Rocket Scientist

We had the opportunity of attending the state Science Olympiad with Jefferson this weekend. We spent Saturday at Weber State University, supporting our son as he competed in three events.

Only one of Jefferson's three events allowed spectators: the "Eggonaut". It was so fun to watch him launch his homemade rocket! In building the rocket, Jefferson had strayed from the typical rocket design by adding some modifications of his own. He was anxious to see how it would compare to the others at a state level.

Here is the rocket being measured before launch:

Jefferson making some last minute adjustments (can I just add that he is a wizard with duct tape!)

Awaiting liftoff:

Jefferson's rocket was the only one in his launch group with a parachute that opened perfectly upon descent:

Jefferson seems pretty happy about the flight:

With his partner (Jeff was assigned a partner for state, but they just used the rocket Jeff had built for region):

Out of the rockets we saw in our group, Jefferson's flew the highest. His also took the longest in descending; most of the rockets were crashing down after 2 or 3 seconds, while his clocked in around 14 seconds. And most importantly, the egg "passenger" remained intact :)

We thought he had a pretty good shot at a medal, but there was some stiff competition. Jefferson was also competing against 8th and 9th graders, most of them representing private schools that specialize in math and science.

Finally, it was time for the awards ceremony. Jefferson looked a little nervous while waiting for his category to be announced:

Finally, they got to the Eggonaut category. When it was all said and done, we had a gold medalist on our hands!!

That's right...Jefferson took FIRST PLACE! Not only did he win, but they believe he set a new state record with his "modified" rocket! He was awarded $100 cash, a $200 scholarship to WSU, and the opportunity to represent Utah at the national competition held in Chicago this May.

Way to go, Jefferson - we are so proud of you!

Knock on Wood

Krissia has actually made it through nearly three weeks of track practice without sustaining any major injuries.

Yay!

Last year, it was a torn ligament after only two weeks of running. The year before that, a broken elbow on the third day of practice while trying hurdles for the first time.

We hope this healthy streak continues, as Krissia performed extremely well in her first track meet last weekend. She ran the 800, coming in third out of 45 girls from 12 schools.

So, here's to a great, injury-free season!

Knock on wood :)

Angles Challenge

I'm being brave and entering the i heart faces website challenge two weeks running!

This week, the topic is angles.

I decided to enter this photo taken of our youngest this past Halloween. We were attending a neighborhood party, when I noticed our toddler had disappeared. I discovered him hiding behind a wall, finishing a chocolate cupcake he had found who knows where:

Those big innocent eyes and evidence smeared all over his face were just too hard to resist; I had to capture that moment!

To view other fun "angle" photos, just click HERE.

Where Did It Go?

I am one of those women who lose a little from their chest size after each child. Although I wasn't overly big to begin with, I still have enough to wear a "B" cup. The gradual move from a snug fit to a looser one in this size hasn't been all that concerning to me.

At least, not until a remark made by Mathison a few days ago.

Now, I'm wondering just how much I rely on support and padding to give me a feminine shape.

Everyone had left for school/work and Mathison and I were lounging around on the couch in our pajamas. I was wearing flannel pants with an extra large T-shirt, and no bra. Mathison climbed onto my lap, gave me a puzzled look, and asked, "Mom, where did your chest go?"

Good question.

Spring Break - Conclusion

And now, for the exciting conclusion of "Spring Break - Beatty Style."

Before I begin, I just realized that I have no pictures of Bronson from our second day of vacation because he was wandering around and doing his own thing that day. So, I decided to throw in this picture of Bronson taken at the arcade the day before:

Anyway, we began our second day with a morning swim. The weather was much nicer, and we found a smaller, well-heated pool next to our building. Mathison is usually quite hesitant in the water, but became more daring towards the end of our swim by putting his face in the water and floating on his back with help. It was so much fun!

DEl and Krissia decided to do a little sunbathing afterwards....and Mathison just had to join in :)

After our morning dip, we cleaned up and checked out of our condo. Everyone was starving by then, so we found a lunch buffet. It was very yummy!

Afterwards, we met up with my sister Leesha and her two children at an outdoor mall. There is a really fun park and playground area in the middle of the complex, so we were able to let the younger kids play while the older ones did a little shopping. We had a lot of fun, as you can see in the following pictures:

Pausing for a quick picture in the maze.

Mathison and cousin Jaylee.

Having "tea" in a playhouse.

One cool dude.

Just the girls

Little Monkey

(Leesha's little boy Jett was also there, but he seemed to be playing in the other areas and didn't make it into any of the pictures.)

We left after about an hour, then drove home so DEl could make it to an evening college function in St. George. Although short, our mini vacation was very fun and we had a great time together!

Spring Break - Beatty Style, Part One

Last week was spring break in Washington County, and all of our children (preschool through college) had no school.

We had originally planned a trip to Phoenix to visit my sister Missy and her family. However, due to financial and time restraints, we found ourselves headed for an overnight trip to Las Vegas instead.

We packed many activities into our getaway. In fact, everyone was worn out by the time we drove home - especially this little guy:


Due to the plethora of pictures, I've decided to do this post as a two-part installment. Lucky you.

We began our trip with a stop in Mesquite for lunch and some bowling:

Mathison absolutely LOVES to bowl. We all rotated letting him bowl on our turn. Because Mathison was bowling, it was a good excuse to have the bumpers set up on our lane. As a result, some members of our family had their personal best scores :)

After we left Mesquite, we had some time to kill before we could check into our timeshare condo. We headed for the Buffalo Bill Casino at the Nevada State Line to ride the roller coaster. However, we had to make a quick pit stop just past Las Vegas:

While DEl and the older boys took their turn on the "Desperado" coaster, Krissia took Mathison on his own little ride. He thought he was so big - just look at that smile on his face:

When the boys returned, it was the girls' turn on Desperado. I think I screamed during the entire ride.

We hung out in the arcade for awhile playing air hockey and other games:

We checked into our condo about 4 p.m. and then headed for the pool. It was pretty chilly, so we hung out in the hot tub instead. After dinner, we watched the final selection of the top 12 for American Idol before DEl and the older kids headed for Fremont Street (famous for its many lights). Mathison was pretty tired by then, so he and I went to bed.

STAY TUNED FOR THE EXCITING CONCLUSION OF "SPRING BREAK - BEATTY STYLE" COMING SOON TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU.

All Bundled Up

The photography site "I Heart Faces" challenge for the week is "All Bundled Up". The theme is centered around cold and snowy weather.

Seeing as I live in the Southwest, this could have been a big problem. However, the judges are giving some creative license to those of us who don't live in snowy locations (thanks!).

The picture I'm submitting is one I took of my newborn niece a couple of weeks ago. My sister had the baby BUNDLED in the cutest hand-crocheted blanket and cap. She certainly could have braved the cold, snowy weather in style - provided that we'd had any :)


To view other entries, click here

Warmer Days

Spring has been a long time coming to St. George.

Ever since Christmas, the weather has been quite fickle. It's been stormy nearly every week, with only a day or two each week being sunny and wind free. We have yet to see weather in the 70's - something which normally has happened before now.

(Side note: For all of you living in higher altitudes, I probably sound like a big baby. However, I'm becoming acclimated to the warmer climate.)

Anyway, President's Day happened to be a warm, sunny one and we decided to celebrate by hiking in Snow Canyon. We had such a great time! Here are some pictures of our morning:

(Note: Krissia was gone, visiting a friend in Cedar City.)

Our boys:

All of the Beatty boys:

Me and my little buddy:

Mat decided to touch a cactus:

Fun on the trail:

Me and the boys:

Oldest and youngest:

Shadows:

PCR

Wondering what PCR is?

So was I yesterday morning. Mathison had walked over to where I was sitting on the couch, climbed up beside me, then thumped me on my breastbone quite forcefully. When I turned to look at him, he said hopefully, "Remember PCR, Mom?"

PCR? What in the heck was PCR and why was my son hitting me because of it?"

My confusion must have shown, because Mathison said, "You know Mom, PCR." He then put both hands on the top of my chest and began pushing while counting,"One, two, three, four..."

Everything suddenly clicked into place. Mathison was trying to perform CPR on me.

I'm still trying to figure out where he picked that one up from!

Cute Little Camryn

I've been wanting to try my hand at photographing a newborn, so I persuaded my sister Nicole to let me take some photos of her adorable six-week-old baby, Camryn.
Most newborns spend the majority of their time sleeping, so how hard could it be?

Yeah, right.

As you'll notice in the shots, Camryn is awake in nearly ALL of them. The few in which she appears to be sleeping were taken during a five minute "power nap". She is also quite an active little girl, so her mother and I were forced to be very creative :)

Despite being a wiggle worm, Camryn is very photogenic and I feel we were able to get some fun shots of her:









I really like the lighting, angles, and expressions in these shots:




Thanks for letting me shoot these pictures, Nicole!