah Montana Movie". The girls had a lot of fun,especially Hailey.

Beach, Pool, and Blake!

2009-07-18T10:35:00.005-04:00

Last week my mom and I took a long weekend and headed to the beach, without the husbands or kids!!! It was so much fun, like always:) Every year we take a mother/daughter trip and it seriously is awesome!! We spend all day on the beach, go to a movie, and play putt-putt(she won this year). I love it!!!! Thank you mom, and thanks a bunch Stephen for letting me go.

The kids and I spend a lot of time at the pool and it is great. Hailey swims great, Kaleb is swimming better w/out his floaties, Karly is fearless and tries to swim w/out her floaties too(gives me a scare), and Blake just sits chill in his float. We love the pool!

Lastly, here is a cute video of Blake. He is such a talker. Sorry, the video is a little dark.

July 4th and 5th

2009-07-08T07:07:00.002-04:00

We had an awesome 4th of July!! We spent the whole day at my parents working around the house and yard, and Stephen helped build the new shed for my dad. After a long, hard working day we had the best hamburgers, courtesy of my father:) Followed by a yummy watermelon. Then we headed off to the fireworks!!! I love fireworks and these were awesome!! The kids had a blast playing football and doing sparklers while we waited. All the kids loved the fireworks, except for Karly. She had her eyes closed the whole time, and clapped as soon as they were over. It was so funny! Blake just slept through them. I really love July 4th and I am so proud to be an American!!!

July 5th was also a fantastic day, it was Hailey's 6th birthday!! I can't believe that she is 6yrs. old. She is such an amazing girl and I am so glad to be her mommy. Since her birthday was Sunday we just had her family party and she will be having her friend party in a couple of weeks. It was pretty neat to have it on Sunday, b/c she gave a talk in Primary and then they sang to her. She loved it. After church we always go over to my parents house and when we got there my wonderful mother went above and beyond decorating for her party. Hailey loved it and was so happy. She wanted mac and cheese for dinner and then pound cake with strawberries for her cake. She enjoyed all her presents, especially her new bike. She had been riding on her little 12in and now has a 20in. She loves it and does so well riding it. Hailey is such an awesome girl, she is very sweet and is always helpful around the house. I love her so much!!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Summer Fun

2009-07-01T21:51:00.002-04:00

WOW! I love summer time! We have been kept pretty busy just enjoying the outdoors. For fathers day we took a trip to Asheville to see where my dad's ancestors were buried. It was so neat and fun to show the kids and tell them about their ancestors. We also have been busy at the park, the pool and spray park and just having fun around the house. I just put together a slide show of everything. Hope you like it:)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Fathers Day!

2009-06-18T12:52:00.007-04:00

I am so lucky to know two fabulous fathers! My very own fantastic father and my wonderful husband Stephen.

I seriously have the best dad! I love him so much. I am such a daddy's girl and I wouldn't have it any other way. My dad has always worked hard for our family and always made time to be with us. He was always willing to help out with my sports team and still supports me today. I love watching him play with my kids and teach them new things. He is a wonderful example to me and I am extremely proud to be his daughter. I LOVE YOU DADDY!!!! Butterfly Kisses:)

Stephen is such an amazing father!! The kids adore him and love to play with him. He always comes up with neat games to play with them and never minds being the "bad guy" to battle against. I love watching the kids run up to him and give him hugs when he walks in the door from work. He works extremely hard so that our kids can have all that they need and I am so thankful for that. Stephen, thank you so much for all that you do for our family, we are so blessed to have you:) I LOVE YOU!!