Today

I haven't updated anything on here for years... So sad!!!  Today was a pretty normal day, but I had some precious moments this evening with my youngest son.  Garrett was at Scouts (Matt went with him tonight) & Gavin went to bed early with a migraine... Poor thing!  This gave me a rare opportunity to have some one-on-one with Parker.  We went outside & sat on the trampoline (Parker's idea).  We layed down & looked at the sky, the clouds, & the mountains.  It was just before dusk.  The lighting is especially beautiful at this time, highlighting the deep green of the pines that blanket the mountains & the all contours of the Rocky's that are otherwise less obvious.  We talked & he was able to feel Brooklyn moving -- he loves that!  She's been quite active today.  I told him she must be excited to come out & play with him.  Then he flashed the sweetest smile.  :)  I told him it was time to get ready for bed and although willing, he mentioned how he wanted to show me the garden & all the new growth.  I couldn't say 'no' to such enthusiasm.  After he very gently helped me off the trampoline (what I needed was a forklift), we walked hand in hand to the garden, where he pointed out 'this & that'.  He was especially excited about the peas & blueberries.  He then showed me some clay rocks & explained how you can make clay paint from them.  Oh, how I love that littlest man of ours!!!

Winter 2008

Garrett's Baptism

Playing in the Snow

Happy Birthday Gavin!!!

I love the look on Gavin's face--it's a classic 'Gavin expression' as he tries to wait for something yummy or exciting!!

Grandma & Grandpa Beecher were visiting over Gavin's birthday :)

At last...yummy frosting!

Cool dinosaur book--thanks Aunt Becki!

Happy 5th Birthday!! You are growing up so fast. You fill our home & our lives with so much fun & excitement. When you were only 3 1/2 months old, I was holding you on my lap, as you watched Garrett play. He did something you thought was funny & you laughed so hard. I will never forget that--it was so cute & so YOU. Nearly every night, as you go to bed, you ask me "Mom, what can I do fun, tomorrow?" You live to have a good time! You light up the room with your beautiful smile & you have the cutest dimples! You have a very sweet & tender love of Jesus Christ. Many times you pray that He will never die again, although you have been assured, He will not. You cannot refrain from hugging me & Dad, while you thank Heavenly Father for us or tell Him how much you love us. :) You are usually the first to crawl into bed w/me in the morning. You are my best 'snuggle-buddy' ever!! You are usually walking & talking before you are fully awake. You love water! You are usually quite fearless & not afraid to try new foods, activities, etc. You are quite the little comedian. You have an incredible imagination & are very intelligent! You absolutely adore your brothers, although you tend to find great joy in taunting Parker. You idolize Garrett, in every way. You want to do all that he does, all the time. You are extremely determined, strong-willed, & persistent. You are so protective of your brothers. You hate to: hold still, be quiet & calm, see anyone hurt or sad, wait, miss out on anything, 'bad guys', lose any competition, eat lettuce, & talk on the phone. You love to: laugh, be read to & try to read yourself, run fast, play hard, watch Dumbo ('Gumbo'), play w/trains, always be in charge, wrestle, be independent, play games (especially the Caterpillar Memory Game w/Mom), make people laugh, talk, ask questions, play basketball, snuggle, compete, help out, paint, throw... anything, learn new things, catch bugs, help w/ your brother's chores (so he can play w/you sooner), & give big hugs & kisses. We are so happy you are a part of our family!! Our home would be rather boring w/out you. We love you so much sweetheart!!!

YES...finally!!! After a long & very frustrating computer issue involving Spyware, all our software had to be removed from our computer. Unfortunately, I have not located my Kodak Easyshare software since our move. :( I seriously felt like a small part of me had died! For now, I am using another program & am so excited to download & share photos again!!

Day at the Fair

Garrett's 8th Birthday!!!

The morning of Garrett's birthday. We can't believe he's already 8 years old!!! He LOVES Lego Bionicles and was so excited when he opened the first one. He has had so much fun putting them together & playing with them. He's even shared them w/Gavin, until he loses a piece, at which point Garrett takes away Gavin's 'privilege to play Bionicles...forever.' Then after some sleep & realizing he doesn't have a playmate, Garrett gives Gavin his 'privilege' back. :) Thanks to all our family for making his birthday so special! We can't wait for his Baptism over the Thanksgiving Holiday!

Garrett, we are so proud of the wonderful, responsible boy you are. You are a great son, a loving & caring big brother, a fantastic reader & student, an excellent example to those around you, a loyal friend, with a very strong will, a tender heart, a good sense of humor, & an amazing singing voice. You hate: sleeping, stopping anything fun, any degree of injustice, losing to Gavin, saying 'goodbye' to grandparents, coming inside from playing, & hornets. You love: Bionicles, playing w/your brothers, making up your own games & rules, dinosaurs, talking to me when I tuck you in @ night, our make-believe stories about 'Sam's Adventures', being in charge, petting & snuggling your dogs, doing your best, sugar in any form, chips w/lots of salt, school, cars (especially race cars), being together as a family, holidays, traditions, your friends, playing tag, 'sweet teachers', books, insects, climbing hills/rocks, all colors (especially red), soccer, helping take care of Parker, p.b. & honey sandwiches, riding your bike, Jesus, creme soda, exploring, using your imagination, racing & beating Gavin, showing off your 'guns', giving gifts, playing video games, writing letters to Santa, doing anything like Dad, & going fishing. We love you so much, Garrett!!!

Evening view from our front yard

Our Summer in Montana

We moved to Eureka, Montana the latter part of June 2008. We received a voluntary transfer w/Matt's work. Talk about a complete change...going from the southern border of the U.S. to the northern border!! We really miss our good friends in El Paso--if only we could transplant them here, as well as our families!

It is incredibly beautiful here. We feel as if we are on a permanent camping trip. The home we are currently renting is on a few acres of land and sits up on a hill w/ a 360 degree view of the pastures, horses, forests, and mountains that surround us. Our boys have had a blast this summer w/room to run & play, catch grasshoppers and watch the deer in our backyard. Matt thinks he's in heaven w/lakes, ponds, & rivers at every turn. It's a fly fisherman's dream. El Paso is a long way from water..... besides the Rio Grande, of course, which was often less than grand! Our boys each have their own fishing pole now & watching Parker try to cast his line is so cute. :) It makes Matt proud.

Now if we could just work on the boy's language, we would all be proud! Parker's new favorite word is 'butt head.' I am so embarrassed, yet slightly amused at the fact that Parker (being as sweet and innocent as he usually is) has picked this up from his older brothers. He says it softly and almost kindly, unless he's really mad, in which case it sounds exactly like you would imagine. We have made several new friends here. We absolutely love our branch--the members are so kind & down-to-earth! They have made us feel so welcome and loved. We already feel comfortable here. (Not at all what we imagined a small town to be like.) We have been very blessed and are excited to plant our roots here.