Mesa Temple Easter Pageant 2010

Neal and Morgan

Ed and Amir with the Family

Each year we look forward to the Mesa Easter Pageant. We had a rough start getting out the door but we found great seats. We invited Neal and his mom Jane, Ed and Amir (neighbors) and although it was cold and windy it was an amazing experience. What a great way to start our Easter celebration!

New Haircut

I took Morgan to get a haircut yesterday.

It is much shorter and a little bit sassier than usual.

(Just like her personality!)

I think it looks cute!

Sorry!

This morning I was cleaning up the breakfast mess and I heard laughter in the air. I turned around and saw this:

All three of my children happily playing together without being forced. It doesn't happen often and I love these rare moments. The best part was getting a picture of Adam stuffing his face with pancakes. He has about six huge pancakes a day!

Ten minute later I heard this:

"That's not fair!"

"Seth, you can't help Adam!"

"Mom!!!!"

It was great while it lasted.

Troop 388 Fundraiser 2010

Today we had the biggest community carnival/fundraiser the Ocotillo Ward has ever known.

The boy scouts needed some funds for camp and the entire ward pitched in to make the carnival a huge success. It ended up being an amazing missionary tool as well. Way to go scouts for making your goal!

My Independent Child

Lately I've been worrying about my mothering skills. I know I do way too much for my children when it comes to self-maintenance and household chores. Also, my house is a mess and I'm wondering why I feel so low all the time? I've been introduced to a great book, "The Parenting Breakthrough" and have put some of the techniques to practice. One of the things that is a little annoying about my children is the amount of demands each day. "Mom, make me a sandwich!" What is that? I'm tired of being ordered around and it's time for Manners 101 at the Beckstead's. I completely blame myself for my lack of parental control. I realized the other day that if I don't get a grip soon, my children will be grown and it will be way too late to change anything.

Well.... here is an example of Morgan after her sandwich demand. Perfect time to teach her how to make her own sandwich! It did take 15 minutes to actually teach the task but I'm hoping it will help her and me in the long run. Although she had more miracle whip than turkey it was an amazing achievement! With a little help from "The Parenting Breakthrough" (thank you Kathleen), "Love and Logic" (thank you Melissa), flylady.com, and a lot of help from above I'm hoping my life will have a little peace. We can always hope right?

Poor Baby

This is probably the saddest picture I have ever seen. Please don't think I'm horrible for taking it but I had to record this moment. Adam once again had oral surgery Monday. This time he had four teeth removed and was a perfect patient as always. The doctors are amazed when he comes in because he's a pro and is always cooperative. When we got home he wanted two things: a blanket and his dog. We then sat in front of the television together for about four hours straight while he watched Spongebob and I changed his gross gauze. He is a trooper and we love him so much. Although he has had more minor surgeries than any kid I know, we are just grateful for all the medical advances that have helped him over the years. Thank you to those who took Morgan and Seth for the rest of the day. We love friends and play dates!

Pitch, Hit and Run!

We received a phone call today from the Queen Creek Park and Recreation. Seth tied for first in the Pitch category for the Pitch, Hit, and Run event last Saturday. It was funny because we all slept in and the boys had 10 minutes to get dressed if they wanted to go and compete. They didn't really care about it but finally decided to get going. Seth is now going to Sectionals in May. Way to go Seth!!

Third day in Flagstaff

Camp Verde

This is the only reason we chose Flagstaff because Seth needed to do some extra research for his wax museum project at school. He is researching General Crook and we were told that Camp Verde was the place! Well, we learned absolutely nothing about him but it was a great tour anyway and it still counts as a resource. So it was a win, win situation.

We topped off the trip with some Dairy Queen blizzards and drove back to Phoenix. What a trip! :)

Second Day in Flagstaff: Part 2

Wupatki-Pueblo Trail

We aren't tired of seeing yet another national park. The kids had a kick out of working in those silly junior ranger books. We are loaded with badges and certificates! We are all about the education!! It was pretty amazing.

When we returned to Flagstaff we headed to a disgusting Chinese buffet that made us all sick and then splashed around in the pool with literally 50 other people. The janitor had to tell us to stop splashing around because the water was running into the hotel lobby. It's all about the FUN!!

Second Day in Flagstaff: Part 1

Sledding was the best part of our trip! After gathering all our gear from some very generous friends, we were all warm and snug and ready to rip down some major hills. We only had a few injuries but overall it was a huge success!

Later we headed for the museum of Northern Arizona Museum. One word: lame. Not worth the money we paid but the kids did get to see some amazing rocks?!

First day in Flagstaff

Wanting to just "get away" we headed to Flagstaff with the kids and some cool cousins, Kate and Paige. Our plan was to find a hotel with an indoor pool, check out some national parks, go sledding and see some different things around Flagstaff. We had fun and all the kids played great together. It was a much needed vacation without breaking the bank!

Montezuma Castle

Pizza, Pizza, and more Pizza!

Lowell Observatory

The highlight of the observatory was going into the Pluto Telescope Dome house and seeing Pluto. They looked in the original telescope that discovered Pluto in 1930.

After a full day we headed to the hotel and went swimming until late. The kids even met a new friend that hung out with us each night and morning at the pool. With Morgan in bed with Joel and I, the girls in the pull out bed, and the boys on the floor, we all fit quite nicely. And yes, we were a little bit embarrassed with the quantity of people in one room but proud of our large family!