The Beard family

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-07T11:29:00.000-08:00

Wow, 2012 is here!!! I can not believe how the last 3 months have gone by so quickly!! We had a great Christmas, mostly just hung with our families and enjoyed the Christmas spirit and each other. The kids enjoyed their presents, Presley said it was "The best Christmas ever!"

New Year's was quiet, just games and food with friends.

And now the beginning of a whole new year. No big plans right now, the weather hasn't been co-operating, and we have VERY little snow, and warm temperatures. It feels like April rather than January. Sledding hasn't really been an option yet. Which means we will probably get all our snow in May!! Let's hope that's not the case.

At the beginning of this year, I am so grateful for a beautiful sweet family. We are all healthy, and have so much to be grateful for. We live in a beautiful place, and enjoy freedom and safety here. I am grateful for all we have and hope that this year brings the same health and happiness we now enjoy.

Happy New Year to all of you and may you all be blessed with health and happiness as well!!

Grandpa

2011-12-06T08:44:00.000-08:00

Our family lost our dear grandpa/great grandpa on November 30, 2011. He died in Ashton with many of his loved ones on this side of the veil and I am sure many from the other side were there to welcome him home.

His funeral was on Saturday, December 3rd. It was a lovely funeral, and many friends and family were able to attend. It was so nice to have our whole family together even though it was for a sad event. We all wore red as that was grandpas favorite color. In fact it was about the ONLY color he would wear. Especially toward the end of his life.

Grandpa loved life. He was a hard worker but also found time to play and have a good time as well. He loved anything outdoors, golf, fishing, riding horses, hunting, just about anything outdoors!

Some of my memories of grandpa are of working in the potato cellar and pulling boards with my sister brother and cousins. Somehow we sure made it a fun time! I also remember many family dinners at grandma and grandpas house where all of the cousins and aunts and uncles were gathered for a huge meal whether it was super bowl Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas or just a normal day. Grandma always had tons of food and we all had so much fun. I will always remember grandpas loud boisterous voice and he loved to tease and sound gruff, but we knew he loved us. He had a nickname for everyone he knew well. My name was MaggyMagoo and he called me that everywhere we went even until he passed away. I have never heard him call me Megan ever. When the doctors would ask who brought him to his appointment, he would say Maggy Magoo! Grandpa loved Christmas. He was probably up before any of us kids just waiting for the call that they could come down and watch us open our gifts. Then when David and I had our own kids, Grandpa and Grandma would come and watch them open their presents. That is something I will always treasure. Grandpa always spoiled us too, we always had lots of gifts from him and Grandma. In fact I think he enjoyed the Christmas shopping more than Grandma did! I have many more memories, but those are my favorite.

I was very blessed to have been able to help take care of Grandpa his last summer here. I will always be so grateful that I was here to help him plant beautiful flowers in his yard one last time and watch baseball and bake his favorite, apple pie, for him. We went berry picking, and spent a little time at the farmers market. I come from great stock, and can't wait for the day when we will all be together again. I am so grateful to know that we WILL be together again someday!

November

2011-11-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

November for our family started off with a trip to the hospital for Presley who had to have her appendix taken out on the 1st of November. She came into our bedroom about 4 a.m. Tuesday morning and said her stomache hurt. I told her to go back to bed she had just eaten too much candy the night before from trick-or-treating. She came back a while later still hurting and wanting medicine or something to help her feel better and I basically told her the same thing and so on until about 7 I asked her to show me where it hurt exactly. She pointed to the lower right side and I began to wonder if thats what it was. A bit later she had a hard time walking and steadily refused to walk so we took her to aunt Nichole who affirmed that it was probably appendicitis and sent us to the surgeon on call, Dr. Coray. He took her appendix out about 530 that evening and after a night in the hospital we were able to go home Wednesday evening. Presley is doing better and still taking it slow but went back to school yesterday. She was a toughy though and didn't cry once. Not even when they were poking her with needles!! She was a trooper. Her eyes started to water a bit when she asked me if she would have to stay the night in the hospital and I said yes. She quickly recovered when I said either David or I would stay with her the whole time. Poor thing thought we were just gonna drop her and run! I stayed with her that night and we had the best nurses the whole time.

The boys have been wrestling and doing an amazing job!! Both have won almost all of their matches and the ones they have lost have been really good matches and we are so proud of them!! They both got their report cards and Bryer has straight A's and Chet all A's one B and one C in math. He takes after me there I guess and we will have to work on that a bit to get it up. But they are doing so well and their teachers all had wonderful things to say about both of them at perent teacher conference. They are such great kids!!!

This November month of giving thanks I will say that I am TRULY thankful for my amazing family! All the kids were so concerned for Presley when she was sick and so gentle with her when she came home. They just showed such love and I am so grateful for that. I am so thankful for a beautiful clean hospital and doctors and nurses that are so well trained. We are so blessed to live here where we have those blessings. We are so blessed to have kids who are healthy in body and mind. David and I are both healthy and I am so thankful for that as well! THe list goes on and on and I could list a million that I take for granted each day, but I will save that for a different day!!

Hopefully the rest of November will be a little more uneventful!!

Catching up

2011-10-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I probably won't win any best blogger awards anytime soon. I can't believe it's been a whole summer and most of a fall since my last entry! Time flies! I will just sum up what I can remember of the summer. We had a great family reunion in June at Cortney's house in Burley. Went to the City of rocks, ate lots of great food, and just enjoyed lots of family time! I was a girls camp leader for our ward's awesome young women at Darby Girls camp. Had a blast with my other camp leaders and all the young women!! We did some camping this summer, not as much as we would have liked, but more than the last few summers! We love to camp in our family!!! Summer was short and we never got too hot which was awesome! I hate any temps over 85. I spent a lot of time this summer taking care of my grandparents in their home. What a wonderful opportunity that has been!! Entertaining, a little frustrating at times, but overall, wonderful experience. I have wonderful roots. I have thoroughly loved getting to know them a little better and loved having my kids get to know them too! School started in August, Bryer in 8th grade, Chet in 6th, and Presley in 1st grade. Next year, I will have one in high school, (yikes!!) and only one at home!! So crazy! I also ran in the Grand Teton Relay on a team of 12 from Ashton to Jackson. Sooo fun!! It was hard but what a sense of accomplishment and I cant wait to run next year again!! Fall has been absolutely beautiful as it always is in this beautiful valley, and relatively warm. Bryer shot his first bull elk yesterday and was so excited as were all of us!! Bryer and Chet both started wrestling and have thier first meet on Thursday in Challis! We are going to leave early and drive through Salmon and see a few friends first and I am soooo excited! I miss Salmon so much. Well that's a very vague quick summary of the last several months, but maybe I will get better! DOn't count on it but you never know!!!

Quick Note

2011-05-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while so i figured I would quickly run through the latest. We are fighting winter still snow on the ground almost every morning. YUCK! So ready to havea little spring weather. I would kill for even 50 degrees!

The kids are getting ready for school to be out and me too I must say. Presley is getting to be a pretty good reader and is doing great in kindergarten but is getting excited to be a first grader! Bryer and Chet are also doing well in school and just finished up spring wrestling. Chet has really improved and is enjoying wrestling more than he used to.

Bryer just turned 13 in march. Yikes! Kind of scary to have a teenager!! He is going to be moving pipe this summer for uncle Gary and is excited to make his own money.

Dawson is just doing his thing and is probably the happiest kid around. He loves everyone and is just a generally happy kid. He is my sweet heart!

Caleigh is just as cute as can be and of course rules the house. Terrible two's are very trying but the sweet moments kind of cancel out the terrible ones. We are so excited for summer to get here eventually so we can enjoy the outdoors.

I am missing Salmon weather, activities, and so many good friends, but it is alson nice to be back in Teton Valley again.

Its Been a While!

2011-03-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have had a chance to post so here is a little update. Our bowling alley sold so we moved back to Tetonia over Christmas break. We miss Salmon so much but it is nice to be back by family and old friends. The kids were excited to meet up with thier old friends again. They both snowboarded for winter sports and love it. Presley made new friends and is doing so well in school as well as started violin lessons. All three boys are doing wrestling and enjoy that. It's Dawson's first year and he is so cute out there on the mat! Caleigh is going on her 5th day of going in the potty with only one accident!! Yay!! I HATE potty training!!! We bribed her and she is doing so well!!

So last night at bedtime the kids were asking if a guy from the area who has been missing had been found yet, and I said no and we talked about strangers. I said to Dawson, "Do you know what to do if someone you don't know comes up and asks you if you want to some candy or to see something in his car?" and he says, "Yes thank you!!" He was just as polite as could be and was not turning away free candy. We had a little laugh over that but hopefully got the point across after about strangers.

Last weekend I met my bowling team from Salmon in Twin and had such a great time seeing them again!! I even bowled my first 200 game ever!! It was so awesome! I stopped and saw Cortney's beautiful new home and visited them a little bit too. Had a great weekend.

The weekend before last, we went to Sun Valley to listen to my cousin David speak in church. He just got home from a mission in Connecticut, and it was so good to see and hear him speak. He served an awesome mission!! He has grown and learned so much. A lot of family was there and it was great to see everyone I hadn't seen in a long time! I have such amazing family!! So blessed!

Forgot

2010-11-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

I just posted, but forgot to mention the funniest things Dawson has been saying lately. The other day he goes, "Mom, I know everything you know." Really..... Now he says it at least once a day. He also came up and told me, "Mom, I have more friends than Gerald." Gerald is one of the kids who works the machines in the back on league nights. TOO funny! He also lately has had some imaginary friends who to him are NOT imaginary. One is Airplane. And he talks about Airplane quite often. The other was Sally. She doesn't get mentioned very often. Anyways, forgot to blog that in my earlier post!

Halloween and Such

2010-11-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

So I am totally slackin on the Blog! And trying to type with Caleigh's help so bear with me here! The last few months have been so busy with school, Dawson's birthday, Chet was in football, Bryer is now in wrestling, Halloween, scouts, etc. etc. I am posting pictures of all the above.
I was put in as young womens president in September so that doesn't keep me nearly busy enough......... NOT! So added on top of everything else...... We are a pretty busy family.
Bryer got his first deer, a buck and was so excited.
All the kids except for Caleigh are in gymnastics and Presley is also in ballet. They are all doing awesome! The boys also started youth league bowling yesterday.
David was able to take a day this week and go fishing, he caught two nice ones. One to mount and the other to eat! Yum! I do love fish I guess that comes from a long line of fisherman, Dad Grandpa and so on! I wish David had more time to go so we could stock our freezer with fish.
This monthe we are looking forward to Presley's 6th birthay. CAN"T believe she will be 6! Also one of my 2 favorite holiday's THANKSGIVING! Yay, I love Thanksgiving! My other favorite holiday is Christmas and coming up so quickly! But not to rush, I am so Thankful this month for all we have and we do have so much! We were able to rent a nice home that we fit into with our family of 7. It has really been a blessing to me to have more room and clean water and all the things that go along with a home! We are all healthy and are lucky to have each other. The bowling alley is doing well and we are able to have the things we need. We live in a beautiful state and are so blessed with all the freedoms we enjoy and usually take for granted. David and I both have wonderful families that we get to see more often than some. Wow that is just skimming the surface, but I wanted to touch on some things that I have been thinking of lately.
Anyhow, hope everyone reading this is having as wonderful a fall as we are! We really have been spoiled with beautiful colors and perfect temps! LOVE it!

August

2010-08-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

We are trying to get a few last things done before school starts and summer is officially over. David and I just got back from a few days in Montana for our 13th anniverssary. We dropped the kids at Mitch and Bonnie's on Thursday night and headed in to Yellowstone. We got there about 11 and spent the next hour trying to find a motel. They were all booked except for one that was $190. We declined the offer and decided we could handle a night in the car. We drove into the park and pulled off by the river and tried to sleep. We had switche Bonnie outfits so she would have more room to meet us Sunday with the kids. Her car is nice but not the best for sleeping in..... We were up and going by 6 which gave us a ton of time Friday to just enjoy each other and different sights of Yellowstone, and over to Livingston. The nest few days we just drove to different sights and places and had so much fun. I missed the kids like crazy and would love to take them back to different places in the next few weeks. They had a blast with Nana and Papa who took them camping, and school shopping and to aunt Nancy's for much needed hair cuts! Thanks in-laws for taking such good care of our kids!!!!

School starts in 8 days and we are going to try to get to the river a few times as the pool just closed for the season and finish up school shopping. Pres can't wait and had so much fun school shopping with nana and papa, "It was like a fashion show mom!" she said of trying on clothes and buying a lot at once. The boys had fun shopping but are less than thrilled about starting school.

We had a great weekend and are just gearing up reality after a sweet weekend!

Summer stuff

2010-08-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hey all! We are trying to hurry and enjoy what is left of our summer. We have been trying to hit the pool as much as we can which the kids LOVE. Dawson is our fish, he has yet to have a lesson, but the kid is under water swimming more than he is up! It is so funny he loves it!! We are so lucky to have the pool so close. We have also been to the river a couple of times. Our friends live right on the river so we have been down playing in their backyard and swimming there as well. SO FUN!!! The weather has actually been awesome this summer not too dreadfully hot!! I hate the heat and anything above 90 makes me crazy, so this has been a great summer weather wise so far.

We have been picking raspberries at our house as well as a friends house so I am also trying to get freezer jam done. YUMMY!

Let's see Bryer left on Tuesday for scout camp, they are in the bighorn crags mountains (not sure where that's at for sure) and that's been a challenge for me because though he has been away from me for more than a few days, it has never been without a way to talk to him anytime I wanted! We had a huge wind/rain/thunder/lightening storm yesterday afternoon here and I really started to worry for him. He is in good hands though as the leaders are all great capable guys. Still....... it's been hard to have him gone. Ok so I am feeling a little like grandma Robson a little on the worry wart side! Only a little though right?! Oh well he is my baby!!! He will be home tomarrow. Can't wait!

School starts on the 30th so we will try to get as much done before then as we can. Our 13th anniversary is coming up on the 23rd and we are going to try and get away for a few days, not sure where yet.

Almost done with co-ed softball yay! It gets old after a while.

I am missing going hucklberrying (sp?) in Tetonia a ton! My body must be programmed for hucklberries this time of year cuz I sure am craving them! Hope you Valley people are getting lots! There are pretty much NONE in Salmon.

Caleigh is talking a ton now and it is so cute to hear her yell Bya, Det, Peyeeeee, Da, mom, dad, bear (our dog). She is too funny! Her favorite thing is to ride the horse. The boys saddle the horses almost every day and ride around and she screams when we take her off she LOVES it. She is growing much to fast for me. I hate it. But she sure is cute! I'm just sayin'! I got lucky there cause all my kids are pretty darn great!!

Chet is also growing up faster than I keep up with, he will be in Jr. high this year cause the 5th grade is in the middle school. WEIRD!! He can also play football this year which he wants to do, but I'm not sold on the idea because he is so skinny! We will have to start on some protien shakes or something! Too bad I don't have that problem!

Let's see I think that's it for today, sorry about my novel today maybe I should blog more often so my posts wouldn't be so long........ Hope everyone is enjoying the last month or so of your summer!!

If you want some awesome inspiration, read my cousin David's missionary blog. HE ROCKS! He is the best missionary ever and I love reading his letters! Hope my kids turn out that great!

Busy busy busy

2010-07-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

What a busy few weeks our family has had! Let's see, we started off with Father's day with Mitch and Bonnie, follwed by Chet's 10th birthday. He had friends meet at the pool to swim and then have cupcakes. Then the next day Carie brought Brinley and Kolbi to stay for a few days. The kids had a blast with them! They are the sweetest girls and we loved having them here. I think thier parents were the only ones glad to have them home!! I drove them home Friday early as the boys had baseball tournaments in St. Anthony that weekend. We were able to stay with our good friends Mark and Jenny that night and had fun there. The boys played well and it was a good weekend. Last week Chet and Presley had swimming lessons and then we went back up to Tetonia for another ball tournament in the Valley. Tasha is here from Texas for a few weeks and we were able to see lots of family over the weekend as all of my sisters and brother were up and grandpa and grandma also came over for a dutch oven dinner. After the dinner we went to see Glenn Beck speak at the Huntsman springs golf course. He was just amazing! We were sitting right up front and there were tons of people there. He just really brought the feeling of how America was, what our forefathers had in mind and fought for and what we need to fight for as Americans. It just gave me more meaning for my fourth of July. We then were treated to an amazing fire works display. The music and shorts clips of video underneath the fire works was just so cool! What a great fourth!!! We will probably be up there again this weekend for the Beard reunion and then hopefully have some time off from running for a while! We will see I guess. Happy Independance day all and may God bless America!

2010-07-05T14:41:00.001-07:00

May

2010-06-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

I am thinking that May is getting to be as busy as the month of December! I have posted some pictures of the things that have been going on, but to name a few things, Presley had kindergarten registration, her dance recital, and she and Caleigh got booster and immunization shots. Bryer and Chet have been busy with baseball, scouts, and end of school things. They both made the all star teams for baseball, Bryer for majors, Chet for minors, so that was exciting! We will be traveling to St. Anthony and Teton so they will get to play against some old friends. They have one here in Salmon over fathers day weekend and Bryer had a tournament Friday and Saturday in Darby. His team lost their first, won their second and lost their third game. The weather was crappy Friday but sunny for Saturday and we all got a little bit red. Chet had tournaments here in salmon to end his regular season and then will start practices for all stars this week. Let's see I started work at Bertrams a few nights a week for some money, and throw in a few kittens to take care of mice around here and trying to plant and get a garden to grow with nonstop rain and we have had a very busy month!

The latest

2010-04-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

So just a quick post, the weather has been awesome and between the sun and the rain we are looking pretty green here in Salmon!! It is so nice to see some color finally!!! We will be moving to a different rental next week. AHhh I hate moving! But can't wait because there is a huge garden spot all ready to till and plant! Can't wait to plant corn and things I've never been able to plant it Tetonia!! Hopefully weather cooperating I can plant next week! That's much more fun than moving! The kids have been sick throwing up all week so that has definately not been fun! So far David and I have avoided it but the week isn't over yet so we will see! The boys are busy playing baseball and we are just finishing up the leagues. So it is crazy at the Beard household!

2010-03-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Wrestling

2010-03-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

The boys wrestled at Challis last night and did so well! Chet got third and Bryer second. It was really fun to watch them they are both doing awesome and Chet is really improving and getting into it!! If he loses the other guy has to work pretty hard to get him, and he is so cute when he wins. He is a really good sport win or loss I love it! We were going to go to Mackey today but got home so late last night and Chet wasn't feeling that great, David either so we passed it up, but they have a match here in Salmon next Saturday. Tanner and Trey were at Challis with the Hill boys and they all did so well too! Little Trey is so cute out there! Just a smilin the whole time! So cute. I guess I am a lone ranger today and tomarrow, David took the kids up to the Beard's for Mitch's birthday, so I am here workin' and holdin' down the fort. Not complaining though, it's kinda nice to have a break from the kids and hubby even though I love and miss them so much when they are gone. The weather has been so great and so springy, I love it!! David got a job here in Salmon that will carry us through the summer and keep him hopping in the winters as well. We are so greatful to have work though as it is hard to come by these days. Now the trick is to find a house as we had planned on being in Tetonia again this summer, and the river guides move into the house we are renting now in June. Hope to find something we can be in pretty permanantly and then we will just rent our house that is not likely to sell. Just hope we can find renters!!

What's going on?

2010-02-24T11:30:00.000-08:00

I really am over due for an update on this blog! Can't believe February is almost over! Let's see, so Caleigh turned one on the 26th of Jan. She had a fun day, she walked, cut her first 2 teeth, and had birthday cake and presents all in one day! She really went for it! She is so sweet and growing so fast. She now walks everywhere and is starting to try and run. I guess it's more of a fast side step because she is afraid of falling and it's so cute! She has a very high pitched scream right now that she uses to voice her opinion, let you know what she wants, lets you know she is happy, etc. It's all in that scream. Very annoying and having a hard time with how to break that one. Very inconvenient when in a very quiet sacrament meeting and she decides she wants anything or sees anything interesting. We spend a lot of time in the hall. It will be nice when she can talk rather than scream. She has started to nod yes and shake no so that's a start! The boys are wrestling and have their first meet Friday. Bryer is doing hunters safety this week. He also has mastered the round-off back handspring and can also do round-off double back handspring on the spring floor. Presley is still enjoying dance and gymnastics as well as preschool. She keeps saying "Can't I just go everyday?!" All too soon she will be doing just that, and I am not sure I'm ready to have her in school full time yet. All the kids are growing and time is flying. It's really feeling like spring here and it is so nice, well, except for the rotten mud of course!

2010-01-30T14:41:00.000-08:00

Fun with Friends

2010-01-30T14:14:00.000-08:00

A week ago today we went to Island Park with Carie and Rory, Jeremy and Jessica, and Eric and Anna. We had such a blast! We rented a cabin and went snowmobiling, got in the hot tub, ate a ton of great food and just had a great time. Mitch and Bonnie babysat and watched the bowling alley for us and we just had a great "date" weekend. It was so nice to just reconnect a little bit and enjoy the company of great friends!! We are so blessed to have wonderful family and friends. The weather was great and we had lots of fresh powder. I haven't been on the snowmobile for several years and it was so fun. Can't wait to do it again. Caleigh and I just celebrated our birthdays as well so it has been an eventful week! Caleigh had a great day and loved when we sang to her. She was very dainty with her cake and hardly made a mess, which is not nearly as entertaining as if she would have dug in and gotten all messy!! She started walking and cut two teeth that day as well. She just really went for it on her birthday!!! The boys start wrestling this week and Presley is learning her dances for the big recital in May, we are so busy but enjoying life and our awesome kids!!!

2010-01-30T13:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

Well here's to a new year!!! We had a wonderful December. It flew by but we enjoyed family and Christmas and a break from work and school. Christmas was spent in Tetonia and we had blast in the snow, and got to see all of our families! Santa found us there and the kids were so happy with all they got. The hardest part was loading up to come home. And of course the ever NOT so pleasant task of unloading and putting everything away! I hate that part. But we were so glad for some time in Tetonia. Sledding was a blast. Dawson was tearing up the hill and we all got a good laugh, he had NO fear and could have gone all day without a break!! So cute. We finally got some snow here in Salmon just in time for 2010! Not much but a decent start. Reflecting back on the year some highlights:
1. The birth of our fifth baby Caleigh. She is such a joy and so sweet. Can't imagine life without her!
2. Summer in the Valley.
3. A super fun family reunion.
4. Presley's first ballet recital.
5. Bryer's first year of wrestling with the school.
6. Chet playing basketball and minors baseball.
7. Dawson finally talking and just being his cute little self.
8. A really fun 4th of July with Mark and Jenny just enjoying friends and the great outdoors.
I am sure there is more that's just all I can think of right off the bat. I hope 2010 brings as much if not more happiness than 2009. Times can be hard so I am very thankful for our families and my faith to make it through this life. May everyone be as blessed as I am!!! Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Happenings

2009-12-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

This week has been a busy one getting ready for Christmas, the kids have had Christmas parties, we have had bowling Christmas parties, lots going on. This week Bryer was the 6th grade boy of the month so we went and watched him get his award. He didn't know he was getting it but he said he figured it was him when he saw us sitting with the other parents. He also was embarrassed because "His mom was the only one taking a ton of pictures!" Get used to it I guess is all I can say!!! Presley had her ballet mini program. It was so cute and Santa was there and each of the students got to sit on his lap and he told them what he had observed them doing lately and then they told him what they wanted for Christmas. Santa even came by our house last night!!! I was at bowling and missed it, but David said the kids were excited except for Dawson. He's still pretty scared, rather, petrified of the man! He wouldn't even really look at him. I'm not sure why, I thought this year he would come around. Maybe next year!!! Our ward party is tonight and the kids are shepards and Presley an angel. Anyways rush rush rush I guess! Hope everyone is having a happy holiday season!!!!

2009-12-16T17:28:00.000-08:00

Crazy weekend

2009-12-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

So we had a good Thanksgiving in Tetonia. Stayed with mom and dad and ate a yummy dinner at Mitch and Bonnie's house. Had a great time visiting with our families. We are very lucky to have such awesome families! Caleigh ate too much "real" food and due to lack of nursing, I developed mastitis. NOT a fun thing to have. That happened Thursday night, then David's family came to Salmon for the cheerleader's bazaar on Saturday, and Bryer headed down river with Bryce and some of the kids for fishing. He did pretty well hooked 2 fish but they both got away just before the bank. While taking a break and doing a little rock climbing, a big rock broke away and smashed his hands. Bryce called us to meet him at the E.R. and when he came in, we were pretty scared, it looked really bad. He was in a ton of pain, and boy there is nothing worse than seeing my kids in pain!!! Breaks my heart. They gave him in I.V. and started some pain meds, which really helped. They did an xray, nothing was broken luckily. Then they began stitching which was a trick because his left index finger was basically hamburgered. Dr. Phelps was so good though and did a great job. 18 stitches from the end of the finger down to the joint area on his palm. Lots of swelling so he couldn't get any more in. 5 stitches on his right thumb knuckle area and 3 in his right ring finger. We were so glad it wasn't worse as it was a huge rock and he slid down pretty far and the rock could have crushed his body or head or who knows what. Thank heavens for those gaurdian angels!!! He is feeling better and the orthopedic surgeon says it is healing well and he should only have minor nerve damage. The stitches should come out Monday and I think he will head back to school.

Happy birthday Presley!

2009-11-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Presley's birthday. She is now 5 years old!! Time flies I tell ya! She had a fun day I think, a few minor dramatic moments, but that's pretty normal on any given day for her. Dawson scooped some frosting off the cake before dinner and smudged her name and she sobbed "Dawson ruined my cake!" Hardly ruined but I guess it was trauma for her. Girls are great! She is a good girl and there is no one she doesn't like, she loves ballet and gymnastics but isn't afraid to wrestle her brothers. She loves animals and playing babies and actually anything that involves make- believe. She is a pretty good helper most of the time, there are those dramatic moments however where she believes we treat her like Cinderella. We sure love her and wouldn't trade her for anyone or anything in the world. We will be in Teton tomarrow for Bryer's district wrestles and hope to see family and friends!!

NoVeMbeR

2009-11-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

Bryer has been wrestling in some different places with the middle school and doing really well. Tuesday we were in Sugar and today in Challis. Next week Shelley and then Teton for districts. Crazy how grown up he is getting. Chet started basketball and that keeps us busy between he and Bryer. I love basketball and am so glad they are doing it this time of year instead of the same time as freestyle wrestling in the spring! Now I can enjoy one of my kids playing basketball. He does really well and is quite good at handling the ball. November is a crazy month at the alley, so I feel as though I am just constantly running. Life is good though, our realtor is showing our house tomarrow morning so maybe something will happen there.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well here we are getting ready for Halloween! Can't believe it! The kids are excited and all ready for trick or treating! Presley had her Halloween party for dance and we had a ward halloween party last week. We are all warmed up for the real deal I guess! We carved pumpkins last week and this week for FHE we made Halloween cupcakes. Last weekend we went up to the Valley for Jentri and Bonnie's birthdays. We had a good (short) time there and went to the terror under the tetons. What a blast! David was in it and did such a good job scaring people they invited him back! Don't know if he'll make it, but he has a new found talent! Excellent job on a first year Tyler and Lyndsey! Bryer had his first wrestling match of the year yesterday and was tied with his apponent but then got pinned in the last seconds. He only had one match as the only team yesterday was Challis. I love to watch my kids as they grow and get into sports. Dawson and Caleigh haven't felt well today, hopefully we can keep everyone else healthy and get them better by Halloween. Hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!!

2009-09-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

Dawson is 3!

2009-09-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

So Dawson turned three on Monday! Can't believe it! He is my baby boy and getting so big. He had a great birthday. He got a pedal bike (with training wheels) that he loves, and some trucks and horses. We went to the park Monday night and had enchiladas (lalaladas if you ask Dawson) and cake and played on the toys. He had a great day! He wanted a motor bike cake and I didn't have a mold or guide or anything, so I was trying to wing it. Didn't look professional by any means but I guess it somewhat resemled a motor bike, Bryer helped me and Dawson seemed satisified!
Also this last week Caleigh has learned to crawl and is getting around quite well. She pulled herself up on the mop bucket yesterday and tipped it over and went shooting across the kitchen floor with all the water like a body surfer, it was so funny! She was only in a diaper and she slid a good 4 feet. Can't believe she is getting so big. She loves her dad and doesn't want anything to do with me when he is around. Daddy's girl for sure!

We haven't dropped off the planet!

2009-09-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

Wow it has been a long time since my last blog! We are back in Salmon for the school year and bowling season. Moved into a rental house that is in the first ward we were in when we first moved here. Our leagues have started, well most of them, and the others will start in the next few weeks. The kids are back in school and have awesome teachers this year. Can't believe I have a sixth grader! Getting old! Presley is back in dance and gymnastics and loving that of course. Bryer is in gymnastics this year as well. We had a great summer, enjoyed being in our own house for a while, had some really fun reunions, a little camping, lots of fun. We went to the blackfoot fair last weekend and had fun there. The kids are growing like crazy, Dawson is finally talking and we understand most of what he says. He is a character. Caleigh is so sweet and happy all the time. She rolls and sits and is almost crawling. She gets on all fours androcks but that's as far as she gets. I will post some pictures next week of some of our summer activities. Can't think of anything else amazing that has happened to us so I'll quit for now.

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend camping here in Salmon with Mark and Jenny Murri and their kids. We went to the parade, rode around on the wheelers and bikes, saw some elk, went to the lake. Just had a blast. At Wallace lake the fish were jumping like crazy and it was just the right temperature. The kids waded in and had fun. We went to the demolition derby on the 4th and David and Mark were in the balloon bust. David was driving the four wheeler and Mark was the "hitter". Armed with a plastic bat, all the "hitters" try and pop the balloon taped to each of the "hitter's" helmets. The last team with their balloon still unpopped is the winner. It gets really crazy and is a hoot to watch. David and Mark got third because Mark's balloon blew off going around a corner. They were kind of bummed because they were doing really good. Oh well there's always next year! We had a blast and the weekend went by way too fast, but thanksMurri's for coming up to play!

Goings on

2009-06-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I blogged! So Chet had his 9th birthday on Monday. We went swimming at Heise and had dinner at Pizza Hut. Then came home and had cake. We had a great time. I can't believe how big my kids are getting! Cortney had some surgery on Wed. so I helped my mom "tend" her and her baby Maybree. I had fun getting some time with every one and mom is so good to let us crash her place with kids and craziness and what not. I'm sure she'll be ready for a nice rest when cort goes home in a few days, but what would we do without her?! Tell you what though, props to Nichole and Josh managing twins! It got a little tricky at times with Maybree and Caleigh and I don't know how parents of twins handle it 24/7! I was worn out and had my mom to help! Hope everyone has a great fourth of July!

A fun weekend

2009-05-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy weekend! We are moving to our house in Tetonia for the summer, the bowling alley is slow in the summer and our house hasen't sold so we will hopefully save money this way and head back in August. So we moved our stuff over the weekend,(I HATE moving) then on Monday we spent the day at Rory and Carie's house for Brinley's birthday. The kids rode their bikes on the track Rory made and we played volleyball and just hung out. Thanks guys for an awesome day! We are camping this week so the kids can finish up school and baseball. Last week Bryer had his first homerun in majors yay! It was very exciting! the kids are way excited to get out of school and do summer stuff. I just want the wind to stop blowing!

Dance recital

2009-05-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

Presley had her first dance recital on Friday and Saturday for ballet and gymnastics. She was so cute and did pretty good when she wasn't playing with her costume or looking at the lights or her friends! It's fun to have her dance and watch her do something I used to really enjoy and see her have just as much fun doing it too! I threw in a few pics of Tasha's baby, I kept forgetting to put them up till now. He's a cutie!

2009-04-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

2009-04-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

We are in the full swing of baseball with an average of 6 games a week and a few practices in between, think I'll pitch a tent at the park and just live there for the next month! It's fun though and the boys are doing well. Had a little photo shoot with Caleigh yesterday, here are some cute ones.

2009-04-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a While

2009-04-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of slacking in the blog department lately, but here's a quick update on the Beards. We had a great Easter in Tetonia, visiting with family, decorating Easter eggs,( Dawson's were all a "beautiful" puke green color from placing them each as many times as he could in every color) and then on Easter Sunday we blessed Caleigh with Tasha's baby Mason. It was so fun to see Tasha and Damon and their cute new one. The boys started baseball, Bryer in majors Chet in minors. They are both doing well. Presley is almost done for the year with ballet and gymnastics and not thrilled about taking summer off from either one. She has a ballet recital the first of May. Dawson is finally talking and with the awesome weather, it is hard to keep him inside.Our leagues are finishing up so we will be slowing down here at the bowling alley. David turned 35 on Easter Sunday, and has done a little horn hunting. I'm just trying to keep up with everyone's activities, and hoping that spring/summer are here to stay for a while!

2009-03-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well I can't believe it, but Caleigh is 2 months old already and growing like crazy! She weighs 12 lbs and is smiling and "talking" so much. She is a very happy baby and we all love her so much. Speaking of time flying, Bryer turns 11 tomarrow and I officially felt old when last week the middle school kids had a lock in ( where they go at night and play laser tag, dance, have games,etc. and you can't leave then come back.) Anyway, I went to pick him up and when I walked in, the music was playing and there were all these pre-teens and a few high school kids just arriving for there time and I realized, I am not the "cool" teenager coming here with my friends, I am coming to pick up my son! I felt SO old and uncomfortable thinking what if Bryer is embarrassed?! Anyway it was just weird and I love that my kids are growing and getting involved in sports and new things but at the same time, I am not getting any younger and it's weird because I still feel pretty young. Anyway Bryer is excited for his birthday and wants to go to a movie. We will be up in the valley for Easter and can't wait to see everybody!

Wrestling

2009-03-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

So the boys wrestled in Challis last night and Mackey today. Last night Bryer got 4th and Chet 3rd and today Bryer got wnd and Chet 5th. They both did so good and are getting better and better at wrestling. Bryer is in a tough weight class and his matches are always intense and last night Chet had to wrestle an 85 lb kid (Chet weighs 58lbs) so that was tough but he held his own and did great!

The Good and the Bad

2009-03-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

So we have had an eventful couple of weeks in our family, Dawson decided he wanted to be potty trained and with very little pushing from us, he hasn't had an accident for a week now. Yay Dawson!!! We are now back to one in diapers! We were in Pocatello over the weekend for my bowling tournament and Cortney had Chet and Presley for a couple of days and they of course had a blast riding horses and helping take care of her sick dog Miya. It is always so fun to see Cortney and her little family! THen yesterday, Dawson got his finger stuck in the bathroom door and cut it really deep so we went to the e.r. and they cleaned it and put on the liquid stitches and x rayed it. No broken bones, and hopefully it should heal quickly. He did ok until they had to lift it open and scrub it clean, that"s when the screaming started. He did fine through the night but it's kind of bleeding today though he won't let us touch it so we'll see what happens. Caleigh is getting big so fast and I hate that, but she has started to smile at us and it is so cute! We are so glad she is a part of our family!

Update

2009-02-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

I finally got a second to post some pics of Caleigh. She is such a good baby and just eats, sleeps, and looks around when she is awake. We are all wrapped around her finger already! Dawson does well with her, I was afraid he would be jealous but he doesn't mind that we give her a lot of attention, he wants to love and kiss and pat her (sometimes a little too much!) and talk and sing to her. So we are just trying to get into a routine. The boys had their pinewood derby on the 30th. and Bryer got first and Chet got second so that was fun. They both started wrestling last week and have their first meet the end of the month. We have a big tournament at the bowling alley this weekend and that should make for a crazy couple of days.

It's a Girl!

2009-01-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

Well, our baby girl arrived Monday January 26th 2009 at 1:12 in the afternoon after 4 and a half hours of labor. She weighed in at 8 lbs even and was 21 inches long. We named her Caleigh.She and I will share a birthday and she is the best birthday present I have ever received! She is a beautiful baby (of course we aren't biased!) and is so good. She is little jaundiced but not bad enough for a billie blanket which is good. She mostly eats and sleeps but is very good and just looks around during awake times. The kids of course lover her and always want to hold her. I am staying at mom's for a few days while I get feeling a little better and David is waiting patiently in Salmon for us with the older boys as they have school. Labor went well I finally gave in and asked for my first epidural out of 5 labors when I was dilated to a 6. Too bad I jumped to a 10 in a little less than 20 minutes and had just about pushed Caleigh out before it took full effect. Oh, well It felt GREAT for the last little bit and the after pains for the next hour or so after delivery. I am so greatful to my mom for helping me so much with Presley and Dawson as I have been rather sore, and Cortney is here helping too and has been a life savor as well even though she has her own little baby to care for. She has taken the kids outside and gotten snacks and just entertained nonstop. It's probably been great birth control for her! Thanks again Mom and Cort!

Cute Sayings

2009-01-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

So yesterday we were watching the President's speech and I said "Presley, there is our new United States president." and she said, "Oh, that guy with the chocolate head!?" It was so funny, then later that night we watched some of the innauguration balls and she said," There's that chocolate man again!" I love this stage where they tell you exactly what they think! Yesterday I had my doctor's appointment and Helene scheduled me for Monday for an induction, so if all goes well and doesn't last too long, my birthday will include a new baby! I am so excited to have a baby on the outside instead of being huge and uncomfortable all of the time. I don't sleep any more so I am excited to have something to be awake for!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope everyone is having a great new year so far! We are getting back into the old routine of school, scouts, work, etc, etc. We are also anxiously awaiting our new arrival! Hopefully sooner than later, but we will see how things are going at my next appointment on Monday. Things will be crazy the next few weeks so forgive me if nothing changes on our blog but we will do our best to keep everyone in the loop on things going on in our family. Until next time......

A very merry Christmas

2008-12-27T12:05:00.000-08:00

So we've had a very merry Christmas this year spending time with family and enjoying a break from work for a few days! We came to the valley to spend Christmas and got here Christmas Eve and will head back to Salmon on Monday. Christmas eve was spent with the Beards at Bonnie's house and we had a wonderful prime rib dinner and then opened presents. Then enjoyed a quiet Christmas morning with Mitch Bonnie and our kids while we watched it storm like crazy. Santa found us though, and the kids had a great day. That evening we went to mom and dad's and enjoyed time with the Robson family. Everyone except Tasha and Damon who are in Indiana. We again were spoiled and had lots of gifts and food. Then with tired children, back to sleep at Mitch and Bonnie's. We just have been quite lazy since then and enjoying a break. We hope you all are enjoying your Christmas holidays and families! Merry Christmas!

Christmas

2008-12-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday presley had her Christmas ballet program. She was so cute and so excited to go all day. She has an awesome dance teacher and Presley loves to dance and be a "princess." They did three dances one of which was with Santa! Then they all got to sit on his lap and he told them some things they had been doing that he was noticing (all good of course!). They were all so cute and did a great job.
Bryer was named student of the month out of the 5th grade on Tuesday, and recieved a medal and gift certificate. We are very proud of him and his hard work at school!
We have been very busy this week with Christmas parties, programs, work and all the stuff that comes with Christmas, but we hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season! Merry Christmas!

Holliday goings on

2008-12-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

We had a busy Thanksgiving weekend, but it was so nice to go and see lots of family and friends! We were able to get together with my dad's family for dinner and everyone was there minus Tasha and Alaina, and Cortney was with her inlaws. We went to Rexburg to see Twilight with the Beards, and it was a great show I thought. Then on Saturday I was able to see my grandparents sealed together in the Rexburg temple! It was so neat to see my dad and his brother and sister with their parents kneeling together to become a forever family. Not a dry eye in the house! Then my grandpa's brother who died when he was a teenager was sealed to grandpa's parents. Anyway, it was really cool.
Last night was our ward Christmas party and the kids were in a little play, it was so cute and even Presley got to a hold an angel picture and it was so cute.

2008-11-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

Well since we live so far from friends and family, I guess we better jump on the BLOG BANDWAGON and join the computer lit people! David and I have been married for 11 years now and have 4.5 kids. Bryer 10, Chet 8, Presley 4, Dawson 2, and baby #5 due the end of January. I know, I know, we are insane and yes we know what causes the whole baby thing, but we are very excited now that we are getting used to the idea, and are looking forward to our new arrival! We own the bowling alley and live in Salmon, Idaho and stay very busy between that and the kids.