Merry Christmas to All!

Here is a copy of the card we're mailing out soon:



Merry Christmas from the Beatty Bunch :)

A Wonder in the Water

Swimming season is about halfway over, and our swimmer is doing GREAT!

Besides setting several new PR's (personal records), Krissia recently set a new Region 9 record in the 50 Free in a time of 25.27. That's pretty fast, if you're wondering.

The team gets a two week break from meets during the holidays, but they will still be practicing hard. On the 7th and 8th of January is the Desert Hills Invitational held at the Washington Rec Center, the following week's meet is at home against Judge Memorial (a 3A powerhouse), with the regular season concluding January 22nd with Region at SUU. Two weeks after that, it's state at BYU.

For those of you who haven't had a chance to see Krissia swim yet this season...time is running out. I'd be happy to give you more details; I know Krissia would love the support :)

The Naughty List

Mathison has probably watched the "Dora" Christmas special at least five or six times in the past two weeks; the episode is about Swiper the fox and how he is placed on Santa's naughty list. After watching it again this morning, Mathison turned to me and said,

"I'm sorry, Mom."

"What are you sorry about?" I asked.

"I'm sorry that I'm going to be on the naughty list," he replied.

I don't know about Santa, but Mathison has sure been on MY naughty list the past few days. Here are just a few of the things he's been up to:

*Unwrapping one of his Christmas presents from under the tree
*Using his finger to write "Mathison" in the icing of our cake
*Yelling at his preschool teacher, yelling at his siblings, yelling at me...
*Taking off his clothes and running naked around the house
*Breaking a glass flower vase (granted, this was accidental, but it made a HUGE mess nonetheless)
*Talking about "stealing" Grandma's Legos

I don't know if it's the excitement of Christmas that's bringing out the monster in my little boy; whatever it is, I hope it passes soon!!!

Another Birthday Boy

Another member of the Beatty family celebrated their birthday recently.

That's right - DEl turned 44 on Tuesday.

Which means I get the opportunity to post my "top 10" list of things I adore about him!

The following are in no particular order:

1. His big, beautiful baby blues!

2. His wonderful musical talents; he still makes me melt when he sings!

3. His competitive spirit.

4. His ability to bring out greatness in others.

5. His firm testimony of the gospel.

6. His zest for life.

7. His leadership abilities.

8. His firm, sexy backside :)

9. His love for his family.

10. His desire to serve others.

There are other traits I could mention, but these are what stand out to me. Happy Birthday to wonderful man, friend, father, and husband!

(DEl will probably kill me for posting this picture that Mathison took of him on our Disneyland trip, but I thought it was goofy and sweet)

Beach Bums

A few hours after my last post, we drove to California. It was so much fun! We had a wedding to attend Saturday evening, but earlier on in the day we loaded up the kids and took them to the beach:




They had a great time running from the waves:

And gathering seashells:

A few months ago, someone asked Mathison where his favorite place to visit was. He thought for a minute before replying "The beach." We thought it was hilarious because he'd never been to the beach before! However, on this trip it soon became clear that he absolutely LOVES the beach. In fact, he got quite upset when we stopped him to take this picture: We'll have to take him back soon when it's warm so he can actually play in the waves :)


Portraits of the kids at the beach:




There are no pictures of us at the wedding reception; however, the following two days were spent at Disneyland and I took PLENTY of pictures there! More on that to follow soon :)

A Bit of This and That

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We spent a very nice day with DEl's family by eating a wonderful dinner, playing games, and viewing the newest Harry Potter movie.

We've had a lot going on this past week; here is a quick review with pictures:

Celebrating Mathison's birthday:

Trying a new, very short hairstyle:

Meeting up with Santa:

The production of "Hello Dolly":

When I check back in a couple of days, we should have some fun news and pictures to share :)

Birthday Boy

My Dear Little Mathison,

Yesterday was your fourth birthday; my, how you are growing up!


Although you view yourself as quite the "big boy", I hope it's okay that you'll always be MY baby :)

We waited such a long time for you to join our family - ten years. When we learned you were coming, we wondered how you would look and what your personality would be like.

With your blond hair and big, blue eyes, you certainly look like a little angel:

However, it didn't take long for us to discover your mischievous side:Yes, you certainly keep us on our toes!

I love the age you are at right now, it seems you always view the world through eyes filled with wonder:

You are constantly on the go; you'd spend all day outside if you could:

You have a cute little sense of humor that keeps us all in stitches:
I love that you fill my day with laughter.

And I love those rare, quiet moments when you stop to take in the world around you:

Each day with you is filled with surprises as you live life to the fullest:

I am so happy you are part of our family, and I can't wait to discover what the next year will bring!

I love you so much!

Mom

Growing UP

Jefferson was a little frustrated at the beginning of the school year because it seemed that all of his friends had shot up in height over the summer, while he remained about the same.

Well, that's changed; Jefferson has grown about an inch in the last month and doesn't show signs of slowing down any time soon.

And now it's my turn to be frustrated as several pairs of brand new pants we bought him just a few months ago no longer fit.

Sigh.

In other news, Hello Dolly opens this week. You can catch it Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. at Desert Hills High School. And in case one of those days/times doesn't work, there's a Saturday matinee as well. The closing night is next Monday at 7. Jefferson has really enjoyed being part of this production, but I believe he's ready to have some of his "free" time back :)

Makes Me Laugh

Does anyone out there have a can of "prinkles" on hand?

In case you're wondering, I'm talking about Pringles - which Mathison calls "prinkles". Here are a few other cute mix-ups of his:

"Dark Blader" (hint: he's the villian of Star Wars)

"Froot Loops" (This one doesn't appear to be a mistake, but this is what Mathison sings everytime he hears the song Footloose)

Some of the funniest things to come out of Mathison's mouth is when he decides to quote something from the Spongebob cartoons. For example, the other night he and I were discussing something he'd gotten in trouble for earlier in the day. I must have looked stern and unhappy, because Mat took one look at my face and quipped, "Mom, it looks like someone is NOT in the holiday spirit!"

Another funny Spongebob moment came yesterday when our little guy was taking a shower. I'd asked him to wash himself off, and he grabbed a washcloth and went to work. A short time later, I poked my head in to find Mathison scrubbing under his arms. He looked at me and exclaimed, "No more frozen armpits!" Later on in the day, he was working on something and told me, "Look Mom - it works like a charm!"

Perhaps one of the funniest things Mathison has recently said is something he came up with on his own. About a week ago, I was getting ready for my night class when I noticed Mathison was hiding and looking uncomfortable. Although he his potty trained, he still doesn't like to poop and holds it in as long as possible, and I could tell that's what was happening. As I left, I asked Krissia to keep an eye on him and encourage him to go in the toilet. A short while later, Krissia could tell Mat was ready, so she took him into the bathroom. After settling him on the toilet, Krissia prepared to wait.

Mathison got a little upset and wanted her to get out of the bathroom. Krissia refused; there have been times he's gotten off of the toilet before being wiped and she wanted to prevent that from happening. Krissia explained to her little brother that she would be staying in the bathroom so she could help him when he was finished.

"Okay," Mathison conceded, "but you might want to sit down - it's gonna be a LONG night!"

How grateful I am to have a little one in the house who makes me laugh on such a regular basis :)

Greg Fernley

No, Greg Fernley is not the name of a celebrity.

Nor is he Krissia's new boyfriend.

Greg Fernley is the name of a HUGE swimming invitational that is sponsored annually by Snow Canyon High School. And when I use the word "huge," I'm not exaggerating. There were over 900 swimmers at the meet.

There were a handful of 3A schools, with the majority of schools representing 4A and 5A powerhouses. Needless to say, the competition was very fierce.

And how well did Miss Kriss do? She won two individual bronze medals - one in the 50 free, the other in the 100 back. The girls who beat her in those races were all from 5A schools, and the races were very close.

We are so proud of our swimmer, and look forward to a successful swimming season :)

Swimming the freestyle:


Competing in backstroke:

A Slight Change of Plans

A few days ago I posted about the costumes our family wore to the neighborhood Halloween party.

Between then and Halloween, two family members changed their costumes.

Instead of a blond little Chinese fellow, we had the amazing:
SPIDERMAN!!

This is what Mathison originally wanted to wear for the party; this costume is on loan and we hadn't gotten it yet.

As for the second switch, Krissia decided on:

An Avatar.

When the movie first came out, several people commented that the avatar princess reminded them of Krissia. She decided to play up this resemblance; I think she looked great! Krissia was in charge of passing out candy at our house between 6 and 7 p.m., and several trick or treaters who came to our door during that time asked to get their picture taken with her.

Here's a closeup which offers a better look at the detail:
Krissia used blue craft paint on her skin, and although she showered thoroughly last night, she still looked a little aqua this morning at church :) The preparation that took the longest, though, was her hair. It takes a while to section and plait that many braids! It paid off; Krissia won first place last night for "Best Costume" at the Dixie College Halloween Howl. Everyone called her "Avatar Girl".

If there's ever a sequel to the movie, maybe she should audition for a part :)

Got Some Catchin' Up to Do.....

Things have been a little crazy at the Beatty household!

I have a few pictures to share, but first I'd like to do a quick recap of what's been going on with our family:

Del survived Homecoming week with his sanity intact :) He's also been away a lot recently, attending several college conferences.

We don't see Bronson often, but hear that he is doing well in his classes. He's also applied for an assistant manager position at Iceburg.

Krissia had her first swim meet yesterday, and competed last week in the Miss Teen Utah USA pageant (photos for this will be in next post).

Jefferson is the Deacon quorum president and is busy with scouts, ballroom dancing, and the preparation for "Hello Dolly."

Mathison is taking gymnastics and absolutely LOVES it. He also switched preschool classes last week.

As for myself...sometimes I wonder what the heck I was thinking of when I decided to return to school! It certainly has made my life hectic, but I'm finally starting to relax and enjoy my classes. It's a little hard sometimes to find the time to study, but I got a 94% on my last statistics test - so I must be doing something right! Also, the clinicals for my CNA class begin tomorrow. For the next four Saturdays, I will be spending the afternoons and evenings at a local residential home for the elderly, getting hands-on experience with caring for older patients.

Okay, on to the pictures. What do a cowgirl, newsie, crusader, and Chinese guy have in common?

Answer:These are our Halloween costumes for this year! Our neighborhood hosts an annual chili dinner/Halloween party, and this picture was taken just before we went.

Del brought back this little outfit from China; isn't it adorable?The hair and eyes are the wrong color, but I think Mat looks so cute anyway!


Krissia with her good friend, Makail:Almost everyone - including teenagers and adults - was dressed up for this party. We even had four men from our ward in full Kiss regalia and makeup (sorry, no picture)!


Jefferson designed and sewed this costume BY HIMSELF:The strips of "chain mail" on his sleeves are pop tabs that he hooked together. Talk about creative!


Here is Mathison with his best friend, Kolu:When I see them together, it reminds me of salt and pepper because one is so fair, and the other is dark :) They love playing together!

I hope all of you enjoy a Happy Halloween!

The Funniest Joke Ever

As we were getting into the van the other day, Mathison came up with this joke:

Mathison: Knock Knock.

Mom: Who's there?

Mathison: Mathison.

Mom: Mathison who?

Mathison: Mathison Kerry Beatty!

He then proceeded to laugh for a good five minutes, he thought it was so funny :)

Now You See Them....

Now you see them...

...now you don't

Krissia had her braces removed on Wednesday.

The first things she ate were carrot sticks and Milk Duds.

I think she's pretty excited to have them off :)

Fall On Kolob Mountain

A Serious Case of TMI

As I posted recently, Mathison has been completely potty trained for a couple of months. For those of you who have tried potty training a child, you know that one way you encourage them to want to use the toilet is by letting him or her watch other family members while they are using the bathroom. You can also spark their interest by talking quite openly about bodily functions, and once they are using the toilet, you frequently ask them if they need to go "pee" or "poo".

Although Mathison's potty training is officially over, it appears that he is still maintaining quite an interest in all things relating to waste elimination.

I have a young piano student I teach on Wednesdays, and he and I began his lesson yesterday with a short discussion of how his family was doing. Mathison had spent an hour at this student's house the night before, and I asked my student how things went.

"Fine, I guess," he answered before quickly mumbling something under his breath.

"What did you say? I missed that last part," I replied.

"Oh, I just said that Mathison said something really gross," my student responded.

I was a little concerned, so I pressed my student for the story. Apparently, Mathison had followed him to the bathroom and REALLY wanted to accompany him inside. When the student said "no", Mathison asked why. The student told him that he was going poo, and that it would be really stinky in there. Mathison told this boy that it was no problem, he'd been in the bathroom before when his mom and dad have gone poo.

Then, Mathison went on to elaborate.

"In fact, last time I saw my mom go poo, she had two really HUGE pieces that filled up the whole toilet!"

My poor student was beet red at this point, and I could tell my cheeks were also pretty rosy. I quickly explained that all little kids are quite interested in these types of things as they are learning to use the toilet, and that Mathison hadn't been potty trained for very long. This answer seemed to satisfy my piano student and we continued with the lesson.

However, he kept glancing sideways at me throughout the lesson, and I know what he was thinking of as he looked at his teacher.

Two really HUGE pieces.

It seems like it's time to relearn some behaviors, before everyone in the neighborhood is informed of my toileting habits!

Zion Pics

Things have been CRAZY around our house; I'm only now getting around to editing and posting our pics from our Labor Day trip to Zion.

You know what they say - better late than never :)

This post has a TON of pictures. However, I wanted to include as many as possible since Bronson was with us and we really don't get to see much of him anymore.

We hiked two trails. The first was the West Overlook Trail, located by the top entrance of the tunnel. To get to the trail head, you have to drive through the tunnel, which our kids really enjoyed. I had fun as well, as it's been several years since I've been through it.

Dad and the kids:
Mom and her brood:
The craziest thing happened; as we were crossing a bridge near an overhang, another hiker pointed out a mountain goat resting beneath it. The goat was literally right under our feet!
The Beatty kids at the beginning of our hike:
We also hiked the river trail. We brought our swimsuits so we could splash around.

No trip to the river is complete without a good stick:
I like the perspective in this photo:
Our oldest and youngest:
Believe me, the water was cold!
Bronson and Jefferson spent nearly the entire time playing in the mud:

Mat and Kris went exploring together; Mathison adores his older sister!
Del and two sons (I'm not sure where Jeff was):
Krissia found a scaly surprise when she headed back to gather her shirt:
We had a great time and feel blessed to live so close to such beautiful scenery!