Brock- 5th Grade
Kaleb- 3rd Grade
with his teacher Mrs. Allen (who was Brock's teacher in 3rd grade).
What handsome boys I have!
Miss Carlie's first day of her second year of Preschool.
and with her fantabulous teacher, Miss Monica (aka-Mom).
of course Carlie and Ty had to have one together.... since they are sister's, you know! 
At preschool Thursday we did a little survey about our moms to put in their cards. It was so cute to watch the kids really think about the questions and their answers were so adorable I just had to share some of them!
Brock competed in his first ever Karate competition this past Saturday. Since we'd never been to one, and really didn't know what to expect, Derrick took him while I stayed home with the other kiddos. I think Brock was pretty excited to have a day with his dad. Anyhow, as we were getting everything out Friday night, we couldn't find his yellow belt anywhere. He had been wearing it the day before for class, so I was sure it couldn't have gone far.....boy was I wrong, after 2 hours of searching (it was now almost midnight) I gave up, and he wore his white belt (that danged yellow belt still hasn't turned up!). I really worried that this was a sign of things to come, but again, I was wrong.......HE DID GREAT! He took a fourth place on his Kata's (basically a choreographed routine) and FIRST place in sparring! Way to go Bud.... I love that he's found something that he really loves and does well!
Right after the kids went back from Christmas break, it was Kaleb's special week in his class. I made an all about me poster, with his help. He is such a fun kid, with the most contagious grin. When we had his pictures done earlier in the year, he decided he wasn't going to show his teeth, since so many of them were missing. Sally (Sweetly Simple Photography) caught this cute giggle, that I just fell in love with!
Kaleb's poster. It says............
Carlie is our girlie girl. The other morning she not only wanted a dress, but she wanted her hair curled. When I finished she look so adorable, we just had to have a little photo shoot! She loves to color and draw and maybe I'm just biased since I'm her mommy, but I think she definitely has some talent there! The other day she decided to draw a little doodle on her jeans with one of her markers (thankfully it was washable). When I put her on her bed for a time out, she sobbed and sobbed.....not because she was on time out, but because I told her I was going to have to take her "colorlings" away for a few days, and that devastated her!
A few days before Christmas, we loaded the family up to spend the day finishing up our shopping and to visit temple Square, something we try to do every year. I love the Spirit that we feel there, and the reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. I always dread the drive and the long day, but in the end I'm always thankful that we made the effort. 
After the annual Meadow ward Christmas Eve party/program and candlelight pizza dinner at Gram & Papa's we came home and the kids got to open their Christmas jammies (not that they really needed any more PJ's, but it's a fun tradition for them). Carlie was so funny....her jammies had ballerinas on them and she just had to show us her dancing abilities. She'd do a kick and then pause to look at her leg to find another move, copy it, then pause to find another. What a crack-up she is!
Santa found our house and all the kids were happy! Brock asked for Eyeclops Night Vision goggles, and Santa came through for him. He also surprised him with a Bionic Eye magnifier.
All Kaleb asked for, and wanted more than anything was a Nintendo DS! Well, Santa brought one, but he also wrote a letter and made a deal with Kaleb that in return for the DS he had to work extra, extra hard at being good this year!
Carlie has been asking for a tiger for months....we kept thinking she would change her mind, but she didn't., so a tiger she got (yes, I know it's really a cheetah, but Carlie liked that one best, and to her it's a tiger). It's sudden movements and even it's eyes sort-of give me the creeps, but Miss Carlie is in love!
What a SUPER cute boy who is a a SUPER good little tumbler!
What SUPER adorable kiddos, who managed to have fun even in the cold!
The main event race was SUPER close between Chad Reid and James "Bubba" Stewart, which made it all the more exciting!
Brock wanted Chad Reid to win and was SUPER bummed when he didn't....but it wasn't for lack of cheering from our little man!
The boys love the touch pool, and both ended up with SUPER soaked shirts. Miss Carlie like to look in the pool at the stingrays and fish, but drew the line at actually sticking her hands in.
She did, however, love the little play area and had a ball playing peek-a-boo at us through the cracks. After we had lunch with Grandma Jeannie and Grandpa Mike we took off for the SUPER long drive home, at least the kids thought it was SUPER long!
Grandma & Grandpa Beckstrand, Carson, Kaleb & Brock ~ 2002
Great-Grandpa & Kaleb
Did all of you have a good Easter weekend? I hope so, because I know we did! It was spring break for the kids and Mr. Hubby, they've been out of school since Wednesday, and I think it's going to be hard to get up for school in the morning for all of us. Our little town always holds an Easter Egg hunt which the Primary is in charge of, but our poor little primary took a hit when we lost half our teachers to the new Relief Society Presidency and the Easter Egg hunt kind-of got left till the last minute. Lisa and I picked up the candy and eggs last week and we managed to pull it off. I truly enjoyed visiting with Tanya and Lynda as we stuffed the eggs. I feel blessed to be able to work with such great women in Primary.
This was my family room floor on Tuesday night....500 eggs and lots of candy. The kids, ok Carlie, couldn't understand why she couldn't eat all the candy.
Unfortunately Wednesday afternoon was cold and windy and we were almost frozen after throwing out the candy and eggs, but the kids were happy and I think it turned out pretty well! Actually, I'm really just glad it's over with, I stress too much!
I think Kaleb got plenty of candy....don't you?
And a few eggs too! On Thursday afternoon, our GREAT neighbors, the Mundy's called and invited my kids to another egg hunt at their house with their granddaughter. Derrick and I were going on a hot date, so Aunt Lis took them along with her kids. We are lucky to have such fun neighbors who are always inviting us to things like that.
We decided this year to ask the Easter Bunny to come on Saturday. It just seemed like it would work better with Church and hopefully help us remember what Easter is really about.
Brock and Carlie were pretty excited with their new sunglasses. Brock even snuck his to church and put them on during Primary with his suit.....he looked very "Men in Black" until his mean Mama took them away! They also got books, flip flops, some more candy, swimsuits, and a few barbies for our girlie girl.
After Easter basket fun, we went to another egg hunt in Fillmore, which was also cold. From there we went to Dearden Equipment and had lunch. Later in the day it was time for the annual hunt at Gram and Papa's. As soon as we all got there, it started to rain, and it rained hard! We ate, and waited. Gram played Bingo with the kids, and we waited. Finally it stopped long enough to go and find the eggs. There was a $10 money egg for the girls in the side yard and one for the boys in the front yard, but somehow Carlie ended up with both of them, LUCKY GIRL! To be fair we did let the boys draw to see who got the money that was meant for them.
The boys were pretty serious this year and were racing all over the yard.
Papa even got tricky and hid some up in the tree!
We did get some new chicks this year again. Five of them, that will be white when they get bigger. Carlie has been loving them and is constantly asking to go see the "kickens".
Easter Sunday turned out to be a nice day and we hurried and snapped a picture before we ran out the door to Church. Grandma Jeannie made Carlie a new dress this year which looked cute on her. And the boys looked pretty spiffy in their birthday suits, ummm, I mean the suits they got for their birthdays, they would have felt pretty silly at church in their birthday suits!
Sunday afternoon, I had the wonderful experience of attending a special devotional held the in Priesthood room at the Manti Temple for our Stake. Last year our Stake Presidency placed an emphasis on family history and temple work and set a goal to double the size of our stake through Temple work, which was about 3,500 names. We not only made that goal, but far exceeded it, by almost double at, I think, just over 6,000 names. Because of the great effort made by our Stake, the First Presidency granted permission for this special devotional to be held on Easter Sunday in such a beautiful and amazing room, a first as far as the Temple Presidency knows. I can't even begin tell you what an extraordinary experience it was, and it truly made made my Easter Sunday complete.
I am so bad at keeping up on haircuts for my kids, poor things, they have been looking like little ragamuffins for much to long. I finally called Aunt Katy to come to their rescue and they look a 150 times better, I must say. Katy just opened her own shop in Fillmore and I have to tell you she does a great job. She's been cutting my hair since before she and my brother Kyle got married and I've always been super happy with it! Hip Hip Hooray for clean cut kiddos! Hopefully Aunt Katy will let us come back....the kids were pretty wild!
Carlie, before.......
& after! I love it when her hair is trimmed and shaped up!
Brock, before......
& after. That was a pretty handsome kid hiding under all that scruffy hair!
Kaleb, before and of course he's pulling a silly face.......
& after. Wow! That is one good looking boy! 
