Them Dam Beavers

Tumbling Allie

2011-08-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

In May Allie perfomed in her tumbling recital. She is getting better and better at gymnastics! Go Allie!

Singing in the Tabernacle

2011-06-06T19:54:00.001-07:00

On May 30, 2011 I had the opportunity of a lifetime! I am in a choir called EVMCO (Ease Valley Mormon Choral Organization) which is part of MCOA (Mormon Choral Organizations of America). We have a sister choir in Orange County. Our choir has 200 adult members and a full orchestra. We have a Sunbeam Choir, Children's Choir, Youth Choir, and Concert Choir. Being part of this choir has been a wonderful thing. It is the hardest thing I've ever done but one of the most rewarding things I've ever done because I love to sing. Our conductors are brothers, Brandon and Brett Stewart. They are unbelievably talented especially considering how young they are. Brett is a composer and has written an Oratorio for full orchestra, choir and 4 soloists that documents the visit of Jesus to the Nephites on the American continent. The music is so amazing and beautiful. It will definitely make its mark on the world.

Now that you have the background we had the opportunity to record and perform this beautiful work. Our recording will come out in the Fall and our performance was in the Tabernacle on Temple Square. It was such a fun thing to do. It was very demanding--I am still exhausted--but very worthwhile!! I am so thrilled to be part of this organization!!Allie came with me to Salt Lake and our first stop was visiting my high school friend and college roommate , Melonie Stauffer. Love her!! When we get together, we pick up right where we left off. We can talk for hours. Just ask Allie--she was bored to tears until........
Maggie picked her up and took her to my brother, Jimmy's house (also Maggie's dad!) Here is Maggie with Dazie. I must say they are all three beautiful. Ryker and Maddox were in the car but I didn't get a good pic. of them.

Our first day of recording. Here is Christie Godfrey--a very good friend and my car pool buddy to our rehearsals every Thurs. night. She has a beautiful soprano voice so I don't sit by her in the choir.

Ok. Here they are--our wonderful conductors. Brandon is on the left and Brett is on the right. Here they are taking a much needed rest. Can you believe how young they are?? They are so talented!!

Here is Jodi Reed. She is the one that told me about the choir. She grew up with the Stewart brothers. After we both joined the choir she moved to CA and sings in their choir. It was so great to see her!! She is such a wonderful person!

The Women getting seated for our first practice in the tabernacle!! It was so surreal!

The view from my seat!! Wahoo!!

Aletha, Becky and me!! These are my choir buddies--we sit next to each other and they keep me on my note!

After our rehearsal I met Sandy, Morgan and Michelle for lunch. They had just driven up from Idaho for my concert. Maggie dropped Allie off for me. We ate at a place called the Blue Lemon.

It was fabulous food but even better than the food was the company!!

Here is a pic of Allie in front of the Salt Lake Temple. I thought I had turned the picture but evidently I hadn't. Sorry!

My second attempt didn't work either but she is still cute to look at!

The conference center seating! It is massive-- or as Michelle would say "Huge" with a silent "H"="uge"!

Rocky, Michelle, Cindy and Allie waiting to go into the concert!

Jimmy and Sandy:)

Cindy, Allie, Angie (Rocky's wife), and Morgan.

After the concert I was on cloud 9! It was so great!! I also had to take a picture with all my fans! Michelle, my cousin, Cindy, and me.

Kevin and Cindy Andrews, me, my Aunt Joan and Uncle Spence. I bunked at Aunt Joan's house. She is my mom's sister and I just love being around her because I see my mom in her expressions.:)

Mel, Me, and Steph Cooley--BYU college roommates reunited! It was too much fun!!

Sandy, me and Morgan.

Michelle and me and if you look closely between our heads you'll see Sandy sneaking in the picture. We were trying to look sexy but I'm not pulling it off--I look more angry than sexy--I guess I'll have to work on that!

My last and favorite fan--Allie. It was a wonderful experience that strengthened my testimony and made me even more grateful for my Savior.

Last Day of School May 2011

2011-06-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

Allie at her 6th grade graduation.
Grant and his 1st grade teacher, Miss Waldie. We love Miss Waldie and will really miss her.

Davis and his best friend Grant Hansen. I can't believe another year has come and gone!

Locks of Love

2011-05-02T23:15:00.001-07:00

Allie has the thickest most gorgeous hair ever!! It has a natural wave to it that make it beautiful.
Her school, Highland Arts Elementary, recently had "Locks of Love" come in and give a free haircut and style to anyone that would donate 10 inches of hair. Allie decided she wanted to do it because it is for a great cause.

Besides--10 inches off of this head of hair still gives her shoulder length hair.

She had a support group cheering her on. Mylee (far left) was instrumental in getting Allie to make this decision.

Lauren and Taylor came to watch. Lauren was thrilled, while Taylor cried.

Seriously, they were part of the cheering section.Marking 10 inches. She could give 20 inches...

Get ready and....

SNIP!!

The worst part is that you'll have to wait for an after picture. My camera's batteries died right after I took this picture. Sad, huh? I can tell you she looks really cute!

Grant's Chipped Tooth

2011-05-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

In his youth Tye knocked his two front teeth out while riding (or I should say wrecking) his bike. We knew chances were high that one of our boys or girls would knock their teeth out. Thank goodness it it only chipped teeth. Sad that it is Grant's front teeth.

Happy that Tye is a dentist. Our kids found the pieces of his teeth and Tye bonded them back on. I guess time will tell if there is further damage. Grant was riding his electric scooter and hit his front teeth on the handle bars. He has a nasty bruise on the left side of his chin. You can kind of see it in the picture below.When he looked in the mirror he was sad that he looked like a vampire. Isn't that adorable. I told him he should be happy to look like a vampire--Edward Cullen is a vampire!!:):)

Beavers Family Newest Member

2011-05-02T22:55:00.001-07:00

Meet MoMo--Taylor's cat! She brought him home the first week in March. I can't believe Tye agreed to this considering he is allergic to cats. He seems to be doing okay with his allergies but.....
I think Taylor is allergic. She is in denial. He sure is cute, though!

Happy 19th Birthday Taylor!

2011-05-02T16:21:00.001-07:00

Our baby girl is 19!
Oops--I guess these pictures need to be switched!
Unless Taylor is magic!:)

She got this cute sweatshirt and a really cute watch that had 3 different bands she could change with the watch face. We love our Taylor!

Happy Easter!

2011-05-02T16:12:00.001-07:00

Hunting for Easter eggs we found some eggs opened by Ping and Brewser (our dogs).

They had a little Easter treat too!

Happy Easter!

Our Easter Egg!

2011-05-02T14:24:00.001-07:00

A few months ago Grant got in our laundry basket and put a second basket on top of him. He said, "Look mom, I'm an egg!" It was so cute I had to take a picture!
The prize inside the egg!

See his eyes peeking out!

He is adorable!

Coloring Easter Eggs

2011-05-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

The day before Easter we colored our hard boiled eggs!

Allie and Grant!

Davis!

Tay and Lauren!

Cute kids!

Lauren and Grant!

Allie's Dance Recital

2011-05-02T14:11:00.001-07:00

Allie and Cosette
Allie in one of her costumes--keeping her phone handy!

Taylor fixed her hair in a gorgeous style!

Cute Girls!

Happy 12th Birthday Allie

2011-05-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Our 12 year old!

Allie turned 12 this year--she is growing up too fast!! For her birthday she got her greatest wish--a phone of her own. She texts a mile a minute and loves keeping in contact with her friends!

She has always wanted a sweatshirt from Victoria Secrets.

Watching the tissue paper fly!

She wanted good waffles for her birthday!

Happy Birthday!!

Beavers Family Beach Portrait

2011-03-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break we went to CA to take pics on Laguna Beach with Steve Nissle. It was so much fun! He sent this slide show today and I couldn't resist showing off our kids--they are so cute!! One funny side note--we girls were not used to the weather and all of us except Allie had our hair fluffed and curled and looking fabulous but the more time we spent outside the flatter and straighter our hair became. Allie was the exception because she straightened her hair and it became curlier and fuller! They still looked great!! Why do we want what we don't have??!!

Snow Day!

2011-01-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

On January 1st we took a group up to the snow. We went to Happy Jack Lodge where they have some hills to sled down. It was so much fun but oh so cold!! Here are a few pics. of the event! Sara Wind and Ashley Connelly!

My Man! He didn't even have his gloves on and his hands didn't get cold! I call him my heater!!

Dave Hansen--his adorable wife, Amberlee, is the photographer.

Chandler Evans just missing Davis on his way down the hill.

Sara and her beau, Doug.

Lauren going down the hill--Doug is behind her.

Bryan Doolen going off the jump they made!

Chandler doing an awesome flip off the same jump.

Davis on his way up the hill.

Handsome Davis!

Ronda Doolen looking as gorgeous as ever!

Taylor, Sara, and Ashley........

The end of the trail.

The Doolen Boys--Davis and Grant love to play with Bowen and Bergen.

My sweet Grant was extremely cold!

Taylor after a great run!

Allie and Cosette Hansen loving life!

Cosette and Allie trekking up the hill.

Someone made a cute design in the snow.

What a great way to start 2011!!

We want to make it a family tradition--after we invest in some snow boots!!:)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I have made some resolutions, as I do every year and I would like to share them with you!

1. Lose Weight (my annual resolution:))

2. Keep this blog up to date!! I was a bit of a slacker in 2010.

3. Organize pictures and start getting caught up with my scrapbooking by making yearly books. I am taking a totally different approach to scrapbooking--we'll see how it pans out!

Those are my resolutions. Not too overwhelming and I have 365 days to accomplish them!

May your 2011 be productive, healthy and happy!

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T10:28:00.001-07:00

Our Halloween pumpkins this year--we carved a third pumpking--it was a the headless horseman and it looked really cool. Unfortunately, the pumpkin became rotten before Halloween!! It didn't make a pretty picture!
Allie was our Indian Princess! She looked adorable!

Taylor was a college student!

We were able to snap this photo before she rushed off to be with her friends!

Davis was a skeleton!

OHHH Scary!

Grant was a Matrix dude!

OHHH Scary!

Lauren was an 80s chick--hopefully pics will come later!!

It stinks when your kids don't want to hang out with you on Halloween!

Trampoline Fun!

2010-11-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather has cooled off, our kids love jumping on the trampoline! Even Tyrel jumps with them!

Even Brewser likes to jump!!

Cracking the egg!

Jumping is exhausting work! These are some cute kids!

Grant's Birthday

2010-08-13T14:19:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Grant!! He turned 7 on July 18!

I can't believe my baby is seven!

That makes me feel OLD!! His birthday cake had lego guys on it.

They were knights with swords and there was a little wagon with a lego horse.

It was really cute!

Here's a better picture.

The swords and shields sold me-- Because I knew he would love it!

Grant got a little scooter. It's been a little too hot to ride it a lot--hopefully he'll get to use it a little more when it cools down.

Daddy building the scooter with Grandma in the background!

Opening the scooter

He also received Lego Harry Potter! It was quite exciting!

Happy Birthday Grant!

Lake Powell!!

2010-07-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

We had a glorious vacation at Lake Powell the second week of July! We were invited by the Doolen Family. They are wonderful people. I am sharing some pics. with you--just a few out of 200+ pictures. Taylor wakeboarding!:)
Lauren Wake surfing!:)

More Lauren!

Our favorite of Lauren.:)

Taylor again--she was a natural!

This is our professional wakeboarder, Kelsey! She could do it all!! She is fearless!

This was my man!:)

This picture should have been before the last one!:)

He's going down!

Isn't he great!

Kelsey, Grant and Allie:)

The kids at Rainbow Bridge--one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It was incredible!

Rainbow Bridge. Grant said, "It looks like a rainbow." My boy has an eye for the obvious.:)

This is tubing behind the boat. Had to show you this wonderful cove where our houseboat (in the background) was beached. It was the perfect spot. Good job Bryan!

Lauren caught a catfish so we wanted her to hold it up for the camera! Fishing was fun with catfish, stripers, and small-mouth bass. We only kept the stripers.

We took the houseboat to the middle of the Lake and jumped off! Some brave souls, Brock, Kelsey, Ronda, and Bryan even jumped off of the awning to the top deck! Crazy! Go Taylor!

Building sand castles! I'm telling you--our spot was perfect!

Our favorite pasttime--cards! The game of Scum was fun! Me and Taylor are scum and second scum! Not a fun place to be!

Brock and Grant on the tube!

Tay and Lauren getting ready to jet ski!

We built a fire and did smores on the last night there! Yea for smores!

It was a wonderful relaxing week! Can't wait to go back!

Taylor Graduates!

2010-07-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

Finally I got Taylor's graduation pictures on our blog! Sorry for the delay!

Taylor shaking hands with the principal of Mountain View High School!

I loved the way Grant put on Tay's graduation cap!:)

Doesn't he just make you smile!

Taylor and Allie after the ceremony!

The three Beavers girls!

Taylor and Grant--and Lauren!

Proud parents!

Fire Power--Taylor with friends, Chandler and Sara!

More friends: Ashlee and Aspen!

So Cute!!

Taylor and Davis!

Tay and Lauren

It was a great ceremony with over 700 graduates! We are so proud of our girl!

Darn Scorpions!

2010-07-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

I used to be deathly afraid of spiders--now they don't even phase me! A new creature has taken first place in my list of things that make me scream--the dreaded scorpion!! They are just creepy and when they sting you it HURTS!! The most recent sting happened last night--to me!! It still hurts. Tye and I were laying in bed watching TV--on our stomachs, heads at the foot of the bed and all of a sudden a scorpion was watching TV with us--right next to me. I swear it dropped from the sky and landed on my arm. I quickly got off (after screaming, of course) and Tye pushed it toward me (thanks a lot). He actually pushed it off the bed on my side because it was heading toward the foot of our bed to go behind our chaise where we never would have found it!! He is my hero because he killed it quick.

So I spent a restless night because the pain doesn't lessen. It feels like a pin poking you rapidly in the same spot. AWFUL! This morning is a little better--it feels a little numb and sore--very tender. The first time I was stung in the shin. I was kneeling by Davis or Allie's bedside in the middle of the night and knelt on the blasted thing. Tye was out of town. Two things kept me awake that night--the pain and the thought of those things crawling around in my kids room!

Everyone in our family has been stung except for Tye and Lauren. Lucky things! Lauren almost got it a few nights ago as she was writing in her journal in bed. She was laying on her stomach and felt a tickle on her thigh. She thought it was her blanket until the tickle continued across her leg and she looked over her shoulder to see a scorpion crawling across the back of her thigh. She is lightning fast because it didn't have time to sting her. We heard her scream. We found it and it was not a little one. Poor Lauren. Usually when she finds one--if it doesn't sneak up on her--she tapes it to the floor. This allows her time to go get something to smash it. Like I said, she is lightning fast.

Taylor gets the award for most stings--three. She was walking down the hall and it got her toe. She was also laying in our bed and one got her in the toe. The last one got her in the finger--she was sitting on the floor. She is probably the toughest of all of us!

Grant was stung a few times on his back--he was about 3 years old, laying on the floor with no shirt. That one was a baby and I hear their sting hurts more. He didn't cry much, though. He is one tough cookie--maybe even Taylor tough!:)

I save the best, or should I say the worst, for last. Poor Davis. He was going outside to ride his bike and he was so excited. He put his shoes on and went out the door and immediately came back in. There was a scorpion in his shoe stinging his toe! I dont know how many times it got him but we got it out of the shoe--it was a big one--and killed it. It was awful!!

So this is our Scorpion Saga!! I hate them with a passion but I've come to the realization that they are here and we need to tolerate them. Thank goodness for the scorpion killer spray--the best thing EVER!!! Actually it runs a close second to microwaveable bacon. :):)

Taylor's Graduation Announcement

2010-05-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is Taylor's graduation announcement.

Using the beautiful pictures Nicole took, we made this announcement.

Just had to show you--isn't she beautiful!

May 27th baby!!

Senior Photo Shoot

2010-04-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

While Nicole was in town we had her take Taylor's senior pictures. Here are just a few to look at--it was really difficult to choose my favorites.

Taylor is so photogenic! She is so beautiful! I can't believe she is a senior!

Prom Pictures

2010-04-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

Nicole took the pictures for Taylor and J.D.'s prom group.
The pictures were taken at Las Sendas.

We can't let Tyrel see this one!

A great candid shot while the guys were waiting for the girls to get their pics. taken.

Beautiful Girls!

In Taylor and J.D.'s group were Sara Wind and Josh Cohen, Ashlee Connelley and Chandler and Evans.

Beautiful couple!

Taylor's 18th Birthday and Prom!!

2010-04-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

Taylor had her 18th birthday and Prom. What a great day!Her date was J. D. Bethea. When he arrived he put her corsage on!
Then she had the pleasure of puttin on his boutinere (I know I spelled this wrong!) She hates this part but she must be getting better because it took her one try! Wahoo!
Then off to Las Sendas to take pictures!

Allie's Family party!

2010-04-24T10:46:00.001-07:00

On Allie's birthday we had a family party. She got an American Girl doll. Grandma, Maggie, Tanner, Ryker, and Maddax were there. Allie wanted steak for dinner. YUM! Our American Girl!
Hey, whose doll is this, anyway???
Fun times!

Allie's 11th Birthday Party!

2010-04-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Allie turned 11 this year and wanted a "Dance Party". It was her golden birthday--she turned 11 on the 11th!!:) The cake was a hit with a "peace" theme. Decorated by yours truly--I was very proud of myself!
Allie's good friend, Claire, came to help her set up!

The party animals!! Allie asked them to dress in their Funkiest dance style. They were all so cute and every girl dressed up!!

During the party we had a dance competition and two different groups had to make up a dance and then perform it for the entire group. Lauren and her friends helped the girls with the moves. We had a strobe light and a disco ball upstairs. It was so much fun!!

Groovy, baby!!

Grant's Field Trip

2010-04-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

Grant's Kindergarten class had a field trip to the farm. That morning we had to find a hat and sunglasses for him. I had to take a picture--the sunglasses are mine. He would only wear them because I pointed out that they had red on them--we ignored the pink! Is he just adorable?? This boy has style!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

Easter was lots of fun! We hunted eggs that the Easter Bunny hid in our tiny backyard. There aren't many places to hide them so the hunt took about 10 minutes. The kids still had a great time. Taylor letting the younger ones find all the eggs!
Davis was intrigued by a spider.

Grant is waving to the spider.

Allie found one! They got these towel robes from the Easter Bunny.

The little ones couldn't reach this hiding spot. Lauren is even having trouble.

The hunt is on!

Ta Da!

The hunt is over! Time for a nap!

Say Yes to the Dress!

2010-04-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

Taylor got asked to Prom. She is going with J. D. Bethea. He is a really good friend. He asked her by getting two good friends to dress as Moses--one held a box of chocolates (the 10 commandments) and the other knelt with a bowl of rose petals. She was asked to part the Red Sea to find the name of the boy that wanted to ask her to Prom. After sifting through the rose petals, she found the name: Jay Dee--one letter per rose petal. It was really cute! She has yet to answer him but she has her dress. We went shopping on Saturday. Tye's sister, Nicole, and her daughter, Rachel, went with us. It was fun. We found some cute dresses but this was so BEAUTIFUL--especially with her fair skin and hair. She looks like a princess. Everyone in the store was staring at her. The best part is it comes with a shrug! YEAH! No searching for one of modifying the dress to make it modest. Wait till you see it on her--she is beautiful!

Sweet Boy!

2010-03-31T12:29:00.001-07:00

I have a chalkboard plate in my kitchen. We write the menu for the day or leave little messages for each other. My sweet boy, Grant, left this message for me..... Can you tell what it says? It reads:

"By Grant I 'heart' lisa".

Is that adorable? It just melted my heart!

When he proudly showed it to Tye he was appalled that Tye couldn't read his heart symbol.

(I love how the "t" on his name is written off to the side.)

Talk about making my day!:):)

It just makes you want to kiss his face--which he promptly wipes off!

Love this boy!

Knotts Berry Farm/Spring Break March 2010

2010-03-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Our favorite family vacation spot is Knotts Berry Farm! We love it. The park is small--we stay in the hotel next to the park. We always have a great time!

Here we are heading into the park for our first day of fun!

We even met some friends--The Hansens. They were in CA for Spring Break and we told them how much we enjoyed Knotts and they came. We only saw them twice--once on the way into the park--we were walking and they were driving--and here. I thought we'd see them more because the park wasn't busy. They had a great time--no lines is wonderful!
From L. to R. we have Neil, Cardon, Grant, Shauna and Van. Great family! Grant and Davis are in the same class at Highland Elementary. They are good friends. Allison, Brooke and Mike were there too but they didn't make it into the picture.

Daddy and Grant going into the Calico Mine! OOOOOOOO!!

A kind stranger took this pic. by the bumper cars. (Yes, Allie is almost as tall as Taylor and Lauren!)

We love to stay at the Knotts Berry Farm Resort because we can walk to the park. It is an extra treat to see Snoopy there. Grant really likes that! Taylor and Lauren refused to take a picture with him. Teenagers!

We went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. (The girls insisted!) We had fun cracking the crabs. I must say it is a lot of work to get your food--next time I'll get the burger!:)

Daddy and Grant--I guess Grant thinks pretending to eat makes a great picture.

Babes in bibs!

They have a playground outside of the restaurant. Grant had a great time becoming buried in the rocks. He loves rocks! He rocks!:)

Too cute!

All the kids went on the swings--Grant is finally tall enough! He was so excited. He loved this ride the first time. The second time he had a panicked look on his face throughout the ride and I asked him if he liked it and he said it was going to break. He must have heard a noise or something that scared him. He didn't ride it again.

In the air--only Allie is not visible.

Here we are on the Jaguar. One of our favorite rides. Grant is finally tall enough. They measured him every time and he was right at the line. We were so happy because he loves these type of rides. This was one of his favorites.

This surprised me--Taylor, Allie, Lauren, and Grant--yes, Grant rode this ride. You can't see him but he is next to Lauren.

Here they are in the air--now you know why it surprised me--he loved it and rode it again.

Davis and Tye are watching in amazement!! We all said "no, thank you" to this ride!

Two little bobsledders! Where is Grant's body?

This was my favorite ride. It was so scary--because of the height. It takes you really high--really high--then it drops. It is so fun--you are lifted right off of the seat. Only Allie, Lauren, and I rode it. The cute little girl next to Allie was talking to us the entire time and when we got to the top of the ride--right before it dropped--she said, "Look, I can see Knotts Berry FARaaaaaaaahhhhhh." It dropped before she could finish her sentence. It was cute!

This gives you an idea of how hight it is. I asked the guy working there if it was safe--this was right after he helped us get strapped in--he said, "Oh yes, it is sponsored by Toyota." There was a twinkle in his eye because Toyota is having all those problems with their gas pedals sticking. What a way to reassure a rider!!

The park closed at 6PM and on our second day there it was getting close to 6 and the girls and Davis wanted to ride the Silver Bullet one last time. Unfortunately, Lauren was with Grant on the other side of the park and he insisted they ride the teacup. Lauren, being the great sister that she is, got on the teacup with Grant and that was her last ride at Knotts Berry Farm--at least for this trip.

As always, we sure had a great time.

We left Knotts the next morning and went to Yuma and spent a wonderful two days with our cousins!! It was a fun Spring Break!:)

Go Lauren!

2010-03-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

Is this a cute picture or what? Taylor was trying to get an action shot of Lauren for her photography class. Lauren was only too happy to comply! I guess from this picture we can call her our little "cheerleader"!! (Don't tell her, though, she would not want to be associated with that group!)

She is so darling! She keeps us laughing!

Grant's Kindergarten Program Feb. 23, 2010

2010-03-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

Grant's kindergarten program was so cute. They sang about 4-5 songs and then it was over--this is out kind of program!!:)
We were so proud of him!

Is this guy loved or what? Allie was at gymnastics or he would've had three beauties hugging him!

This is Grant's teacher, Mrs. Thomas--we LOVE her!!

He is having a great Kindergarten year!

Emily's Baptism January 23, 2010

2010-03-26T17:16:00.001-07:00

It amazes me that Emily is 8!! Time is moving way too fast!!

Here is the Squires family before the Baptism. We are definitely missing Jordan but know he is doing great on his mission.

His one-year mark is in April! Wow!
The whole group--
What a good looking bunch!
I know you are envious of the great pictures my camera takes!

After the baptism--Emily in her gorgeous dress.
Great day!!

Hike with the cousins! January 23, 2010

2010-03-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at the Squires home for Emily's baptism.

Before the big event, Tye and Mike took the kids on a great hike!

It was really fun but they got really muddy!!

Grant, Emily and Davis.
Attempting to avoid the mud.

Allie, Grant, Ryann, and Mike.

Davis into his tunes!

Are we hiking or discussing??

The kids had a great time except for the mud.

Grant loved it and was covered!

Bathtime before the baptism!!:)

Picnic with the Kids! December 2009

2010-03-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day so our family took a bike ride to the elephant park. We took sandwiches, chips and drinks for a fun picnic. It was nice to have baskets on the front of Taylor and Lauren's new beach cruiser bikes so they could carry all the stuff for our picnic.

Fun times! Lauren, Grant and Davis!

Grant showing us his "Please" expression! It looks more like a pout in the picture but when he does this in person, he bats his beautiful brown eyes and has a helpless look--he usually gets what he wants or just a great big hug!:)

Cool picture of Grant heading down the slide.

Sideways picture of Davis heading down the slide!

Allie, Lauren, Taylor and Tye enjoying Lauren's new cell phone! Allie is seriously inspecting that cheeto!!

Hello Santa 2009

2010-03-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

At our ward Christmas party Santa made an appearance.

Our three youngest sat on his lap but Taylor and Lauren

would have nothing to do with him!

They'll rethink that on Christmas morning!

As a family we sang, "When Christmas Comes to Town".

The kids did a great job--each one had a solo--Tye

called us the Von Beavers Family Singers!!

Cute Allie!

Cute Davis!

Cute Grant!

I love my kids!!

They are just cute!!

Happy Birthday, Freddie! December 3, 2009

2010-03-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

Freddie, Tye's mom, turned 65 this year. Unfortunately we didn't have a "5" candle but we had a "4 and a "1"!

It works--unless you think she is 641, which she is not!!:)

Taylor and Sarah--ready for cake!!

Peace--Davis!!

Ice cream sundaes for all!!

Lauren and Allie scooping it up!

Winter Formal December 2009

2010-03-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

The Winter Formal Group Sarah and Eric, Taylor and Spencer, Ashlee and Chandler, and Laney and J.D.
After the dance the group came back to our house and had ice cream sundaes.

I love how the nails match the dress, match the tie,

match the ribbon on the flower--there was some even blue eye shadow

in this ensemble!! Cute!

Taylor and Spencer

Taylor can't take a bad picture--she is so pretty!

Thanksgiving Continued....

2010-03-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

Let's Eat!!Doesn't it look yummy??
Where are all the adults??
No matter==it was delicious!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-03-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was spent in Yuma with Nicole, Tye's sister, and her family--the Squires. Our kids love hanging out with their cousins! While the women prepared dinner, the men took the kids to the park! We certainly enjoyed the peace and quiet! Emily and Grant are inseparable when they get together!

Lauren, Allie, Rachel and Taylor!:)

Tye and Davis.

Allie, Lauren and Uncle Mike.

Happy Halloween 2009

2009-11-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

Davis and Grant as Robin (from Teen Titans) and Snake Eyes from Wolverine!

My girls are so adorable! I guess they are a bunny and Pebbles.

Snake Eyes and Robin--don't they look fierce?

Our own sweet Alice in Wonderland!

Happy Halloween!

Carving Pumpkins

2009-10-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

Scary! Taylor with a knife!
Davis and his Vampire pumpkin.

Lauren imitating her pumpkin. It took her 2 minutes to carve it. She was really fast!

We loved this pumpkin because its teeth look kind of like Grants. :) Too cute.

This pumpkin is a cat head--if you look closely you can see it.

We had a lot of fun!

Joe's Crab Shack

2009-10-22T15:17:00.001-07:00

While we were in California we ate at a place called Joe's Crab Shack.

It was a lot of fun.

The waiters and Waitresses dance in the aisles when certain music comes over the speakers.

Taylor, Lauren and Tyrel decided to order crabs to crack--hence the bibs.

The rest of us opted for food that didn't require work!!:)

It is a happening place! Fun times!

Taylor and Allie
Grant and Lauren

Sweet Taylor

My man, my littler man and me!:)

Disneyland

2009-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

We had a gret time in Disneyland during Fall Break. As you can see, I immediately went for the Mickey Mouse pretzel. I only had two while I was there--I had great restraint!!

Here are my princesses in front of the Castle.

We were so busy riding rides that we took very few family pics. We finally got one on the last day! It was so crowded--we think all of AZ must have been there. We still had fun, though!

Davis and Grant loved the Jedi Training. Grant's favorite ride was "Star Tours".

It was the first ride we went on and he kept wanting to go on it again and again!!

Here are the kids by the "A" of "California" in front of California Adventure.

Fun was had by all!!

Homecoming 2009

2009-10-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

Garrett Shelley asked Taylor to Homecoming this year.

Doesn't she look beautiful??

Her favorite part was putting on the corsage--it took her ten minutes.

She is such a perfectionist!

Poor Garrett--he was very patient.

They had a wonderful time.

Taylor was even able to wear heels. (She is not wearing them in this picture.)

We really loved the comment Allie made after they exited.

"He's smokin'"

This has us a little worried.

Allie can't wait to be 16.

Oh Dear!

Twilight Fan!!

2009-09-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

Okay--I am a huge Twilight fan. Love Stephanie Meyer and love her books. After the previews of "New Moon" I can't wait for the movie. I know the books are always better but I sure enjoy the movies. In honor of my Twilight mania I have posted the countdown to "New Moon". Can you say "Midnight Movie?" My husband thinks I'm nuts but he loves me anyway.:) He is one smart cookie--and definitely my "Edward"!!

First Day of School 2009

2009-08-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

The first day of school is always a little bittersweet for me. I know I will miss the freedoms of summer--less strict schedules, sleeping in...etc. I do like getting back into a routine and schedule so that is nice. This year is interesting because my oldest will be going to school for her final year while my youngest, Grant, will be going to the school for the first time. How did we do that?? It certainly wasn't planned. Anyway, here a few pics. of our sweethearts getting ready to go! They are precious!!:) Lauren, Allie, Taylor, Grant, and Davis.
Our sweet senior!!

Davis is going to third grade.

Lauren is going to 9th grade--her last year at Poston!

Cute Allie--she will be in 5th grade.

Grant is going to Kindergarten. What a cutie!

Wonderful Book!!

2009-06-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

If you have teenagers or will have teenagers or you like to understand the reasons behind some of the things we do as LDS people, this is the book for you!! It is wonderful. If you can't read my scan, it is called: "Why? Powerful Answers and Practical Reasons for Living LDS Standards". We love it!

Some of the topics discussed are: "Why should I fast?" "Why does it matter who my friends are?" "Why should I keep the Word of Wisdom?" The introduction even answers the question, "Why ask Why?"

It is a good thing to be obedient and "when we understand the logical reasons behind what we are being asked to do, we are more likely to obey. " (I got that from the book!)

We hope you like it as much as we do!

Schools Out!

2009-05-24T10:25:00.001-07:00

Okay so it is finally here--no more school for the summer. (Am I the only one who thinks time flie faster with each passing year?) I have mixed feelings--I am such a creature of routine--I do laundry on Mon. and Thurs. I grocery shop on Mon., I try to do office work on Wed. and Friday. Now that school is out I need to get used to a whole new routine that involves five children home ALL day. I need to put "making lunch for five kids" into my routine. Part of me is so happy they will be home and another part is counting the days until the first day of school. (Actually, not yet!)

I guess the only constant in life is change. I'll make sure to put that into my routine.:):)

My Mom

2009-05-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, my wonderful mother passed away on April 19, 2009. She was 79 years old. Her wonderful second husband, Buford, took great care of her until the end. She was a wonderful mother of 7 children--I am the youngest and I will miss her greatly. I don't think it has hit me yet that she is gone. One comfort is that she is in a much better place and she is with my dad. I'm sure they are celebrating together. I love you, Mom!

Mom and Buford. They were together for 14 years.

Mom, Buford and baby Taylor!

Mom fixing my hair on a camping trip at Yellowstone Park.

Our kids with Mom and Buford at Quartzsite, AZ.
I miss her!

Birthday/Twilight Bash

2009-03-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

We threw Taylor a surprise birthday/Twilight party on March 21. It was quite a surprise because her birthday isn't until April 24--but since she loves everything Twilight--especially Edward, we had a little party. It was so much fun. We decorated the room with streamers, black, silver, and red balloons, and quotes from the book were hanging around the room--as well as posters from the movie. As you can see from the pictures, we had a special guest--Edward!! Almost.

This cut-out was scary because it looked like a real person from your peripheral vision. Freaky. Taylor now keeps it in her room. After eating pizza, the girls ate cake. Heidi made the cake--isn't it glorious?! She did a fabulous job.

Cutting into the cake was the best part because it was a red velvet cake! Very cool.

After the cake we watched the movie, of course. It was so much fun!

Too Funny!

2009-03-08T16:12:00.001-07:00

My good friend, life-coach, Heidi Eaton, put this on her blog and I couldn't resist putting it on mine. We've never laughed so hard!!

Drivers License

2009-03-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

Okay--I'm trying to deal with this--my oldest daughter, Taylor, took her drivers test last Thursday and she is now a licensed driver! Can we just take a moment to say AHHHHH! I have very mixed feelings about this event. On one hand it will be wonderful to have another driver in the house--less taxi-service from me:). On the other hand, this is my baby girl and she can now drive--how did that happen so fast??? Then there is the helpless feeling of distress as she heads out into the world driving amongst people that aren't so careful! I pray everytime she leaves the house. So I have mixed feelings of happiness, helplessness, distress, and a little sadness that she is growing up. How can I feel so much at once?? Is this normal? I guess, upon reflection, I feel this way whenever Taylor crosses a major hurdle in her life because she is my first. Even if she is my first, she'll always be my baby!!

Window Sticker

2009-02-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

I have had my window sticker for years and it is finally showing it! All my attempts at trying to paint eyes on because they had fallen off were in vain. I found some more at Michael's. I was sorry to see the old stickers go but I like the new ones! I guess the one thing we can count on is change! The top sticker is the new and the bottom is the old! I like the old one because we are all holding hands--we are all connected! Oh well! I still need to get two dogs for Ping and Brewser. Too fun!

Quotable Quote

2009-02-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

My beautiful daughter, Taylor, came home with a quote I thought I would share--her teacher always puts quotes on the board and this is the one for today:
"Life is not like a box of chocolates, life is like a jar of jalapenos...what you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow."
Quite true! Hope you enjoyed that one as much as I did!
TTYL

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-17T12:49:00.002-08:00

Well, I guess my only tribute to Valentine's Day (on this blog) is the background! It has come and gone and I said not a word! So I am saying now--Happy Valentine's Day. This is a great day because we were engaged on this day nineteen years ago!! I don't have pics celebrating, but I learned something new for this day--Heidi taught me a few things--the one I will mention is cake decorating! Yes, I can now decorate a cake with yummy frosting. My first attempt was a three layer--chocolate, strawberry, chocolate--pink-frosted cake. It was pretty with roses on the top--Heidi's roses looked much better than mine! When we served the cake on Valentine's Day Tyrel said it was the best cake he had ever tasted! He is very upset with Heidi because cake has never been one of his favorite things but now he is rethinking that--I guess it depends on the cake???

My children received chocolate hearts and a shirt--Davis was extremely happy with his Phoenix Suns jersey! It was a good day but Tye was struggling with allergies and it was awful--for him and me! He got me the greatest card--see above picture! This card is so me--I often eat goodies or sweets--chocolate in particular--and I get caught and the guilt is written all over my face! Tye gave me this card with--what else--but some chocolate! This man loves me!! As far as his gift goes--he received his favorite thing!! Enough said! :) Hope your day was great!!

Grant Rides a Bike!

2009-02-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

Grant learned how to ride a bike! What a brave boy--he makes us nervous--notice the helmet, and biking gloves. (Believe me, if Tye had knee and elbow pads available, they would have been on Grant!) Tye practiced with him one evening and the next day as soon as Grant got on the bike he asked Tye to let go. Tye was nervous to let go but sure enough, he was riding the bike! He doesn't pay close attention and he is fearless--that's why we are so nervous!! We may just go get those elbow and knee pads!!

Winter Formal

2009-02-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

Taylor went to Winter Formal last Saturday (1/31/09) with Preston. Here is a picture of them. This was taken with Lauren's camera phone. More pics. are coming but I just had to put this one up! Aren't they a gorgeous couple! Taylor had a lot of fun and she was with a wonderful group of kids! Taylor is so beautiful!

Our Family at Davis's Baptism

2009-02-02T13:38:00.000-08:00

Davis's Baptism

2009-02-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

Our oldest son, Davis, was baptized this year on Sept. 6, 2008. A good friend of mine had her camera there and took some great photos as we were leaving the baptism. It has taken me forever to ask her for the CD of the pics. so I could get more copies. Since I finally got them, I am posting them for you to see. Isn't he handsome!? What a wonderful little boy. We are so blessed to have him in our family!

2009-01-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

Jordan's Day!

2009-01-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the Mesa Temple after going through with Jordan. He is going on a mission to Uruguay in April. We are so happy for him. It was a super day and he will make a wonderful missionary. Mike and Nicole had so much support from friends in Yuma. They had about 8 people show up--for those that don't know, that was a three hour drive for them! I guess its because Mike and Nicole and Jordan are super people and very loved--but then I already knew that!! Oh, by the way, I am not as short as Freddie--I was crouching down so the faces behind me could be seen!

No cast, no pins--Hallelujah!

2009-01-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

Well, after the big break--Tye's arm while he was mountain bike riding--he went to see an orthopedic surgeon. As you know from the title he does not need a cast or surgery for pins and we are very grateful!! They used to cast a break like this but then when the cast came off, the bones had fused together in that position and the arm never regained complete mobility. The surgeon said Tye needs to move it a lot while it is healing so that complete mobility will be there when it is completely healed. We are so grateful and although it is still a little painful, Tye is able to move it quite a bit--especially since he wants full use of the arm for his golf swing!! As I said before--HALLELUJAH!!

2009-01-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

Vampire Mania!

2009-01-21T13:21:00.000-08:00

Okay--I'm grateful to Stephenie Meyer for sparking an interest in reading for my daughters. Taylor is an avid reader and Lauren read the "Twilight" series with passion. (I didn't think Lauren would willingly read anything!):) Then, of course we had to go see the midnight showing of "Twilight" which was very fun! I read the books with passion, too. We even had Twilight shirts and everything! I can't believe I stayed awake passed 10 PM. Well, I think my girls have vampire mania--and I think my niece Maggie has joined them! They recently took a trip to the mall and found this shirt--"I Kissed a Vampire and I liked it!". They had to get one for Maggie and I had to get a picture! I think any vampire would love to bite any of these necks!

Broken Arm!

2009-01-19T15:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I have news!! Friday morning Tyrel decided to forgo his normal golf game and go mountain biking. What I thought would be a great idea--good exercise, no money out of pocket--turned out to be a disaster! Tye came upon a steep incline he was not prepared for and he ended up stopping short and falling to the ground and sliding down the incline. In the process of stopping, he landed on his left arm. He knew immediately that it was broken (having broken parts of that arm 5 times before--I guess it is the arm of choice when breaking a fall!) He was very dizzy and ready to pass out so he laid down on his backpack to gain his equilibrium. As he is laying there he hears his phone--which was in his backpack--begin to dial a number. The number he happened to be dialing was mine. I answered all pleased that he would think to call me while he was out having fun--something I wondered about later--and he tried to act as normal as possible as he is writhing in pain. He sounded far-away which was because his phone was in the backpack--something I also wondered about later! He said he would see me in a few hours and I ended the converstaion with "Be careful!" (I guess I was too late with that warning.)

After he gained composure he had to walk about 4 miles out of the canyon he had been hiking in--while holding his bicycle with one hand. In some areas he was able to ride his bike but he mostly walked to avoid another accident. (Another broken bone would not be good.) Once back to civilization he got some ibuprofen in his system and he and Derrick, his biking buddy, came upon an older lady with a flat tire. Derrick changed her tire as Tye watched. By this time I had been informed about the situation--which he prefaced with "Just know that I'm okay, but...." I guess he was trying to avoid my hysterics.

After an x-ray in Urgent Care we found that he has a radial head fracture. In my language the bone in his forearm was jammed into the head of the bone at his elbow. He can't rotate his arm but he can lift his arm and he has full use of his fingers. We feel blessed that it wasn't worse and that it wasn't his right arm. We will see an orthopedic surgeon this week to see if he needs pins put in--pray that he doesn't! Hopefully a cast will suffice.

The moral of this story is...there are better ways to get out of church to watch the AZ Cardinals play in the NFC Championship than breaking your arm!! GO CARDINALS!!Also, golf is my preferred sport for my husband!!

The Log Ride

2009-01-14T08:25:00.001-08:00

While I have Knotts Berry Farm on my mind I thought I'd include a pic. of our kids on the ride. Normally I am opposed to buying the picture they sell at the end of the ride--a waste of money! Well, after seeing this picture of all of our kids--so cute, I couldn't resist. They knew exactly when to pose because they had ridden the ride 100 times! This was Grant's favorite!

Christmas Adventure

2009-01-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my first blog. I am writing this for my own journaling purposes and to keep in touch with family and friends.

I wanted to tell about our Christmas adventure. We decided to take the kids to Knott's Berry Farm in CA for Christmas. We did this last year and had a blast! After opening our presents and eating breakfast we piled into the car and headed out. We were traveling at quite a good pace when the car made a jerk and it felt and sounded like our little trailer hitch fell and was dragging behind the vehicle. That wasn't the case--we had a blow-out! What a blow-out! There is a huge dent behind our wheel and it chipped the paint off of the door--not to mention the black mark running up the side of our car. Our tire was ripped to shreds! I wasn't worried, even though we were on a barren stretch of highway about 10 miles from Quartzsite, AZ.

Tye got out to change the tire and we soon found that our jack was missing a crucial piece that allowed us to get to our spare tire. We were stuck! We tried to improvise but nothing worked. Finally a good samaritan stopped and took us to the gas station about 5 miles up the road. Tye found someone there that had the same vehicle as ours and asked if he could use their jack to get to the spare. This person was going the opposite direction so took Tye back to the vehicle. He got the tire changed and we were back in business. The rest of the trip was uneventful--or I should say, very eventful--but in a good way.

One funny side note is that Tye forgot the hubcap--left it on the ground where we were stranded. I suggested we stop on the way home and try to find the hubcap--knowing us we would not bother to get a new hubcap, or forget about it--can you say "white trash"? Well, much to my surprise, Tye said that was a good idea. So after two great days at the park, we headed back to AZ. Tye approximated where our breakdown was and stopped our car. He then crossed the lanes of traffic on our side, crossed the middle grass area and then crossed the opposite lanes of traffic. As he is doing this I'm thinking, "This is impossible!" After walking a few feet, he bends down and finds our hubcap! It was a miracle!! We were so happy! What a great ending to a horrible experience!