Knights and Shadows

This has been a very busy week for Jefferson. First, we decided to have a late birthday party on Tuesday because Del and I were at Miss America last week on his actual birthday. Jefferson had been pushing for a medieval themed party, and I have to admit that I wasn't very excited about the idea; I was afraid that some of the boys might find it juvenile and tried to explain that to my son in a gentle way. But no, he was adamant - Jefferson had his mind set on a medieval birthday party complete with a "tournament of kings" (Jefferson never does anything halfway). So I swallowed my misgivings and we had a medieval birthday party........and it was GREAT! There were nine boys between the ages of 10-12 at our house for two hours. We began by letting each boy design his own flag, then Jefferson brought out the dressups and the kids had a fun time choosing clothes that represented their "country". The tournament consisted of an archery contest, a castle seige, sword fights, and jousting. I'm so glad I let Jefferson talk me into doing it - the kids seemed to really have a great time. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of the party to post - our camara is currently on the blink :(

This week was also the final week of "Shadowlands", a CEU theater production that Jefferson was cast in. Tuesday was the final night; I was very excited to watch the play as I had missed the entire first week of production because of our time at Miss America. "Shadowlands" is a beautifully written play that chronicles a three year period in the life of author and theologian C.S. Lewis (of Narnia fame) where he falls in love with an American divorcee who ends up dying of cancer. Jefferson was cast as Douglas, the woman's son. This was quite a different role from what Jefferson is used to playing - his preference is either musicals or comedies. Wow, did he rise to the occasion! In the pentultimate scene, Douglas is talking to C.S. Lewis and finally confronts his feelings about his mother's death. By the end of this touching scene, Jefferson was sobbing - along with all of the audience. I wanted to stand up and yell, "That's my son up there - isn't he great!" I settled for clapping instead :)

Did the Miss America Program's "Facelift" Succeed?

As many of you know, I spent the 2nd half of last week in Las Vegas watching the Miss America Pageant. I had a very relaxing time and was glad I could be there to support Jill Stevens, the current Miss Utah. She is a wonderful young woman who has been a great role model for the youth in our state. On the final night, Jill ended up as one of the top 16 finalists by winning "America's Choice", which made it an exciting night for those of us gathered to watch her.

Although I understand and respect the Miss America Organization's need and desire for change, I was greatly disappointed in the overall result of their efforts. What was once a classy production seemed amateurish, tasteless, and downright trashy in some aspects. Especially disturbing was the swimsuit portion of the competition. The combination of the "barely there" suits the organization encouraged the girls to wear, coupled with the grinding music and provocative poses most of the girls chose to use made me feel like I was watching a Victoria Secret's lingerie show, not a scholarship pageant. I also thought that the way they eliminated the girls was negative and humiliating, especially during the talent section. All of those girls deserved to perform their talent, especially Iowa - who actually won the overall talent and received a standing ovation from the audience on her preliminary talent night. I couldn't help but think that if this is the new direction the Miss America Pageant is taking, I hope that Krissia never chooses to participate. And this is coming from someone who once competed in and has heavily promoted this pageant system!

Don't get me wrong - there were some positive things I liked. It was fun having all the contestants on stage the entire time, and I know the girls appreciated the chance to cheer on their friends and feel like they were still part of the pageant even though they weren't finalists. The introduction in jeans helped the girls seem more casual and "real", and I felt that many of the girls' introductions allowed us to glimpse their true personalities. I love that the organization is pushing the "real and genuine" approach instead of "fake and rehearsed", although I feel the judges missed the boat as this year's winner and many of the finalists seemed like the typical pageant type.

However, I feel that many of the changes cheapened what once was a celebration of the intelligent, talented, well-rounded woman. I am going to make my feelings known to the Miss America Organization, and I encourage you to do the same if you experienced the same disappointment I have. Let's encourage this wonderful program to retain the class and respect it's always had amid the attempts to update and modernize its image.

11 Things I Like About Jefferson

Yesterday was Jefferson's 11th birthday, so I thought I would take a moment and list 11 things that make him special.

1. 1. He is a wonderful big brother to Mathison
2. 2. He has an incredible imagination
3. 3. He is a very fast runner
4. 4. He can always make me laugh
5. 5. He has a strong testimony of the gospel that he is willing to share
   6. He is a good helper
6. 7. He makes friends easily
7. 8. He is a natural leader
8. 9. He has deep dimples and long eyelashes
9. 10. He is tenderhearted
10. 11. He always remembers to hug me

Happy Birthday, Jefferson! You're a great kid, and we're so grateful to have you as part of our family :)

Science Champ, Swim Champ

The past weekend was a busy one for us as we were supporting our two oldest children in extracurricular activities. Friday was the Science Fair, which Bronson participated in as a member of the Science Methods class at Carbon High. He won a medal in his category and his project was named one of the top 10 Outstanding Projects from 120 entries. He will compete in March at a Regional Science Fair held in .....Cedar City! He's excited at this opportunity to see his friends again. Bronson's project is about improving the permeability of clay and the effect this would have in expanding arable regions throughout the world.

Saturday found us at the Region 8 Swimming Championships. Krissia's had an outstanding season as a freshman, but had a setback last month due to a knee injury (see December's blog "Bad Luck"). As a result, her times had fallen a bit and she was no longer ranked 1st in our region in the 50 Free and only had a slight edge in the 100 Back. Well, our little Krissia has quite a competitive nature (double whammy from both sides) and really rose to the occasion. Or, should I say, she blew everyone out of the water! She won the 50 Free by a full body length, setting a new personal record in this event and also took 1st in the backstroke with a near record-setting time. It was so fun to watch, but I had butterflies during both races. I think it's almost worse on one's nerves to watch one's child compete than it is to compete yourself! State Championships are coming up next weekend at BYU, and I'm sure that Krissia will be great!

D.A.R.E.ing to Speak Up

This incident was related to DEl by one of the college students involved. The student thought it was pretty cute.

Jefferson was recently cast in the play "Shadowlands" at CEU, set to open this week. He's had a pretty intense rehearsal schedule, giving him the chance to get to know the other cast members fairly well. Jefferson's really enjoyed his association with the college kids - except for one thing. Most of them smoke, and it really bothers him when they go outside during a break and light up. When he asked me about it, I told them that they are old enough to make that decision for themselves and reminded him that as members of the LDS faith, we are asked not to smoke. Jefferson said that some of the actors weren't LDS and wondered why they would smoke when it is so bad for your health. I replied that some people start smoking to lose weight, or to relax, or to look cool, but end up getting addicted and find it difficult to stop. That ended his questions, but I could tell he was still upset.

Apparently, things came to a head on Thursday because when it was break time and the guys were headed out for their smoke, Jefferson followed them out into the hall. Gathering his courage, he blurted,

"I really wish you guys wouldn't smoke because it's really bad for you and it's the wrong thing to do." He paused, then added, "I felt I had to say something because I'm a member of D.A.R.E. at school."

Yes, the college kids found it cute, but I was so proud of Jefferson when I heard that story! It must have been hard for him to approach those older students whom he idolized and risk offending them, yet he had the courage to stand up and speak out for what he believed in. I can think of times when I have failed to speak up for fear of criticism; next time when the opportunity arises, I am going to follow my son's example and "dare" to be heard.

A Good Sport

A few days ago, I received a phone call from Del. He was at Wal-Mart and wondered if I needed anything. I really appreciated his thoughtfulness; it had been a very busy morning and there were a few prescriptions that I needed to pick up before making the 2 hour drive to Vernal to watch Krissia in a swim meet. I mentioned the prescriptions and rattled off a few other items like milk and diapers. Suddenly, I mentally recalled a conversation I'd had with Krissia earlier that morning. Here was a great opportunity to see how sincere my husband's offer was and put him on the spot at the same time!

"Well," I said, "There is one more thing. Krissia mentioned this morning that she needed some tampons and pads."

Silence, then a small groan. To his credit, Del pulled himself together and said, "That's pretty embarrassing, but I'll do it. Only, you'll have to tell me what she needs because I have no idea what to buy."

So we spent the next few minutes while he was standing in the feminine hygiene isle discussing what brand to buy, the different types of absorbancies, and the importance of getting a thin maxi instead of a bulky one and whether or not they had wings. I can just imagine what it must have looked and sounded like for any customer that might have been walking by!

Later at the swim meet, Krissia asked if I'd been able to make it to the store. I told her no, but that I'd had Del pick up what she needed. She got a big smile on her face and laughed, giving me a "thumbs up" sign. With a husband who is constantly teasing me, it felt great to put him in the hot seat for once. I'm just glad he was such a good sport about it!

The Wonderful World of Spit

I'm constantly amazed at the endless ways Mathison finds to play with his spit. There's the classic "let it run down the chin onto the shirt" approach, the "blowing bubbles" technique, and, of course, the favorite "spray it all out into someone else's face with a giant raspberry" maneuver. And if these activities grow boring, one can always see how long a string of spit can dangle from a lip before hitting the floor or a toy. Mathison has recently discovered that if he lets his saliva pool in his mouth, he can have fun a) slurping it all up and in as you would with a straw or b) gargling it. So all I can say as I finish wiping up another puddle of saliva is - ah, the wonders of spit!

Picture Perfect

With all of my kids, I've had 3 professional pictures taken of them during their first year: one at 3-4 mos, one at 8-9 months, and one around 12 mos. So, Mathison has been overdue for his one-year-old picture. His 9 mos. picture was taken at Kiddie Kandids, and all of the poses were so cute that I spent more money than I should have on a deluxe package (we still have tons of pics left over). I decided to be economically minded this time and scheduled a photo shoot at our local Wal-Mart. They have a $5.99 special going on, and I promised myself that I would stick with that package and not buy any extra photos. After several tries, we finally got a decent shot of Mathison - but in order to get the special, the photographer had to take additional photos. Well, my artistic side soon got the better of me and I got caught up in choosing the different backgrounds, props, etc. Then, my perfectionist side took over and I insisted that each shot be perfect - no stray hairs, bunching shirts, or looking off to the side. After several re-takes, I came to my senses; why was I obsessing about getting "perfect" takes of these extra photos if I wasn't planning to buy them? I took one look at the frustrated photographer and the impatient customers waiting their turn and decided that I'd better buy some additional pictures in order to save face. After all was said and done, I'd spent just as much money and far more time than I did at Kiddie Kandids - and I'm sure I'll have just as many extra pictures lying around collecting dust!

Remembering Kenna

I have to admit, I've had a hard time with this post. I don't want it to become a sob story; although we didn't get the happy end we were hoping for, our lives were extremely blessed and positively impacted by this experience.

Exactly 2 years ago yesterday, our family had the privilege of welcoming a very special foster child into our home. We called her "Kenna." For a very long time, our family had been wanting another child to join us and Kenna seemed to be the perfect fit. Bronson and Jefferson had a little one they could tease and play with, Krissia finally had the sister she'd been longing for, Del had another girl he could spoil, and I had a baby I could cuddle in my waiting arms. The possibility of adopting her was very thrilling for us.

Kenna came with some special issues due to meth exposure, but her determination helped her overcome many of these problems during her time with us. What a wonder it was to witness her transformation and realize that each one of us has so much potential waiting to surface, if only we are surround by a loving network of support! Kenna's resiliency constantly amazed us and inspired each member of our family to become a better person.

Although unable to express even her most basic needs when we first got her (due to neglect), Kenna was an extremely bright little girl. She had an exceptional memory, and memorized the actions to songs like "Pat-a-Cake" after doing it only once. She was fascinating by books and loved to turn the pages and could point at pictures by request. It didn't take us long to cherish her incredible smile framed by luscious lips and deep dimples. This smile would also make her eyes sparkle, transforming her entire face.

Some of my favorite memories of Kenna include watching her dance and march around to music, listening to her "tattle" on other members of the family, seeing her delightful smile followed by her head-to-toe belly laugh, the times we spent swimming, and especially watching her interact with Krissia. The two of them formed a very close relationship, and I know that neither will forget her "special" sister anytime soon.

When we learned we had to say goodbye to this wonderful little girl, it was almost more than our family could bear. Kenna had carved out such an important place in our hearts, one that still aches today. Yet, if we could, we would choose to do it all over again - even knowing that we would ultimately lose her in the end. Our family is so much closer, stronger, and more compassionate for this experience and we are forever grateful for the privilege we've had of getting to know, help, and love this remarkable little girl.

We miss you so much, Kenna! We love you and pray everyday for your happiness and well being.

TAGGED!

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags at least 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog

10 Years Ago: I was living in Cedar City, struggling to keep up with 3 young children while my husband got to travel the world with "Acclamation."

5 Things on Today's To-Do List:
1. Make invitations for Primary Inservice
2. Attend play group with Mathison
3. Make homemade stew in the crockpot
4. Go to the gym
5. Take a nap with Mathison, as we were "nighttime buddies" last night

Snacks I Enjoy: Popcorn, hot chocolate, homemade chocolate chip cookies

Things I Would do if I Suddenly Became a Billionaire:
1. Tour Italy and Greece
2. Buy a small island
3. Create a publishing company
4. World peace :)

3 Bad Habits:
1. Sometimes cheating at games
2. Losing my temper (although this is improving!)
3. Silently swearing sometimes during #2

5 Places I've Lived:
1. LaVerkin, Utah
2. Beatty, Nevada (this is NOT a typo)
3. West Jordan, Utah
4. Cedar City, Utah
5. Price, Utah

5 Jobs I've Had:
1. Cashier
2. Waitress at Marie Calendar's
3. Receptionist at Nutrisystem
4. Preschool teacher
5. Admissions Officer for Cross Creek Programs

5 Things People Don't Know About Me:
1. I once dressed as a prostitute to help a friend ask out a guy for preference. Before the night was over, there were 3 cars circling the block.
2. I hate to go food shopping. I put it off for as long as possible which makes it an even longer and harder process.
3. I would like to see a tornado up close and personal.
4. I have never had a broken bone or stitches.
5. I had never had a speeding ticket in my life until last Novevember, when some unsympathetic cop in Price pulled me over. I later learned that he lives 3 houses up from me.

I TAG NICOLE, MISSY, AND LEESHA

Look Who's Walking!

Well, the time has finally arrived when I can announce that Mathison is an official "toddler" - that is, he's begun to use walking as his preferred means of getting around! He'd actually taken his first steps just prior to Christmas vacation and was getting pretty close to walking around New Year's but was just a little to scared to make it happen. However, he's seemed to have conquered that fear and can now walk up to 30 feet without falling, although he still resorts to crawling when he wants to reach something quickly. We're so proud of him - and he knows it! He'll get this smug look on his face as he prepare to start walking and loves to show off his new skill when visitors are around. This important milestone is an even sweeter one for us because of the struggle he's been through having been born with clubfeet. I am so thankful for modern medicine and that we live in a country where medical intervention is available for nearly everybody; it certainly has enabled us to experience this special miracle.

A Military Blunder

Isn't it nice to know that in a world where kids grow cynical and sarcastic at increasingly early ages, my fifth grader is still naive enough to make an occasional word mix up.

Many of you know that Jefferson is absolutely crazy about the army and has been since his preschool years. He is our resident expert on any military subject and often corrects us concerning battles, ranks, etc. This makes the following story even better.

About a week before Christmas, I was doing the dishes when Jefferson wandered into the kitchen, holding a couple of military figurines - or what he likes to call "army guys". He sat down and proceeded to tell me about the special tactics of each one; I was only half listening until something about the last guy's description caught my attention.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"This army guy is my favorite because he is the most lethal. He's had special training - see, he's wearing a green toupee."

I couldn't help it - I busted a gut laughing out loud. When I finally caught my breath, I described the difference between a toupee and beret. Although a little embarrassed, Jefferson thought the idea of trained military specialists running around wearing green hairpieces was pretty hilarious!

THE BEATTY'S TOP 10 MEMORABLE MOMENTS 2007

At first I toyed around with publishing my New Year's resolutions on my blog but quickly vetoed that idea. Instead, I came up with a list of our family's top 10 most memorable events for 2007. Here they are, not in any particular order of importance:

1. Having our home in Cedar City catch fire

2. Jefferson making it through the year with only a handful of doctor visits and no IV antibiotics

3. Watching Jill Stevens (Miss SUU 2006) win Miss Utah

4. Leaving our hometown of 16 years and moving to Price, Utah

5. Watching Mathison fall down a flight of 16 cement steps and escaping with only a few bruises

6. Having two foster children in our home

7. Watching Krissia set a school record 3x in the 100 Backstroke as a Freshman

8. Del's cancer scare - doctors thought he had melanoma, it turned out to be a removeable skin sarcoma

9. Celebrating Bronson's 16th birthday and realizing that we really are old enough to have a child who can date and drive

10. The times we were able to visit with Kenna

We wish you only the very best "memorable moments" for 2008!