What a Weekend!

First, I have to apologize. Does it make me a terrible blogger or break some unwritten rule to highlight two of my kids in the same post? I did it last week, and now I'm doing it again. With our crazy schedules and lack of internet, I figured it has to be this way for now or not at all :)

Jefferson turned 12 last Thursday....wow, I can't believe it!

Poor kid, we had to put off celebrating for a few days because of Region swimming.He was very understanding, though; I guess it shows that he is truly beginning to grow up.

However, the delayed celebration meant that Jefferson had an awesome Saturday. First, he was interviewed by the bishop at 8:15 a.m. and then ordained a Deacon by DEl so he could attend a youth temple trip later that morning. Grandpa Beatty was able to come and take part in the ordination. Here is Jefferson a few minutes before we left for the church:

He looks so happy, and I believe he really enjoyed being able to perform baptisms for the dead so soon after turning 12. Especially since Bronson and Krissia were also there.

After the kids returned home, we held our family party for Jefferson complete with a cake and presents. A few hours later, it was time for the friends' party. This will be the last year Jefferson gets to have a birthday party, so we decided to go all-out and hold it at a place called Jumpin' Jacks. They have all sorts of indoor inflatable bounce houses and slides; the perfect place to host 12 excited, energetic boys! It was a little pricey, but I can say it was definitely the easiest, less stressful party I have ever planned :)


As I mentioned above, Region Swimming Championships were held last Thursday and Friday in Cedar City. There were so many great accomplishments for the Desert Hills girls' team! Perhaps the most exciting one of all was that Desert Hills took Region, upsetting Cedar's 24 YEAR RUN. Krissia's 200 Meter Freestyle relay team took first and shaved another second off of their time, putting them into top contention in this event for state. And to top it all off, Krissia took 1.5 seconds off of her backstroke, swimming it in an incredible 1:02.97. This means she is now RANKED NUMBER ONE in this event statewide! To say that the meet was exciting is an understatement :) We had many family members show up to support Krissia on Friday - Uncle Rick and Aunt Kelli, Talease and Grandma Beatty, Uncle Eric and Aunt Nicole (and family), and Uncle Tyson and Aunt Shawnee. Thanks so much, guys!

Here is a picture of Krissia sporting her newest hardware of 4 gold medals:


State will be held at BYU next weekend, and we can't wait to see what our "mermaid" will do :)

Stellar Debator, Super Speller

Sorry for the brief absence of blogs. It's not as if we've had nothing to report; on the contrary, things have been really hectic this week! Also, our computer broke down a few days ago....I'm using my mother-in-law's to make this post :)


Debate season for Desert Hills High School began the first part of January. Bronson has been looking forward to this opportunity of showcasing his debate skills, and he proved that he can still sway the judges. Bronson debated in his first meet last weekend, where he was one of only two debaters who went undefeated in all four rounds. Bronson's efforts earned him another medal to add to his collection, and he's looking forward to his upcoming debates.

Now, for our next star:

Okay, I don't know that this next story showcases any special talent Mathison has, but it sure was cute!

I had pulled into Wal-Mart last week, with Mathison tagging along in the back seat. As I was looking for a place to park, I could hear Mathison reciting the letters written on the storefront.

"W-A-L-M-A-R-T spells......shopping!" Mathison declared happily as I turned off the van.

I guess for this Beatty family, it does :)

Anatomy of a Swim Meet

Krissia participated in her last home meet of the season over the weekend. Now, many of you might attribute her successful season to hard work and determination. However, there are many other subtle strategies Krissia uses to stay on top of her game.

The "downward facing dog" yoga position helps her to relax:


Gathering "good vibes" from the universe enhances concentration:


Splashing as much water as possible so her opponents can't see:



Pausing for a moment of silence:


Putting on her cyborg eye adds intimidation and strength:


Finding a group of friends that have the same fashion sense as she does:


Scaring the other team with garishly painted fingernails (If you zoom in, you'll see the guy who is totally picking his nose in the background):


These strategies must have worked; Desert Hills beat Judge Memorial High School, who are CURRENTLY RANKED FIRST IN 3A SWIMMING! Krissia's relay team also took 5 seconds off their time, posting the second fastest time statewide this season. We are really looking forward to Region this weekend :)

Sign Me Up

In professional basketball, there's the NBA and WNBA.

How about adding the OWNBA?

The "Old Women's National Basketball Association".

Last night, I played my first game of "real" basketball in at least eight years as part of a women's church league. As the game progressed, it all began coming back to me. I dribbled. I passed. I rebounded. I scored. I stole a couple of passes. I even took a charge. I wasn't the star of the game, but I certainly didn't embarrass myself (my biggest fear before the game began).

So, if the OWNBA ever materializes, sign me up.

Based on the way I'm hobbling about today, it might need to be the wheelchair division :)

Five Dollars

Have you ever wondered what five dollars looks like to a toddler?

It might look something like this:


At least, those were Mathison's thoughts when he discovered these coins while rummaging through DEl's travel bag a few days ago. He excitedly showed me the money while exclaiming:

"Oh my gosh....FIVE DOLLARS!"

Just Keep Swimming

For those of you who don't recognize the title, it's from one of my favorite Disney movies, Finding Nemo.

It's the new motto around our house as Krissia prepares for Region on Jan. 22nd-23rd, then State on Feb. 5th & 6th.

Krissia continues to tear things up in the pool, doing extremely well this week at her team's two swim meets.

It's been an exciting season, but our family is looking forward to saying goodbye to the 5 a.m. swimming practices!

Owies

When you have kids, injuries are a part of life.

Luckily, our family is not very accident prone, so we don't have to deal with them too often (well maybe only when Krissia is on a streak!). However, we've had a couple of big ones the past few weeks.

First, Jefferson thought he'd do a little sledding while visiting his friend in Price. However, he failed to watch out for the ditch:

Luckily he didn't need stitches, although he ended up with a black eye. He was also wearing his glasses; they are now in the bottom of some snowbank and probably won't be found until spring :(

Next is Mathison. Last month, the doctor discovered that the tendons in his right foot are starting to relapse into their clubfoot state and recommended manipulation and recasting as treatment. We traveled up to Primary Children's Hospital on Tuesday to have it done:

It even comes with a little walking shoe! Mathison has adjusted to the cast quite well, although Tuesday night he became very upset and kept waking up all night crying because he wanted the "special shoe" off. We travel up to Salt Lake City again in a week to get his foot repositioned and a second cast on. Hopefully, this treatment will be all that's needed to correct the problem for now.

A Taste of Things to Come

As school resumes tomorrow, I have to admit that I'm happy to return to our regular schedule.

This has been somewhat of a different holiday for me. Starting the day after Christmas, the three older kids were gone for several days. Krissia spent a week in Price, while Jefferson spent 4 days there. Bronson spent a couple of nights in Cedar City with a friend before heading to Provo overnight for a church activity.

When people ask how my holidays were, I have to reply "quiet and lonely". I really struggled with having most of my children absent for such a long period of time.

Yet, with Bronson graduating this year, it won't be long before my birds start leaving their nest. Before I know it, our oldest three children will be gone.

Thank goodness we have this little guy to spare us from becoming "empty nesters" at too early of an age:

I just hope that he likes his parents, because it's going to be just the three of us for a very long time!