Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Pop Quiz 2008



How well do you know the DEl Beatty family?

Take our 2008 pop quiz to find out!
(The answers are at the bottom of the page....no peeking beforehand!!)

1. When did Del begin his new job at Dixie State College?
a. July 2008
b. August 2008
c. September 2008
d. October 2008

2. What is Mathison's favorite thing to say?

a. "Awesome!"
b. "Oh my gosh!"
c. "Holy Cow!"
d. all of the above

3. How tall is Bronson?
a. 6'2"
b. 6'0"
c. 6'1"
d. 6'2.5"

4. What is Kim's calling in their new ward?
a. Webelos Den Leader
b. Primary President
c. Ward Choir Director
d. Nursery Leader

5. What place did Krissia take at the Miss Utah's Outstanding Teen Pageant?
a. 1st runner-up
b. 2nd runner-up
c. 3rd runner-up
d. Miss Congeniality

6. Which role did Jefferson play in a CEU theater production?
a. Kurt from "The Sound of Music"
b. Jo-Jo from "Seussical"
c. Douglass from "Shadowlands"
d. Tiny Tim from "A Christmas Carol"

7. What is Mathison's most recent accomplishment?

a. reading simple words
b. potty training
c. tying his shoes
d. riding a tricycle

8. In his spare time, DEl is:
a. writing a book
b. tying a quilt
c. directing a children's performing group
d. performing in a musical

9. How does Kimberly spend most of her days?
a. eating chocolate while soaking in a bath
b. driving kids around
c. cleaning up after her "toddler tornado"
d. b&c

10. What is Krissia ranked statewide in the 100m backstroke?
a. 1st
b. 2nd
c. 5th
d. 8th

11. What does Jefferson enjoy doing?
a. hanging out with his friends
b. acting and performing
c. learning about military history
d. all of the above

11. After graduation, Bronson plans to major in:
a. History
b. English
c. Theater
d. Communications

We would love to get feedback on how you did :)

Happy New Year!

DEl, Kimberly, Bronson, Krissia, Jefferson, and Mathison

ANSWERS:
d, d, c, a, b, c, a, c, d, b, d, b,

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Constipation Cure


Today, we discovered the perfect cure for a toddler's constipation.

Just let him/her soak in a nice, warm bathtub for a few minutes and the blockage will slip right out.

I don't know which of was more surprised at the floaties, me or Mathison.

Guess how I the spent the rest of my morning?

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Christmas in Review

Our Christmas celebrations began on Monday, the 22nd when we had a special dinner and FHE with my side of the family. Each of the Gubler siblings presented a short lesson/story, and the evening culminated with the kids reenactment of the nativity.


Jefferson and Grant as the shepherds:


Cole and Mathison were darling sheep:


Krissia and Bronson in the starring roles (Bronson informed me beforehand that this would be his last year) :


We were able to have a special family home evening on Christmas with the Beatty's that also included a nativity, as well as some other special traditions. Unfortunately, my camera wasn't cooperating so I couldn't get any pictures :( My children's parts in the program were: wise man - Bronson, angel - Krissia, shepherd - Jefferson, sheep - Mathison.

With a mixture of teenagers who wanted to sleep in and youngsters who wanted to wake up early, we decided to compromise at 7:30 a.m. on Christmas morning. Everyone was soon unwrapping presents; Mathison was delighted he could finally do it without getting in trouble!


Judging by the big smiles on every one's face, I think it was a great Christmas!





This was taken before our family room looked like it was hit by a tornado:


I guess I must have been a really good girl this year, because I got exactly what I wanted for Christmas.....a new camera! It has been so frustrating the past year only being able to take pictures in natural light (broken built-in flash) and having the image stabilization go haywire. Any picture I've posted that looks halfway decent is the result of painstaking work on Photoshop! Now, I just need to read the owner's manual to learn how to use it :)

Sunday, December 21, 2008

An Early Christmas Present

As part of our kids' Christmas this year, we decided to take a pre-holiday vacation. We planned on spending three nights in Las Vegas, doing some shopping and planning a very special excursion for Thursday.

However, we were totally unprepared for what greeted us upon arrival.

Yes - that's SNOW!

We were "privileged" to witness a snowfall not seen in over 30 years. Our part of the city received three inches; other sites got up to seven inches. We had to re-evaluate our plans, and ended up spending Thursday in Vegas instead of going on our special activity.

We decided to visit the Mirage. It was very fun, and we enjoyed the relaxing, tropical atmosphere:

Part of the reason we visited this hotel was to see the animals that are kept there. We were able to see dolphins up close and very personally, including a baby dolphin born only three months ago:

The Mirage also has an area where big cats like tigers, panthers, and lions are kept:


The only problem was that the animal habitats are outside, so our visit was rather chilly :) That afternoon, the older kids and DEl did some Christmas shopping while Mathison and I had a nap.

Early the next morning, we awoke the kids and prepared for our special surprise.....Disneyland! We were unable to go on Thursday as planned because I-15 was closed due to the heavy snowfall. It was so much fun; I'd never been to Disneyland during the Christmas holidays. Everything was festively decorated:


I knew Mathison would not want to spend the entire day in the stroller, yet was worried about him wandering away. We came up with a perfect solution; a monkey backpack with a leash for a tail:


We braved the chill to go on Splash Mountain. Here is a picture of the screen where the pictures taken on the ride are displayed:


As we were preparing to ride Splash Mountain, we ran into Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Mathison was so excited to see them, especially Tigger. In fact, he starting jumping up and down, doing the Tigger bounce. It was so cute!


We had to trade off on most of the attractions as Mathison was too little to ride them. However, it meant that one or more of the older kids got to ride twice. Here are Bronson, Krissia, and Jefferson in front of Autopia:


Mathison held out pretty well for most of the day, although he finally gave in and had a small nap in the late afternoon:



Although it was a very full day, and Disneyland was pretty crowded, we were able to experience most of the things we wanted to do. I would have to say that one of my favorite rides this time was "It's a Small World". They had the entire structure decked out with Christmas lights and it made the park seem even more magical.

We left California at about 9 p.m. and drove back to Vegas. By the time we rolled in, DEl and I had been up for about 20 hours.....but it was worth it. Hopefully, this will be a Christmas the kids will always remember!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Breakfast With Santa

The Washington City Rec Center (the facility where Krissia trains every morning) sponsored a "Breakfast With Santa" event last Saturday. They offered games and activities for the kids, live entertainment, a catered breakfast, and - of course - a visit from Santa Claus, complete with free pictures.

Tickets were a little pricey, but Mathison could get in free due to his young age, and everyone else in the family was busy that morning. I decided to take him, even though our Santa encounters with our other toddlers in past years had produced strong emotions like screaming and crying.

Mathison LOVED it! After eating a yummy breakfast, he had fun with the bean bag toss before moving on to make a reindeer hat. Surprisingly, Mathison sat still for the 10 minutes it took us to make this craft and actually helped to glue and color the project! Waiting in line for Santa was a little difficult; I ended up strapping Mathison in the stroller, as he kept trying to wander off and try tossing the bean bags again :)

When the big moment finally arrived, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Mathison. Mathison took one look at Santa.....and ran straight to him, climbing right up onto his lap! The first thing Mathison did was to give Santa a big hug before telling him that he wanted "toys and trucks". Afterwards, Mathison kept wanting to go back to Santa and became quite upset that it wasn't his turn again!

I've never had a child this young warm up to Santa like this; especially one that is very sensitive, like Mathison is. Mathison really enjoys older people, even "Grandpas" and "Grandmas" that he doesn't even know. Maybe this is part of the reason he took to Santa so readily. Anyway, I think this picture says it all:

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Jefferson the Great


A few weeks ago, Jefferson had to prepare a report on a famous individual for his history class. He chose to give his report on Alexander the Great, one of the most brilliant generals ever.

The history teacher was very creative; as part of the report, she asked the students to dress as their selected character and present a short synopsis of that person's life as a wax museum figure would. Other students would wander through the "museum", pushing "play" buttons to hear the figures talk about themselves. As you can imagine, Jefferson threw himself into his preparation, designing and creating his costume all by himself.

Parents were invited to come, and it was so fun to see the students dressed up and giving their carefully prepared speeches! Jefferson did such a great job :)

Here is Jefferson trying to look tough for the camera:

Friday, December 12, 2008

Recycling

Our family tries to do its part when it comes to recycling - like reusing grocery bags, scratch paper, etc. But I've recently come to the conclusion that there are just some things you shouldn't try to reuse.

Like a soiled disposable diaper.

During an outing a few days ago, I had only brought one extra diaper with me because I knew I'd only be gone a couple of hours and Mathison never poops more than once in the mornings.

Never say never.

As we were about a half hour from home, I probably would have just let it go except Mathison was suffering from a terrible diaper rash that we were just getting under control and I knew that sitting in a dirty diaper would only aggravate it more.

After about 20 Huggies wipes, one roll of toilet paper, five minutes of vigorous hand washing, and one bottle of hand sanitizer later, the diaper was almost as good as new and we were able to make it home.

Let me just say that until Mathison is potty trained, I will NEVER be caught without extra diapers again!!!!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Lightning Strikes Again


When Krissia swam for Carbon High last year, some of the other swimmers on the team gave her the nickname "Lightning". She is truly living up to that name this year, striking so hard and suddenly in her races that the other competitors hardly know what's happened.

Krissia competed in a 2 day invitational last weekend in Cedar City with over 450 other swimmers. 14 schools were in attendance, with both 3A and 4A atheletes competing. Krissia was incredible, getting 2 individual golds in her events. In fact, in her premier event, the 100 backstroke, she touched the wall 5 seconds before the 2nd place swimmer! The local newspaper featured an article about the swim meet today, and it predicted that Krissia could end up taking state in this event.

I guess that getting Krissia to those 5 a.m. practices are really paying off :)

(Let me add that we all take turns driving her in the mornings)

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Happy Birthday, Honey!

Today is Del's 42nd birthday. As I recently spent another blog giving out all sorts of information and tidbits about him, I won't say much more other than he is a wonderful husband, father, and friend. I am so lucky to have him as part of my life!

Happy Birthday, Honey.....I love you. Lots :)

Friday, December 5, 2008

Mouths of Babes

Every time I try convincing Bronson that his room is a disaster area, he argues that his room is no worse than the average teenager's.

However, you know your room has to be pretty messy when your barely two-year-old brother walks in and exclaims:

"Whoa....Bronson room's MESSY!"

Maybe Mom is right :)

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

St.George Outdoors

We've been in St. George two months now, and I have to admit that we are absolutely LOVING the mild weather. Although it's the beginning of December, most of the leaves have yet to fall from the trees! It's so fun to be able to spend time outdoors in shirtsleeves or - if it's a "cold" day - a jacket. Our family has taken advantage of the beautiful weather by taking some outdoor excursions, and these pictures were taken when we visited the Tonaquint Nature Park about 3 weeks ago:

There were plenty of ducks and fish to feed:

Bronson and Jefferson feeding the ducks:

Mathison had more fun eating the bread himself rather than feed it to the fish!

Krissia dressed in an old T-shirt with no makeup and still looking gorgeous

Del and Jefferson racing on the trail

Enjoying a short walk


I seriously thought about rubbing it in to you folks who are living in cold weather country, but I realized that our positions will probably be reversed next summer when we are melting in the 100 degree heat and you are enjoying the mild weather :)

Monday, December 1, 2008

A Wonderful Wedding


I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend; I know our family enjoyed spending the vacation with loved ones.

This blog is actually a belated blog about my youngest sister's wedding, which was on Nov. 22nd. She married Tyson Pulsipher, a former student of DEl's. We know him quite well, and feel that Shawnee couldn't have made a better choice:)

It was a wonderful weekend, with all of my brothers and sisters coming in from various states (Nevada, Arizona, Nebraska, and Kentucky) and my parents taking a few days away from their mission on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Here are a few pictures I took outside of the St. George Temple:






Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Turning Two


Our little guy turned two last week and I can't believe how quickly the past two years have gone! We were able to celebrate this event with my siblings and their families on Sunday, as everyone was in town for my sister's wedding (post on that to come soon).

At age two, Mathison continues to soak up knowledge like a sponge. He knows by sight all of his letters, shapes, colors, and numbers 1-10. He also counts things on his own. Mathison recognizes that letters form words and can read by sight a handful of words that he sees often like "stop", "truck" and "Mat". He also has a very impressive memory and often recalls something he's briefly seen or heard days or even weeks later.

Mathison really enjoys spending time with his grandparents and will greet older strangers at the store by saying "Hi Grandpa" or "Hi Grandma". He's a great climber and has figured out how to scale the highest jungle gym at the big kids' playground (gulp!).

Mathison's vocabulary is quite extensive and he puts together 4-5 word sentences on his own. He especially likes to use exclamations like "Awesome", "That's Cool", and "Whoa". Last week when Del and I were watching a Jazz game, Mathison walked up to the TV and pointed to it, saying,"Oh my gosh, it's basketball!" Too cute :)

Here are some of MAT'S STATS:

Height: 33.5 " 18%
Weight: 24.5lbs 10%
Head: 90% Still huge!
Teeth: 12
Favorite Song: "I Love to See the Temple"
Favorite TV Show: Yo Gabba Gabba
Favorite Food: Yogurt, bananas, apple juice, cheese sticks, "crunchies". These are about the only things he will eat (sigh)

Here is a collage showcasing how Mathison has grown and changed month-by-month during his second year. This little guy sure keeps us on our toes, but we are sooooo grateful to have him as part of our family!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Too Soon


Two things have happened in the past week to make me realize how short my time really is as a parent.

First, Del and I had the opportunity to attend SUU's distinguished scholar day with Bronson. This event's purpose is to recognize a few students in the region based on academic achievement while giving them a chance to "check out" the university. It was a fun event, culminating with an awards banquet at the end of the evening. Although we (especially Del) felt like we knew the ins and outs of SUU pretty well, it gave Bronson the chance to socialize with other kids who are great students. It also reinforced the unavoidable fact that I HAVE A CHILD WHO WILL GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL THIS YEAR. I can't believe we're approaching this point already; where did the time go?

The second event that drove this point home was my baby turning two yesterday. (We're planning to celebrate this weekend and Ill post about it then)

To me, age two signals the end of babyhood, and it is bittersweet to see this chapter closing forever in our lives. The prospect of a diaper-free environment sounds enticing, but there is something about the complete innocence and vulnerability of a baby that brings a special joy to the home. I'm going to miss that.

I remember getting warned when my two oldest children were quite little to "enjoy it now" because they'd grow up before I knew it. Well, folks - it's true. So to all of you young mothers reading this, I suggest you heed that timely advice because you'll be there before you know it.....just like I am.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

My Man


This is a tag from Denise (I won't say how long ago!), and I pass it along to any of you who would like to post about your special guy.

1. Where did you meet?
In the "Sound of Music" - he was 13, I was 9!

2. How long did you date before you got married?
One year and one week.

3. How long have you been married?
Almost 18 1/2 years (Wow)

4. What is your favorite feature?
I have two....his incredibly blue eyes and cute behind :)

5. What is your favorite quality he has?
Again, I have two: his passion for life and selfless giving of his time to help others.

6. Does he have a nickname for you?
Del sometimes calls me "Hon" or "Wimb"

7. What is his favorite color?
Blue

8. What is his favorite food?
Pretty much anything other than seafood; heaven help us if we ever move to the East Coast!

9. What is his favorite sport?
Del enjoys watching football and playing racquetball and tennis.

10. When and where was your first kiss?
It was at the end of our third date. We'd just finished watching "The Princess Bride" in the front room of my parents' house.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
We enjoy going out to dinner or watching movies/theater together. Some of my favorite times I have spent with my husband is when just the two of us are taking a long trip together in the car and spend the entire time talking.

12. Do you have any children?
Yes, four. We started out wanting seven and thought for a long time we'd have to be content with three.

13. Does he have a hidden talent?
Yes! Del can gobble and shake his cheeks and neck just like a turkey :)

14. How old is he?
Four years older than I am, LOL.

15. Who said "I Love You" first?
Del did. Actually, he played a song that said it for him.

16. What is his favorite type of music?
Del enjoys most types, but especially enjoys Broadway and 70's icons like Barry Manilow and the Carpenters (sorry honey...had to tell the truth on this one!)

17. What do you admire most about him?
There are so many things to admire about him, but two things that come to mind are his eternal optimism and loyalty to family.

18. Will he read this?
I sure hope so....I love you, honey!!!!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Bragging Rights


What can I say - our little Miss Krissia continues to astound and amaze in the pool. Her swim team participated in a HUGE meet last weekend held at the Sand Hollow Aquatic Center in Santa Clara. There were 17 schools in attendance and over 600 swimmers. Most of the schools were 4A and even 5A (Brighton, Kearns, Bingham). Did these difficult odds deter Krissia? Not in the least - she is a very determined individual with a competitive nature that serves her very well in tough situations. She did incredibly well, earning individual medals in the 100 free (4th place) and 100 back (2nd place) as well as leading her relay teams to top 5 finishes.

If any of you are getting a little tired of hearing about Krissia's swimming success....too bad! I think her hard work and 5 a.m. daily practices are really paying off, earning her a chance for recognition and giving her mother some serious bragging rights :)

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Giving Thanks For All Things


As you have entered November and prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, perhaps you've found your mind turned more often to the things you are thankful for. Here is a sample of what Mathison has been praying for this week:

(WARNING - the following story contains references to a bodily function!)

Mathison loves to say the blessing on the food, and does so for at least one meal a day. He has learned a simple prayer, which he says a phrase at a time with one of us repeating what he says. This is what we've been hearing this week:

"Heavenly (Mom repeats) Father (Mom repeats), bless (Mom repeats) the POOP (Mom says "food"), Thank you (Mom repeats) for it (Mom repeats)"

And then he closes the prayer in the typical way. The first time Mathison "blessed the poop", my eyes popped open and found DEl looking at me and trying not too laugh -but it proved nearly too much when Mathison said "Thank you for it" :) I know we are supposed to give thanks in all circumstances and for ALL things; but in this case, I believe my toddler is unintentionally carrying it a bit too far!!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Absolutely AMAZING!

Krissia had her first high school swim meet of the season last Thursday. There were five schools in attendance, including St. George's "big 3" - Pine View, Dixie, and Snow Canyon. Krissia was a little nervous about having to swim against the 4A schools (Desert Hills is 3A) but was determined to do her best. She was absolutely amazing!! She won all four of the events she participated in, taking 2 seconds off of her 100 meter freestyle and 3 seconds off of her 100 meter backstroke.

We as parents weren't the only ones impressed with her performance; here is what the local paper had to say about her in Friday's issue:

"If you were at the Washington pool for the aquatic match up of Desert Hills, Dixie, Hurricane, Pine View and Snow Canyon and you blinked a couple of times, chances are you missed some exciting action. Despite computer glitches and the failure of the electronic timing system, the teenage swimmers put on a scintillating show and some new stars were born.

One of those stars was double-winner Krissia Beatty of Desert Hills, who captured the girls 100 meter freestyle in a blistering 57.75 seconds and then won the 100 backstroke upsetting Pine View's two-time Region 9 champ Deanna Dillard in the 100back in a nifty 1:03.62. (FYI - Krissia was later disqualified for a head bob at the start of this event...Kim) Krissia also was a major contributor on two winning Desert Hills relays." (The Spectrum)

What is so exciting is that these times would have placed her in the top 3 at 3A State Swimming last year, and this is only the first of the season! It should be interesting to see just how far she can go :)

Sorry I don't have any pictures to post; I had my camera with me, but each of Krissia's races were so exciting that I forgot to take pictures. Grandma Beatty and Naomi were able to cheer Krissia on - thanks for coming! For those of you who live close by and would like to see Krissia swim, Desert Hills is hosting a meet on Tuesday, Nov. 18th at the Washington Aquatic Center. The meet begins at 4:15 p.m.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Tricky Treat!

I don't have any pictures of last night, but I have plenty to post from several pre-Halloween celebrations we participated in!

The Beatty family kicked off our Halloween season with an outdoor carnival held at the Tonaquint Nature Reserve nearly two weeks ago. The kids enjoyed playing games and, of course, getting candy.

I'm not sure if Jefferson is more excited for the candy or the cute girl who is handing it out :)

DEl and Krissia helping Mathison with a game

Mathison and Jefferson waiting in line

A week ago today, our neighborhood hosted a Halloween party. I guess this tradition was started a few years ago; we weren't sure what to expect as this was our first year. However, I don't think we were quite prepared for this:

There were probably close to three hundred people there! Everyone brought soup, chili, or breadsticks to share and there were games for the kids. Here are pictures of Jefferson and Mathison in their costumes:


The party ended with sidewalk trick-or-treating and a costume parade. There were plenty of goodies for everyone; we think Mathison really enjoyed this cupcake!


A few days later, we celebrated the Halloween season yet again with a special FHE with my sisters Shawnee and Nicole, and Nicole's family. We met at the park and shared some pizza while the kids had a fun time on the playground.

Mathison and Cole
Krissia and Aunt Shawnee

The kids also had fun on the splash pad; I love that the weather is still warm enough to enjoy this activity :)


However, we think the water felt just a bit chilly as we were preparing to leave and the sun was going down - take a look at Cooper's expression:


After the park, we headed up to our house to carve some pumpkins and decorate cookies. Actually, I think that the fathers ended up doing most of the pumpkin carving :)

Here is a picture of Bronson and Shawnee frosting some cookies. I love how Cole's head is peeking out in the background!

Our Halloween fun ended last night with the actual trick-or-treating. I went out early with Mathison; although he's quite young, he knew what was going on because there had been trick-or-treating at the neighborhood party. However, Mathison didn't quite grasp the concept of waiting on the doorstep - he kept trying to run inside each house to get at the candy! But, he was really good at saying "Tricky Treat" each time someone opened the door :)