The Becksteads

A day like today.....

2012-01-14T22:12:00.002-07:00

Today is just a day, but a day that will never be the same. The doctors had said that they have done all they can do. We knew that this was a possibility soon. But it’s not something that you can ever prepare yourself for.…. My dad was ready for heavenly father to call him home. I thought that I would be ok and that I could handle being there…. Today I am not so sure! I know it was for the best…But I really miss him being here.

I love you dad!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful holiday season! Last year was so full of uncertainty and sadness that I was determined to make this one a good one to remember! With the help of all my family and friends keeping us busy through the holidays it was great! I took my vacation while the kids were out of school. It was the most enjoyable week I have had in a long time.

I didn't catch many pics but here is one of my adorable kids!

When Kaysha and Kagan wrote their list for Santa this year we agreed we would all have one less gift and use that money to donate food for the food bank. My kids loved the idea and were very excited to help someone that could not afford it.

Kaysha asked Santa for a Pink barn and corrals, a winter outfit for her American Girl doll and a Ipod touch.

Kagans wish list included a new truck and trailer for his horses, Ipod touch and a Ipad...LOL

The only thing that could have made it better was to have my dad here for Christmas. But I am pretty sure that he had the best day ever celebrating Chistmas in heaven. I can't imagine a better place to be to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Carving that perfect pumpkin.....

2011-11-16T17:52:00.002-07:00

Our annual pumpkin carving this year was held at the fire house...Aunt Val always plans a great party for the young and old kids. First we fill up on some yummy foods so that we can have plenty of energy to carve our pumpkins.

Blu and Rodger really get into their work!

John and Ang helping Colby carve his pumpkin

Cute Miss Brooklyn!

The Torgersons doing a little punkin carving!

Kendyl bugs and her cute pumpkin

Lots of fun memories are made and we have time to catch up with our cousins and friends!

"Blu best" and Kyson

After we get them done we line them up and admire all the good work that the kids put into it!

In search of the perfect pumpkin

2011-11-01T09:32:00.001-06:00

Kagan, Haddy, Kaysha, Ang and I went to the pumpkin patch in Elsinoire. The kids love to go there. They are so friendly and make sure the kids have a great time!

Notice Kaysh is in every picture in some way! She loves the camera.

Kaysha and Haddy looking for some gords to decorate with.

Kagan and Haddy skipping around looking for pumpkins.

After we found the perfect pumpkin the kids went for a ride on the train...Love the little caboose!

We had a great time looking for pumpkins. Never a dull moment with those 3 cute kids!

Happy Anniversay today.....

2011-10-24T11:50:00.003-06:00

Today we are celebrating my mom and dads 41st wedding anniversary. It is a very hard day for my mom. As time goes by things seem to be getting harder...

Michelle and I are trying to make the best of it for her (Acutally Michelle is the brains behind it). She reminds me so much of my dad :)...My dad always sent my mom flowers and took her to dinner. I remember as a kid going with them to celebrate their anniversay. My dad never forgot even one of them.

This picture was their 30th wedding anniversary. My dad suprised my mom with a new wedding ring. He is the sweetest man ever! Love them both!

My dads headstone was set last week. It is very hard to see this. It makes it so permament and too real! We miss my dad very much. I know he is with us every day and it still taking good care of us from heaven!

(Front View)

(Back of headstone)

My mom and I went out on Friday and decorated it with many fall decorations. It looks really nice out there. It made me feel better to decorate my dad and Eric's place of rest.

By chance..... Probably not!

2011-09-13T12:16:00.014-06:00

We have talked a lot with Kaysha about getting baptised....We put off going to church because of our own selfish reasons... Then Kaysha decided that she was ready to be baptised.

So just by chance that week the missionaries stopped by to see if there was anything they could do for us...I said yes that my little girl is wanting to be baptised. Then we set an appointment for them to return.

Our first missionaries were Elder Hare and Elder Gillmore. We learned many things. My kids were challenged to learn to pray to Heavenly Father...They started out very scared and shy about doing it...Now they beg to be able to say the prayer. I remember Kag's first prayer he ever said he recited the pledge of allegiance.

After a transfer of missionaries we had Elder Hare and Elder Barrett. Elder Barrett was very hard to relate with...He made this journey a little difficult to continue with. We made many excuses as to why we couldn't meet with them.

Another transfer brought Elder Curlee with Elder Barrett and he gave Elder Barrett a run for his money...Elder Curlee brought a great spirit with him.. There was an instant attachment between "The Becksteads" and Elder Curlee...

The best transfer of all brought Elder Curlee and Elder Dyer together...They helped make huge transformations for our family...Through their lessons and kind spirits they brought the gospel to our home..It will forever change our little family! We began praying together, reading the Book of Mormon, and attending church...This brought our family closer than it had ever been... I will be forever grateful to those two missionaries.

On August 20th Kaysha and I were baptised together by my best friends son Colton Ogden...A moment that this mom will never forget! We had many family and close friends that attended. Sunday we were confirmed by Dave Jensen who is Kaysha's uncle... It was an amazing feeling and I hope that I can keep it with me forever..

Elder Ogden is leaving tomorrow to serve his mission in the Scotland/Ireland area... He is going to make an unbelievable missionary...He will touch many peoples life's.

As for Kaysha and I this will be a day we will never forget! A bond we will continue to have through eternity!

Before the missionaries started coming I prayed every night that heavenly father would help me to become a better person, friend, wife, and mother. I also prayed to help me find a way to deal with the sudden loss of my father.I was just sure that all the turmoil and trials that I had gone through in my life was self inflicted due to something I had been doing wrong...

I understand now that it is LIFE and trials are what we all go through...They teach us lessons and turn us into the people we are....And I wouldn't want to trade me for anything!

As for my dad...My grandma sent me his genealogy the other day and I learned that he was baptised into the LDS church when he was 8. I had no idea that he was...I plan to one day do his temple work and I now have peace knowing that I will get to see him again!

Kag's 1st lawn mow.....

2011-09-02T14:51:00.004-06:00

Kag has been wanting to mow the lawn for many years. I kept telling him when you get bigger you can mow the lawn....Well that moment has came. He is BIGGER! How did it happen! My baby is old enough to mow the lawn. He did a fabulous job! He is better at making straight lines than I am.

Then once we began mowing the lawn it started to rain...We kept mowing for awhile because I thought what the heck....We will dry!

Kaysha and Kendyl played in the rain also...

Kag took a break to enjoy the rain!

It was one of the funnest days I have had in a long time!

Love all these cute little kids! Wish I could keep them like this forever! :)

Marysvale Rodeo

2011-08-09T12:19:00.005-06:00

The 24th of July rodeo in Marysvale was HOT but lots of fun! The kids stayed cool with spray bottles and lots of water fights!

Blu my hot hubby/ hot flag boy/ hot pick up man! It is so fun to watch him doing what he loves!

Kagan and Deagan have looked forward to going with Blu to get ready for the rodeo since the last 24th. Deag was sound asleep that morning and all I had to say was "who wants to go with Uncle Blu to the rodeo?" and he jumped up out of bed to get ready to go. I packed them both a lunch and sent them with Blu. They both had the biggest grins ever!

Blu, Marty and Owen have been friends for years! They do a great job at getting the rodeo together and putting on a great show!

Great weekend with lots of yummy food, friends and family!

Kaysha's "best birthday ever! "

2011-07-27T08:53:00.006-06:00

Kaysha has been working on us for a few years trying to get a cell phone...I have always told her that when she was 11 I would let her have a phone....Blu and I gave in...She was so excited to open up her phone...It is a very used phone and we already had a 3rd line for our house...I put a stylish Zebra print cover on it and she absolutely loves it!

We had cake and ice cream at the house and then we went swimming for Kaysha's birthday party...As always we had a great time...The dads were sore the next morning after trying new flips off the diving boards...Most of then turned into back flops and belly flops!

Kaysha said,"this was the best birthday ever"!

Happy 9th birthday baby girl! I love you so much!

MSHA Recognition

2011-06-01T13:11:00.002-06:00

My dad's office called and they are putting an article in the MSHA magazine in honor of my dad. This is the article they are putting in. It is bittersweet. I am so proud of my dad and I love to see it but at the same time it makes me cry.... He should still be here with us.... I love you Dad and miss you so much!

John “Rick” Cooper

Rick Cooper was born on March 23, 1952 in Durango, Colorado. He passed away January 14, 2011 due to complications from a recent illness in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Rick served his country in the United States Air Force from 1970-1974.

Rick loved spending time with his family and friends. He had just celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary with his wife Vickie. His children include Brian Cooper, Eric Cooper, and twin daughters Michelle Brazell and Alicia Beckstead. Rick had 10 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.

He loved life and enjoyed being outdoors hunting, fishing, horseback riding, boating and camping.

Rick took pride in his work making sure that all the miners were safe and protected. He was set to retire in 2012 from his years served with the federal government.
We will miss his friendly smile and willingness to help out wherever needed.

Donations can be made on his behalf to American Veterans at http://amvets.org/.

His family is deeply saddened by his sudden passing. They would greatly appreciate to hear of any memories or thoughts. Please send them to:
Michelle Brazell
508 West 600 North
Richfield, Ut 84701
435-201-9528
deagan4@hotmail.com

2011-05-13T16:46:00.009-06:00

Easter weekend we spent in Escalante, UT filled with rain, mud, 116 miles ridden on the back of a 4-wheeler,lots of yummy food, and BEST of all great family.

We went down on Friday night. Set up camp ate yummy food and laughed a lot! The kids were so excited to go down and camp for 3 days and play.

Saturday morning we planned a trip to the Hole in the Rock at Lake Powell. Despite the rainy cold weather we headed out.

Our first stop on our ride to the Whole in the Rock.

Kaysha my litle poser

The Whole in the Rock was awesome. I can't believe how determined the pioneers were and all that they went through to get through that rock! Pretty amazing!

Haddy and her most favorite aunt! Love you Haddy!

Easter Morning after the rained stopped the kids did the usual easter egg throw...

Before we went to Escalante we colored Easter eggs at Aunt Chell's and as always we had a blast!

Happy Birthday today....

2011-04-29T16:01:00.002-06:00

Happy 34th Birthday today to my brother Eric. I miss you lots and think about you often.....

Happy 59th Birthday.....

2011-03-23T16:27:00.007-06:00

To the best Grandpa EVER

We LOVE you!
Kaysha and Kagan

Kaysha and Kagan wanted to have a brithday party for grandpa yesterday. So we took some balloons to the cemetery and on the way home talked about our fun memories of grandpa. They miss grandpa so much! When Kagan gets sad thinking about grandpa not being here he says, "I always think about the fun things I did with grandpa and it makes me happy". I have so much to learn from my sweet amazing kids! I love them both so much!

2011-03-14T08:11:00.003-06:00

Two months ago today you left this earth to be our angel in heaven. Not a day goes by that I do not think about you and miss you so much! Everyone keeps telling me that with time missing you will get easier.... I am not sure that will ever happen. I wish that I could give you a great big hug and see your sweet smile! I love you so much!

Sad day for mommy...

2011-03-01T07:58:00.006-07:00

Yesterday I picked Kagan up from his dad. He was with Blu while he was riding horses.... Usually when Kag sees his mommy he runs and give me a big hug.... WELL not this time... First of all he didn't want to go with me. Then when I talked him into coming with me I tried to pick him up and give him a hug... He said no hugs mom.. WHAT he's to little to not want to hug mommy! Then we get home and I kissed him and the little turkey tried to wipe it off. What the heck! He has always been mommy's little boy!

So that is it! He is totally GROUNDED from playing with his dad!

2011-02-22T08:54:00.025-07:00

He has so much to put up with being married to me...
Especially lately...
When all I do is cry.....
and feel picked on and being way to sassy....

And he can still tell me...
I love you
you are great
thank you for all you do
way to be tough
everything is going to be OK
our kids are so lucky to have a mom like you
you look hot!

Thank you Blu for being mine and the most kind hearted loving man a girl could ever ask for! I LOVE YOU!!!

Kag's 7th birthday!!!

2011-02-18T08:38:00.021-07:00

I love this little man! When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday he said, "Get me whatever you want. You know what I like."

We had a great day! He had a "boy" birthday party this time. In February it is a little hard to come up with fun things to do for birthdays. Kag had a Wii party. I got a medal pan on a pedestal and put pop in it. We had big bowls of popcorn with candy everywhere. I am sure their parents loved me when the kids went home... Oh well we had a BLAST!!!

One of Kag's little friends said, My dad doesn't let me eat in the living room. I said, well Kag doesn't really either we are just doing this for his birthday. The little boy says, Well I think Kag is a lot more spoiled than I am. LOL!!!

We had Kag's family birthday party at McDonalds. Best party place ever! You show up with the birthday boy and everything is ready. After you are done you get to leave the mess there!

Kag told me he had the best day ever and I am the best mommy ever! Love it!

My Dad....

2011-01-25T14:19:00.018-07:00

My dad was the most amazing dad ever.... I am soooo sad to know that I will not be able to call him on the phone or have him give me a wink and a hug. It wasn't that he would give me advice about everything... It is that he would just listen... And say everything will be ok sweetheart....I love you kiddo....

The last conversation that I had with my dad I will never forget... He told me how proud of Blu and I he was and the life we have made together with our family.

I am going to miss my dad..... But I have many wonderful memories that my dad helped create and they make me smile when I think about them.

Thank you dad for being MY DAD and for the support and love you always gave me. I will carry it with me forever!!!!

Love,
Your Little Girl

Strength.....

2011-01-11T14:04:00.012-07:00

My dad had surgery again last night.... He is having major complications again.... The dr's told us today that he had a 50% chance of making it through..... BUT that also means he has a 50% chance of being here!

I am trying to dig down deep and pull it together one more time..... I know that there is a reason for all the trials we go through in life..... This trial has taught me many things..... AND....Just when I think I can't get through anymore, one more day goes by... We have all made it through one more DAY! That is really all we can ask for... God has graced us with one more day with my dad.

Today I am going to think positive and pray to my heavenly father AND what will be....will be.......

I love you Dad!!! Thank you for fighting so hard to be here with us! I know you can do it!

Yesterday....

2011-01-10T08:41:00.010-07:00

Yesterday marked a month my dad has been in the ICU at the U of U. WOW!
It has seemed like forever that he has been sick but looking back at the last month it has flown by. With all the ups and downs we have gone through. A month long of agony because he is still critical and as they keep telling us "not out of the woods yet". UGH!

He had been making some big improvements the last few weeks. On Thursday he caught pneumonia and had a rough weekend but was starting to make more improvements. Yesterday his WBC went up again. Now they are thinking he has a infection in his abdomen from sugery.

Yesterday was also my mom's 57th birthday. We celebrated the day with her favorite pizza and chocolate cake. It was the first birthday party my mom has spent without my dad in 40 years.

Everyday I continue to learn what matters most to me in life.

My family is the most important thing to me! ALL of them! My kids are amazing little people. They miss there mommy being gone so much. But they understand that grandpa needs me to. My hubby is as I have said before an AMAZING man! We have had so many up and downs in our life together and he has been my rock beside me the whole time!

My friends are in the running for number one also. I have many unconditional friends in my life. It doesn't matter what happens they love me anyways! They have been a huge blessing to me!

I have also again realized how much I need to continue to trust in god!

"God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way, grace for the trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love".

So for TODAY we are not looking back at yesterday we are looking forward to today!

Hope for the best, expect the worst & go with what God gives you!!
~ God will carry you when you feel you can't go any farther!! ~

Counting our blessings!!!!

2010-12-30T14:03:00.010-07:00

Once again we have had another terrifying week.... On Christmas night I had to take my mom to the ER because she had a hard time breathing. They diagnosed her with pneumonia and we took her home on oxygen and breathing treatments. On Sunday we got a call from the ER doc and after having the radiologist read the xray he felt there was a mass in her lung. WOW! Seriously can we handle anymore???? A question at this point we try not to ask....

After days of waiting we finally got news last night that they were unable to see anything on the CT scan. Doesn't look to be cancer. YEAH! We needed that news!

Last night we also received more goods news about my dad. He has been making good progress. Still critical but making some big steps towards improvement! WOOHOO!!!

I keep hearing from one of my best friends a quote she heard, "God only gives you what you can handle. Don't you wish he didn't trust you so much!". Boy is that a understatement!

My family is having a huge trial in life right now. But with the help of so many amazing family and friends we are getting through this. It is a day to day thing but WE are doing it! Thank you so much to everyone!

This is half of my family(just needed to post a picture with my Dad in it)! The other half of my family I gained when I married Blu. I dont know what I would do with out any of them. I love them all so much!

And my hubby Blu is a very amazing man! I love him so much and I am so thankful that I have him! He has been an awesome WIFE to me the last few weeks! Thank you honey!

Christmas Blessing

2010-12-23T11:35:00.004-07:00

The last week and half have been terrifying to say the least..... Many times I have been so close to loosing my dad. Something that I am just not ready to do. And as hard as he is fighting i think he is not ready to leave us either. I am so thankful that he is still here and making progress.... The dr's gaves us hope yesterday and that was the best Christmas present I could have received!

I love you so much dad and cannot wait to hug you again!

Daddy daughter date

2010-11-05T09:48:00.007-06:00

Kaysha invited her dad on a date for achievement days. The girls had been planning it for weeks. Kaysha was so excited. It had a cowboy theme. They had 3 legged races, roping, and so many more fun things for them to do together.

Of course to go on their date they both had to have a new pair of boots..... What an expensive date for mom....

Kaysha and her daddy had a fabulous date together!!!! Memories they can cherish forever!!!

Family vacation at the ranch

2010-11-05T09:43:00.002-06:00

What a great weekend we had! Nothing to do but to sit on the porch at drink a cup of coffee and enjoy the view. The kids had a great time. Most of the weekend they spent in there footed jammies.....

First Day of School

2010-08-26T11:57:00.002-06:00

This year Dad had the fun of the first day of school jitters. I had a meeting in Salt Lake :(. Kagan was to say the least not one bit excited to go. There were many tears shed but Daddy and Kaysha did great at helping him get over those jitters. He had a good first day until it was time to go to bed last night. He told me he didn't know if he can go again. It takes way to long. Then right before bed he made up his mind about what he was going to do. He said he is not going to school, he is done with it.... LOL.... Let the fun begin!
He went to school today with no tears and and not even one hesitation. He must of decided it wasn't so bad.

Kaysha loves third grade and can't stop talking about it!

State Qualifier Race at Redhills BMX

2010-08-17T08:37:00.014-06:00

The state qualifier had a pre-race Friday night. Kaysha had to race against boys. She was pretty tough out there! She kept right up with them! So proud of her!

On Saturday the state qualifier race started at 10:00am. We had an awesome turnout. There were 166 riders and 41 motos. WOW! Not to bad for our first state race. We had many that came from Salt Lake and St. George. Our Richfield riders kicked some bum! Kaysha took 2nd, Deag took 1st, Rodger 2nd, and Austen took 3rd. We also had many others that took 1-3places.

These are our track guys that keep things running smooth!

Deagan is a fast little rider. He took 1st place!

Uncle Dodger took second! He raced against 20 year old kids! He didn't do to bad for an old fart :)

Austen took 3rd. He had some tough competition! But did an awesome job!

Aunt Carrie took 3rd. Even though she lost a peddle!

Kaysha and her 2nd place trophy! Good job Kaysh!

What a fun weekend! It was a lot of work. But it was an unbelievable feeling to have it all come together so well. Good times! Good times!

My sweet little family.....

2010-08-05T11:02:00.004-06:00

Sometimes we need to just take time to look at what we have and how blessed we all truely are.....

I looked out the window and saw this the other night. Couldn't resist taking a pic through the window.

They were out talking about the day and having the cutest conversation.... I love these guys!

Seven Peaks

2010-08-05T10:49:00.008-06:00

We had so much fun at Seven Peaks! Now that the kids have gotten older we can drag them on just about anything there.

Kagan was having fun turning the water on to dump on his sisters head.

They thought this slide was the best. They talked me into going down it with them.... Once I got my suit out of my toosh I decided not to try it again...

Kaysha's 8th B-Day

2010-08-05T10:28:00.008-06:00

I can't believe that my sweet little Kaysha is 8. WOW how fast time goes by.... I have loved every moment of her sweet little life!

For her 8th birthday she wanted to rent the swimming pool. We had so much fun!

I cannot believe both my kids dare go off the high dive.... How about Blu's hot white legs... lol

4th of July craziness

2010-07-20T13:08:00.021-06:00

I have said it a million times that 4th of July is my favorite holiday of the year! We spend the entire holiday making unforgetable memories with the best family and friends in the world! This year was great! Having Salina and Richfields celebration on seperate days made it so that we could have an extra day of 4th fun!

Kaysha and Kagan had so much fun at Salina's park games..... They won thier gold fish that mom will torture until they go to fishy heaven.... Sometimes they get droppped when I am cleaning the bowl....

Lisa and I rode the float with the girls for the mini North Sevier cheerleaders.... It was very hot!

After the rodeo on Saturday night we came back to our house and let off some fireworks.... We let them off for the kids I think :) After letting off a few fire works I noticed that the kids were playing out back and the adults were the only ones enjoying the fireworks.... Lisa chasing Mike and Jesse with Roman candles down the street was hysterical!

These cute girls couldn't take it anymore. About 1:30 am they finally gave it up!

The Richfield Parade was a long hot walk! We had a great turnout for Redhills BMX riders. The kids had fun riding in the parade.

It was an exhausting weekend. But it was tons of fun! I have lots more pictures to add later! Love you all!

Swimming Lessons

2010-07-01T12:35:00.006-06:00

Kaysha and Kagan had a ball this year with swimming lessons... Today was there last day and they both passed.... They did a great job and loved every minute of it!

Kagan is the silliest boy! He is SO much fun!

The big splash was Kaysha jumping off the diving board... I couldn't catch a picture of her in the air... She was deathly afraid to do it at the beginning of the week. Her Dad couldn't take it. So he wanted to take her swimming Monday night. Within 15 minutes he had her jumping off the low dive without a life jacket and swimming on her own back to the side.

This is the life.... It's the little things that make life so GREAT!

Red Hills BMX

2010-06-11T11:09:00.004-06:00

Michelle and Rodger have been working their tails off for months trying to get a new BMX bike track in Richfield.

All their hardwork finally paid off. The first race was Saturday June 5, 2010. We had a great turn out. This has been the funnest sport to get into. It is great for the whole family. People of all ages compete. There is even a 60 and over class. Michelle, Carrie and I are going to do a little riding ourselves.

Easter Weekend

2010-04-15T09:58:00.007-06:00

was a busy but fun weekend!

Friday night we colored our eggs. On Saturday we went to the roller skating rink for Racyn's birthday. Then we went to Michelles and had a Easter egg hunt. Then off to Carries for yummy BBQ kabobs with steak, shrimp and chicken. On Sunday we went to grandma Sharons for our annual Easter Egg hunt.

Kaysha, Kagan, Haddy, Kendyl and Deagan getting ready for the big hunt.

Kagan had a full bag of Easter goodies.

We don't roll our Easter eggs. We THROW them... The kids had so much fun!

Dance! Dance! Dance!

2010-04-13T11:31:00.005-06:00

The dance rectial was once again amazing. The girls all did awesome! One of my favorite parts is to watch Ginger and Penny dance. They are such talented ladies.

Kaysha did so good. She has so much fun dancing. It was a very special mom moment watching her out there. Loved every minute of it!

Good job Haddy you did GREAT!

Michelle and Blu at the dance recital???

The purse goes well with his outfit...

First warm weekend....

2010-03-23T08:50:00.007-06:00

And we took FULL advantage of IT!
This weekend was amazing!
The warm weather really makes you have spring fever.
We played outside all weekend long.
On Saturday Blu brought Kagans horse Hippy up to the
round pin for the kids to ride.

Blu made about 800 laps
around the round pin with all the kids...

Life somehow works it's self out!
And gets even better than it was
BEFORE!

Disney on Ice...

2010-03-17T08:33:00.012-06:00

Our lives have been filled with way to much stress lately. So on friday Blu and I decided that we were going to get away for a day and have fun with the kids. They really wanted to go to Disney on Ice. So we decided to surprise the kids and take them on Sunday.

I woke Kaysha up first that morning and asked her if she wanted to take her dad and Kagan to the Cheesecake Factory. That is her favorite place to eat. She popped out of bed and preceeded to tell me what the seating arrangements would be when we ate and what she would order for lunch. She was so excited!

Then I woke Kagan up and asked him if he wanted to go to Salt Lake and have lunch with mom and dad. He smiled his cute little smile. His first question was isn't Kaysha going? He loves his "sissy". He jumped out of bed and got ready.

When we got to Salt Lake to the Energy Solutions Arena we told the kids that we had to stop here first and get some stuff for Blu's boss Jared. That was the best we could come up with.

When we got to the doors the kids still had no idea what we were doing. I gave the man our tickets and went in. They finally saw all the Disney on Ice booths. Kaysha grinned from ear to ear and Kagan just giggled his cute little laugh.

We all had a great time. The show included Little Mermaid, The Cars, The Lion King and Tinker Bell. The Cars show was the funniest. We laughed a lot. Blu and I couldn't stop smiling either because the kids were so excited.

We didn't make it to the Cheesecake Factory because we had to get back for Kendyl's fourth birthday party. Kaysha said it was ok. Disney on Ice was even better than going there.

We are back to reality now and the stress continues but at the end of the day we have the best reward in the world. Our healthy beautiful kids!

The best kids EVER!!!!

2010-03-05T13:32:00.002-07:00

This week was parent teacher conference.... Blu and I have been so excited to talk with Kaysha and Kagans teachers to find out how well they are doing....

First was Kagan's on Wednesday with Mrs. Brown. His report was wonderful! She said he is a great student and does very well in class. Testing isn't his favorite, but he does great if you don't say the "test" word. So proud of that boy!!!

Kaysha's was on thursday with Mrs. Bagley. Mrs. Bagley said that these are her favorite parent teacher conferences when you have a student that does as well as Kaysha does. Most of her scores were 100%. She more than doubled her NWEA testing from the beginning of the year. She started out at the beginning of the year scoring 58 and the middle of the year she scored 156. Way above the class average. So proud of that girl!!!

Kagan's 6th Birthday

2010-02-08T14:34:00.006-07:00

Tomorrow is Kagan's 6th birthday.WOW I can't believe that MY SWEET SWEET baby boy is getting so big. It makes me sad at how fast he is growing up. But excited for the adventures ahead of us!

He has been so much fun! He has the funniest personality and the sweetest heart EVER! I love you so much! Happy Birthday Kagan!

A NEW Fabulous Year it will be.....

2010-01-04T13:18:00.004-07:00

This last year was full of many ups and downs but we MADE it through!!!WHEW.... It was pure craziness! 2010 will probably be even more crazy but I guess that is the way we like things at our house! Blu and I have decided for the new year we would get into better shape and maybe shed a few pounds... We bought a new treadmill yesterday....HOPEFULLY we can motivate each other to get on it!

I LoVe LOVE lOvE my family and friends.Thank you for another fabulous year!

LOVE YOU!!!!

Christmas Memories

2009-12-23T10:09:00.006-07:00

I LOVE Christmas.........I love to see the expresssion on the faces of my family and friends when they open up their gifts....Having family traditions. This year I have been so busy trying to making a living that I almost forgot the part of what makes my life....Spending time with my family. Work has been so time consuming and overwhelming. I kept telling myself that I am doing it because there are a lot of people out there that are depending on me to keep them healthy.....Which is totally why someone becomes a nurse. I only hope that my family can forgive me....My husband has been amazing through all of it. He has picked up my slack and kept everthing going!

On Saturday after I got home from work from yet another clinic I sat down with the kids to make our Christmas cards. They hugged on me and loved me and didn't want to let me out of their site....I thought what they heck am I doing? It is Christmas in one week and what have we done to create memories for the kids. So we spent all weekend baking, making cards and wrapping presents. Santa Claus made a suprise appearance in our window to check in..... So every night till Christmas we have projects to do. The kids are loving it and so am I.

Merry Christmas everyone! May the New Year be an AWESOME one!

Three day weekend started off with a bang

2009-12-16T10:15:00.009-07:00

Last weekend I decided I would take a much needed break from work and take Friday off.

WOW did it start out with a bang!

I had just dropped Kagan off to school and was going to run some errands. The girl hit me and "didn't know what happened". Lucky for me the cop gave her a ticket for improper lane change and she did have insurance. Now just the hassle of getting it fixed. What a huge blessing that Kagan wasn't with me. That was the door he was sitting by.......

On Saturday we went to Salt Lake and stayed downtown. We had tickets to watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Sunday. When we got to Salt Lake we walked downtown to Temple Square to walk through the lights.

The pictures are a little dark but we had a great time! The lights are beautiful!

After we walked through Temple Square we decided to walk down to 2News and check out the studio. We were there close enough to 10:00 that we hung out at the Gallivan Center until it was time for the 10:00 news. Then we went down there to try to get on the news. Kaysha and Haddy had a ball. We made it on the news in the background behind Brian Mullahy.

The Morman Tabernacle Choir was amazing! That was a very special program! Thank you so much Grandma Sharon for inviting us to come with you! We had a great weekend!

Thanksgiving Weekend.....

2009-12-01T15:21:00.008-07:00

Our Thanksgiving Holiday was filled with many hours driving in the car and waiting in lines....

Wednesday night before Thanksgiving was Blu's 32nd birthday. We celebrated at South China Cafe...

Thanksgiving we traveled to Grand Junction to have Thanksgiving with my family. Lots of traveling but well worth it. The sweet potatoes were to die for! Good Job Ang on the new recipe!

Next came early morning shopping at WalMart....We arrived at Walmart at 3:00 am. My sister and sister-n-law are the BEST! They helped me get everything I needed! I left me house at 2:30am and got home at 9:30...Yes I am crazy. 7 hours of shopping in by 9:30 in the morning. The things we do for our kids!

Black Friday was Deagan's 6th birthday also. We went to McDonalds to celebrate his birthday. I am not sure who had more fun Blu and Rodger or the kids.They only broke 2 trays as they were sliding down the slides on them. Michelle, Ang and I were trying to stay awake from our early morning adventure.

On Saturday we went to Jumpin Jacks and then to the light parade in Spanish fork. Kagan's favorite things there were the jumpin frogs, horses and the ski jump. Kaysha loved the balarina dancers. It is amazing to drive through there. We had a great weekend!

Annual Pumpkin Carving at Aunt Val's

2009-10-27T14:29:00.010-06:00

Each year we go to Aunt Val's to carve our pumpkins. It has been a tradition we started soon after we lost some wonderful people in our lives.Uncle Craig and my cousin Gary both passed away in October near Halloween. Aunt Val makes homemade rootbeer and sloppy joes. We have lots of treats and fun!

McKayla and Reed.

Uncle Dodger, Kagan, and Deagan.

John and Colby

Ang and Brooklyn

Kendyl and Nikki

Kaysha, Haddy and me.

The finished product. They always turn out so AWESOME!!!!

Good times...

2009-10-27T12:26:00.014-06:00

Michelle and I ran a 5K in St. George this weekend. The run was called Save A Sister.... It was through Dixie Regional and it was to raise breast cancer awareness.

We were really nervous to finally run it... All we really wanted to do was finish it. We didn't plan on being the first to come in. We ended up 53 and 54 out of we think 300+ entries. Not to bad... We thought!

YA... We FINISHED......

Our awesome cheering crowd.....

We had many people in mind that we were running for. The event raised more money this year than it ever has.

High School Rodeo

2009-09-29T13:48:00.008-06:00

Blu and Owen were the pick up men at the high school rodeo this weekend. They did an awesome job... And saved a few cowboys BUTTS....

Blu loves RODEO...... When he gave up Saddle Bronc riding to be a AWESOME dad we were all a little sad. Now he can get back into it again. He hated to admit it but he was just as sore being the pick up man as he was riding the buckin horse... Might be his age!

Kaysha and Kagan were so excited to watch their dad at the rodeo. They are so proud of him....

ATV Parade

2009-09-18T11:08:00.011-06:00

We sat in line on the canal rode by the saw dust pits for about an hour and half before it was our turn to ride through the parade... We thought about ordering pizza and having it delivered. We were all starving!

Ang was our leader.

Should have been grandma....j.k. grandma we love you!

Kagan rode with Grandpa.

Kaysha rode with mom and dad.

Haddy had fun driving the fourwheeler.

We were number 1635 wow! It was so much fun! I think there ending up being about 2400 four wheelers. They went way above the record! Thanks grandma and grandpa for inviting us we had lots of fun!

My hot hubby at Gunnison Res.

2009-08-18T11:38:00.007-06:00

Yesterday we went to boating with Kevin, Stacy and Katey Rasmussen. Rodger and Michelle and the kids we had a blast.

The kids had so much fun! What a great last night to spend before the start of school again!

Kaysha and Kagan....

2009-08-07T14:33:00.006-06:00

Before we went to Seven Peaks...

Kaysha and Kagan on the way home from Seven Peaks....

We had such a great time there. Both our sweet kids were finally big enough that they could go on all the rides. Blu and I each took one of the cuties and we went on everything that we could. 5 hours of tons of fun!

Swimming Lessons

2009-07-30T08:41:00.007-06:00

Kaysha and Kagan were in the same level this year. They had a great time and learned many new things. They have turned into little fish. It was Kaysha's second year in level 2. She passed last year also but I just wanted her to get more comfortable with the water before I moved her up to level 3. It was Kagan's first year in level 2 and he did really good but he didn't pass. Next year he will do awesome!

They had to have goggles for swimming lessons.

Kagan is a little dare devil. He jumps off the low dive all by himself and swims to the ladder and goes again. When lessons started he wasn't sure about swimming. Now I can't get him out...

Kaysha just loves the water and would swim every day if I would let her.

Deagan took 2nd at Nationals!

2009-07-13T09:52:00.004-06:00

This weekend was the National BMX bike racing in South Jordan. Deagan started racing on friday night but it wasn't part of the actual races for Nationals. He finished 3rd place that night. On Saturday was the start of the National races. Deag raced in 2 classes at Nationals. The first is the open class. He was the youngest in the class and finished 6th. He also raced with his regular 5 y.o. class and wrecked on the first turn but got and up and finished the race. So proud of him for finishing! On Sunday he raced and finished 2nd by a few inches from first! He did awesome!

Small Town 4th of July

2009-07-09T09:56:00.019-06:00

It doesn't get any better than having fourth of July in Salina. Lots of good friends and family to spend the holiday with.
My kids had a great time. We started out the fourth with the parade in Richfield.

Kaysha was being a goof waiting for the parade to start. She is such a little sweetheart!

Kagan was a little worn out from staying at Grandma and Grandpas house. He wanted to sit and watch the parade. Cute Boy!

Haddy danced with Dynamite Cheer. She is an awesome little cheerleader! Love this girl...

Deagan rode his bike with Team Heavy Pedal. He is racing at Nationals this week in SLC. GO DEAGAN! We love you!

After the Richfield parade we went to Salina and let the kids play the games at the middle school.Then we went to the pool for the races. It was so stinkin hot there. I wanted to race with them just to cool off.

In the afternoon we went to Luana's house to have a BBQ with Carrie's family. It was fun to visit with them. Haven't done it in to long.

What a cute family they are!

The Salina parade was next. Kaysha and Kagan look forward to it every year. They get to ride in the grader with Uncle Dodger and throw otter pops.

Deagan and Chantz rode there bikes in the parade for Team Heavy Pedal.

Kendyl was ever so cute handing out one piece of candy at a time in the truck with her mom.

We didn't go to the rodeo this year. I think that is like a first for us in all the time I have been with Blu. We went to Mike and Lisa's and let off some fireworks with the kids and watched the fireworks from the rodeo grounds.

The fourth of July is a great time to spend with family and friends and celebrate the freedom that we have thanks to the heroes of our great nation!

Kagans tonsils....

2009-06-24T15:00:00.004-06:00

Last Wednesday Blu and I took Kagan to get his tonsils out. How nerve racking it was for me to have to anticipate what was going to happen to my precious little boy. When I did my clinicals for LPN school I had to do some hours in the operating room. During that rotation they were doing tonsillectomies. Yuck!! I watched many little kids get there tonsils out. Little did I know one day my kids would have to go through that. All week long all I could picture was Kagan there while they were doing the cauterizing after they took out the tonsils. I also remembered how the little kids would cry for there moms. This is when being a nurse is not good.

Before they took him back they gave him some Versed to calm him down before the surgery. The nurse called it a "cheap drunk". WOW was Kagan funny on it. Blu and I laughed at him until we cried.

That helped calm us down a little. I am not sure if after that we were more nervous about what he was going to say to the doctor or the surgery.

He was only gone for 30 minutes total with surgery and the recovery room. He was giving the nurse a run for her money in the recovery room so they brought him back to us.

The doctor told us when we were leaving that some kids will go home and have Popsicles for a week and some will eat a hamburger and fries. To my surprise he had the hamburger and fries first day post tonsillectomy. What a tough boy!

I took almost a week off to be home with him. Kaysha was a great helper to take care of her little brother. Despite Kagan having his tonsils out we had a great week together. I am so blessed to have such great kids!I love them so much!

What a weekend!

2009-06-01T09:54:00.004-06:00

I planned a relaxing (HA!) three day weekend so that I could be with Kaysha for the last day of school. Since I was taking the day off I decided to get Kagan's kindergarten physical done so I didn't have to worry about it all summer. Thursday night he decided that he wanted his mom to give him his shots and have Aunt Chell love him while he was getting them. So I took him to my office to get them done before we went to the doctor.

I am not sure who it was harder on mom or Kagan. I have given a million shots before but giving 4 of them to my little boy was so hard. He did so good, I was so proud of him! Then we went to his appt with the doctor and I thought he was going to tell me how healthy my little boy was instead he said that Kagan needed to have his tonsils out. Dang it!

After the doctors office we went to pick up Kaysha from her last day of school and go to the carnival at the middle school. It was so hot but the kids had a blast.

The rest of the weekend was filled with lots of extra kids and tonz of cleaning.... Not as relaxing as I thought it would be but spending it with my kids always makes it worth it!

Kagan's first t-ball game of the year...

2009-05-22T09:50:00.006-06:00

was so much fun! Kagan is going to be great at baseball like his dad was. His team is the Ironbirds.

Kagan took a little while to warm up. Once he did he played awesome.

When he was running from third base to home Aunt Chell hollered at him to slide so of course he did. It was a perfect slide. What a kid. He is so much fun!

Good Job Kagan we love you and are very proud of you!

Kaysha's first grade program....

2009-05-20T10:56:00.003-06:00

was the cutest ever!!!! She has been excited for weeks for their program. She has been going around singing all the songs. Last week she brought home our invitation to it and could not stop talking about it.

On Monday they were performing it for the whole school and Kaysha was so nervous. On Monday night I asked Kaysha how she did in front of the school. She said, "Mom I just had to laugh" I asked her what she laughed at. She said, "because I had butterflies in my tummy. I had a mommy butterfly and a bunch of baby butterflies". It was so cute.

She is so awesome. I love her so much and I am so proud of how well she has done in school this year. They do testing at the beginning of school and set a goal for the end of school. Kaysha's goal was 160's-180's for most of her subjects. When they did their end of the year testing she scored in the 190's in everything. WOW! How amazing!She is so smart.

What a wonderful Mother's Day.....

2009-05-11T08:56:00.002-06:00

Spent with my beautiful children, husband and family. I woke up with the best gifts of all on mother's day. Kagan gave me a homemade flower with a vase. The flowers were his cute little hands. Kaysha made me a necklace that is so adorable. Then Blu cooked breakfast and it was delicious.

In the afternoon we met Blu's family out at Maple Grove and dutch oven cooked chicken, potatoes and scones. Yummy!!! We had a great time.

Mother's Day is I think my favorite holiday. I can't wait to wake up that morning and see the fun little things that my kids make for me. They are the best gifts of all. I am so thankful that I have my cute little kids and our wonderful families.....

Romantic date just Blu and I

2009-03-23T10:30:00.011-06:00

Blu is trying to get a little better at finding things that we can do together....

So when he asked me to go to the desert with him on Sunday I couldn't say no. I packed us both a lunch for a fun day in the middle of nowhere on the desert by Greenriver. We had to haul water to the cows. The morning was beautiful the sun was shining and no wind was blowing. He loaded me up in this huge old water truck. I found a date in it of when it was made(1965). The top speed in it was 30mph. Which I don't think we ever reached.

By lunchtime the wind was howling. I will be washing sand out of my hair for days. Anything that could go wrong while we were out there of course did. But it was just fun to be out there together. There wasn't anything else to do but talk to each other. We had a great day. We haven't laughed that much together for a long time.

To bad this wasn't the sand that was blowing in our hair. It probably wouldn't have been as much fun if it was!! LOL

2009-03-05T16:05:00.002-07:00

Saturday at the pasture

2009-03-04T13:05:00.013-07:00

On Saturday Grandpa Mark called Kagan to see if he wanted to help him herd the cows out of the pasture. They needed to tag the new baby calf's. Kagan of course said yes.

Off went Kagan, his dad, and Grandpa Mark to the pasture to herd the cows up to the corals. Kagan had a ball riding a big horse all by himself. He tagged along behind his dad and grandpa. Kicking the horse for all he had to keep up with them. He bounced around on the horse with one hand on the rein's and the other on his hat to keep it on.

Once they got all the cows herded up they had to sort them and tag the babies ears. Blu helped Kagan get the calf in a mugger hold so that grandpa could tag it.

2009-02-18T17:43:00.006-07:00

These two little beautiful kids make my world turn.... What did we ever do without them? Last night I rocked both of them to sleep.... I know they aren't babies anymore. But it was wonderful to kiss there cute little sleeping lips.... Both of them smelled like baby lotion. You could just eat them up when they smell so good and are sleeping so peaceful!!!!!