The 'Small' Beasley Family... sharing a little piece of our life with you...

Beauty for beauty's sake

2011-08-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

Why do we have sunsets? Do they have some great purpose? If we didn't have sunsets would the earth cease to function?

Why are there so many flowers? Surely a few different varieties would provide the enough substance for the bugs and animals that eat them?

Why create vistas that make you want to weep? Or glorious night skies that silence you in awe?

God is the original author of 'Beauty for beauty's sake'.

Chapter Seven: The last chapter...

2011-06-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

In which our rather exhausted heroes drive like mad men to make it home, but not with out religiously observing a stop any true Nebraskan feels called to make... the Sidney Cabela's!

Elsie was ecstatic when we pulled into the Cabela's parking lot. We'd be trying to explain the trip schedule to her, telling her that we'd go home after we had seen the 'big animals'. In her desperation to be back home horses and cows along the road had become 'big animals'.

I think the enjoyment of seeing the grizzly and elephant was sweetened by the thought that she would be sleeping in her own bed that night [smile]!

A very friendly Cabela's lady gave all the little people stickers. Edmund immediately ate his, and Yelena spent the rest of the trip home occupied in trying to get hers off. When we tucked the beanies in their own beds at midnight it was still attached [smile]!

Chapter Six:

2011-06-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

In which our heroes, having made it through several wet and tempestuous nights, decide that the time has come to pack up their tent and embark on the homeward journey - much to the delight of their eldest children.

We took a different set of highways and interstates home, because Caleb wanted to stop at Chimney Rock.

Elise enjoyed running up and down the deserted sidewalks - until she took two face-plants in a row. Poor little nipper.

Looking back, maybe stopping that close to nap time wasn't the brightest idea we've ever had.

But Band-aids can heal just about anything. I knew we hauled that first-aid kit along for a reason!

Chapter Five:

2011-06-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

In which our heroes undertake a brief expedition into the halls of learning, and the elder two at least return greatly benefited and edified.

If any of you end up in Ft. Robinson, I would highly recommend the camp's museum. The displays were very well put together, and kept the attention of two year old and twenty-six year old alike [smile].

The following exhibit cracked me up. It told what happened when Ft. Robinson became home to several thousand people - soldiers and families - after WWI.

The placard next to the picture explained that sanitation was becoming a big problem at the fort - animals were running amuck. The problem became so acute that Major G. Henry issued the following warning to pet owners.

"To properly train these animals in respectable ways all violators will be taken up and placed in the pound, from which they can be taken by owners on payment of $2 for a dog and $1 for a cat. The owner must be notified , and if not claimed at the end of 24 hours they are to be shot (not the owner)."

Chapter Four:

2011-06-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

In which our heroes are exposed to dangers that run rampant in the outdoors - indifferent camp food and sunburn.

We were going to take it easy after all the hiking the day before, a happy breakfast and trip to the park...

Elise and Yelena waited patiently for the pancakes to be ready.

Caleb, Elise and Yelena played 'Pooh-sticks' while waiting for me to clean up breakfast.

'Pooh-sticks' is a fabulous game in which two sticks - or in this case two left-over pancake bits - are dropped on the up-stream side of a bridge. The players then run to the other side to see whose bit comes out first. It's usually easier to play if you use sticks - there were several times when the water logged pancake didn't come out the other side [smile]!

Poor Edmund looked like a little sausage in a swing, but he did seem to enjoy himself.

It's been years since I've been on a swing - although between giving pushes, and admiring Elise going down the slide - I didn't really get to swing very long!

Elsie was a natural - she and Daddy had a lot of fun together [smile].

It was a rather overcast day, so you can imagine my surprise when we all started turning pink that afternoon. I guess even overcast sun reflects off gravel and give sun burns!

My handsome man!

Chapter Three:

2011-06-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

In which our hero and heroines' children decide they've seen enough 'bus-a-lows'*, and that it is in fact, time to go home.

For the first couple dozen wild buffalos Elise was enchanted. After the next couple dozen she was less so. And after we'd been driving through buffalo country for an hour we heard impassioned pleas from the backseat to go home.

"Time na home? Time na go home?"

We bolstered moral with a lunch break.

The buffalo were a prelude to Mt. Rushmore National Park. There are four national and state parks all clumped together in that incredibly scenic part of the country.

Mt. Rushmore Park was lovely - despite being hit hard by the vile spruce beetle. The hills looked like it was fall, because of all the spruce bug's devastation. The Park staff were so worried about the beetle's effect on the pines they sprayed all of the trees around the carving so as to preserve the traditional view.

The park had a great 1 1/2 mile walk around the base of the cliff, where you could see the carvings from different vantage points, read about the subjects (i.e. George Washington, Abraham Licoln, etc.) and the artist who was in charge of the project.

Despite already having walked several miles that morning, up and down the Black Hills, Elise was a trooper. She enjoyed the stairs on the trail - and firmly insisted on doing them all by herself!

Worn out, we returned to camp to recover and eat hotdogs!

*For those of you that don't speak Elise-ish 'busalow' means 'buffalo'.

Chapter Two:

2011-05-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

In which we tackle the scenic buttes of the Black Hills and find that the age old saying is true - It is easier to get up than get down!

I have always been of the opinion that hiking in the wilderness, or in fact anywhere with grass, is just one great big tick hunt. The little stinkers seem to sense my aversion to them and come from miles away just to sit on grass next to the trail I am taking. They then hand out prizes to the ticks that can grab ahold of my skirt and make it home with me [shudder!]

The other inhabitants - and by that I mean non-insect inhabitants! - were much more pleasant to observe. Ft. Robinson used to have a major horse breeding operation back in the early 1900's - they provided calvary horses to the army. The horses that still live at the fort are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

Elise turned out to be a fabulous hiker - despite the lack of a morning nap...

...Though towards the end poor Yelena was dozing off in the back-pack [smile!]

The view from the top of the buttes was great - if you remained on your feet long enough to enjoy it. The wind was fierce, and we had to keep a tight hold on Elise, or she would have sailed off like a kite!

A Beasley Family Adventure...

2011-05-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

... In which our Heroes embark for Lands Unknown with three Small Ones in tow.

Our first stop was confirmed what I've always suspected...

Nebraskans have a very odd sense of humor.

Delighted to be out of the car, Elise ran off an excess of energy - darting in and out and around the cars. We were had the landmark to ourselves, thanks to approaching rain and wind speeds that were nearing wind tunnel levels.

Beside Carhenge the park boasted a variety of other odd sculptures - all welded together from various vehicle parts.

When the whirly-birds fall...

2011-05-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

....it brings joy to all -

especially if you're two feet tall!

Dandelions are good for something after all...

2011-05-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Daddy took Elise to the library, so we sat out in the yard to await their return.

Yelena kept busy by picking every dandelion puff and blowing the fuzz off - or having me do it [smile.]

Only an occassional bird or neighborhood dog could distract Yelena from her self-imposed mission of ensuring that our yard would be covered in dandelion plants for many years to come.

"Where did it go?"

When Elise got home she wanted in on the picture taking - but she wanted Daddy in the picture too.

"Daddy, COME!"

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

On a whim we broke out a box of chalk Sunday evening - while people were still in their church dresses. Looking back that might not have been the wisest thing I've ever done. But then again the next day was wash-day [smile!] And in the long run what are a bunch of chalk smudges compared to the memories we made?

Yelena wasn't interested in drawing, so much as she was in amassing chalk 'to hold'. Ehbit spent his time watching Yelena like a hawk and making a grab for any chalk that came too close.

Elise and Daddy made a very artistic team.

Yelena seemed magnetically drawn to the center of whatever I was drawing at the time. I have a lot of half finished masterpieces out on the driveway, because Yelena scooted over to them faster than I could finish them. You should have seen the rainbow hues on her little pink bloomers!

Here's wishing our fabulous mothers and grandmamas a wonderful rest of their special day! We love you so very much!

May I hold Ehbit, Mommy?

2011-05-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

Elise has a new joy in life - holding Mama's 'baby doll'! She is only too happy to sit with Edmund on the couch for as long as I'll let her.

Poor Yelena sometime falls victim to Elise's desire to hold a baby. It usually ends in squeals on someone's part.

The long awaited day!

2011-05-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

Three years ago we talked about this day - thinking it would never come. Now, 37 credits, 12 classes and 6 semesters later, my husband is graduating again! This time it's with a Master's Degree of Science in Civil Engineering.

The entire family turned out to bear witness to Caleb's accomplishment - making the long drive down to the UNL campus, in Lincoln. Now that's love for you!

The graduation was only for the Masters and Doctorate students - so the crowd was smaller than it had been for the undergraduates' ceremony.

The graduation was relatively quick, but we still had to wait through the traditional interminable reading of names [smile].

It was finally Caleb's turn to go up and receive his diploma. We all cheered very loudly, of course!

After the audience was dismissed we hunted Caleb down and got a family picture. We ended up having to enlist the aid of a total stranger to take it. There were so many of us the poor lady had to back up almost the entire width of the stadium ramp to fit us all in the picture [smile]!

Happy people glad to be out of the stadium seat and in the fresh air once again!

Congratulations Caleb! We are so proud of you!

God has blessed your diligence and hard work - helping you to finish strong. May you always use your talents and knowledge for His glory!

Eating 'Loo-loo's'

2011-05-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Certain members of the family can't say 'noodles', so I get many requests for 'loo-loo's'.

There isn't much counter-space for my little helpers, but we make do.

They love looking through the cooking magazines - pointing out new tasty recipes they think I should try [smile!]

An exciting new offer!

2011-04-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

... It came in the mail - an offer too good to refuse! A seven day Alaskan cruise - touring glaciers - or a twelve day tour down the coast with guaranteed sightings of wild life.

"Which one to choose... which one, which one..."

"Do you see the price tag Yelena? I don't think you could afford this. Unless of course you took your savings of $ 19.25 out of the bank and then hit up your dad for the rest....

I'm not advising that you do that of course, at the rate you're earning money you'd be in debt to him till you were 67."

[Profound silence]

In desperation Yelena decides she'll save up the needed amount by couponing. It may be a long hard road but she'll get there, one free can of Beanie Weenies at a time.

It's that time of year again...

2011-04-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Time to break out the lawn chairs, grill and ... National Geographic?

My husband grills the best steaks in Omaha, so if you're in town and want to partake of the best steak you'll ever eat, stop by. We'll share [smile]!

The poor hungry person in this picture is waiting with great amounts of patience for her father and sister to come back inside so she can eat!

Baseball buddies

2011-04-28T05:06:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah - a son to watch sports with!

(And there was great rejoicing!)

Kind and caring sisters...

2011-04-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

The poor, put-upon young man [smile!] He handles all the adoration rather well.

Thank you LORD...

2011-04-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

...for family!

Aunties are the new 'Best Friend'

2011-04-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

Your friendly neighborhood Milliner

2011-04-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

Yep! That's me! [smile]

Anna needed hats of the bonnet variety for the NCHEA play this year. She gave me two very 'well loved' sun hats and I chopped and sewed until they looked like this.

Leah dear, my patient model...

In order to wear the hats properly the girls needed a hair style from the time period. I call this the 'Jane Eyre' hair-do.

Singing with Daddy

2011-04-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

Whenever Daddy gets out his guitar our daughters feel the need to break out the hymnals and sing along [smile]!

Lovely relatives...

2011-04-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

... they should come over more often!

Hannah and Rebekah came over to help me with flowers for a wedding. We took a break around lunch time.

Hannah and Elise drew pictures...

Rebekah and Yelena played 'Cool Baby'...

... and Edmund just 'chilled'.

If you want to see pictures of the flowers visit my floral blog: www.fortheloveofpetals.wordpress.com

Settlers of Catan XVI

2011-04-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Little Man

2011-01-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

One month old

Sisters share everything...

2011-01-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

... especially Cheerios!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-20T09:08:00.001-08:00

Elise and Daddy watching the unwrapping of the presents. Elise had been hopping around, affected by sugar, lack of sleep and too much attention, she was being a small stinker, so Daddy decreed that some "time to calm down" was in order!

Our two little 'Bag Ladies' [smile!]

Betsy received a 5000 piece puzzle that the relatives, Caleb and various Gradys spent hours working on that evening. I borrowed the puzzle a week later, when they had finished it, but after doing half of it I was very disappointed to find that our dining room table couldn't fit it! The thing was over 5' long!

Announcing the arrival of...

2010-12-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

- Edmund Nathanael Beasley -

December 9, 2010

8 lbs. 13 oz.

We are all rejoicing over this beautiful new life the LORD has sent us!

Market to Market Relay

2010-12-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, myself and seven other people of somewhat questionable sanity, ran a relay race from Omaha to Lincoln. 84 miles over flat (HA HA) Nebraska from the Old Market to the Hay Market via bike trails, gravel roads, Hwy 31, the pedestrian bridge across the Platte (I got to run that part!), more gravel and sometimes paved roads, MO-PAC trail, and O St. Each runner ran twice or three times, switching off at 21 designated exchange points some of which were parks, some were small towns, and some were just gravel road intersections.

I ran three legs totaling over 13 miles of very unflat terrain. The next two pictures show exchange zones. It was an exhausting day but very fun. We'll have to do it again next year.

Tommy is in the green waiting for Lindsay to come through.

I'm about to take off for my next leg (I'm in the gray shirt) as soon as our runner arrives.

The team at the end of the race waiting for our last runner.

Phillip ran the last leg of the race - the team joined him to run across the finish line.

We were always not far from Wii Fit, a team dressed up as Mario Brothers characters. They ended up beating us by 3 minutes.

Our team coming across the pedestrian bridget from Haymarket Park in downtown Lincoln. We finished 46th of 238 teams.

Thanks to Mom's offer of a ride all of my girls got to be there at the end to cheer on the team!

Once the excitement of seeing Daddy running wore off, Elise wasn't interested in the proceedings any longer. Her attention was fully occupied by collecting small green ball-like plant bits (how's that for technicality for you) and stuffing them in the binocular bag.

And finally, the team, with our finishing time. That equates to 7:47 miles on average for those of you not mathematically inclined. Good work, team; can't wait til next year.

Happy Birthday...

2010-12-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

... to my favorite husband!

In September my wonderful husband turned 26. We celebrated the traditional Beasley way - with pancakes in the shape of your age. Elise thought that was so neat, so even though it wasn't her birthday, she got a number also [smile]!

John's birthday at Hummel Park...

2010-12-01T07:37:00.000-08:00

... Otherwise fondly known as the 'Whoop-Whoop Hills'!

John invited a whole bunch of small beanies out to Hummel for his birthday. They had a great time climbing up and down dirt cliffs - but since the small members of my family weren't up to that we went over to the park and played there. Or in Yelena's case, ate wood-chips [smile]!

After going down the slide a couple of times and being pushed on the swing, there is not much left to do at a park except to examine the local flora and fauna...

There were quite a few specimens of 'fauna' to choose from. Grandmamma found a little frog, and John brought a small snake over to the park. I think they wanted to see it go down the slide. The snake was not cooperative...

Flower, flowers everywhere!

2010-09-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

I did the wedding flowers for Micah and Esther's wedding - with a great amount of help from my dear family.

Hannah was my main flower helper, but for some reason she was the only one who could trick Yelena into eating, so she did double duty [smile]!

Tootsie came and played nanny, spending most of her day pushing the girls around the vast church kitchen on one of the many trollies.

The kitchen got prettier and prettier as the day went on - with the fruits of our labor scattered where ever there was counter space!

Trimming the stems on the bouquets to get them ready for pictures.

Anna the official bouquet holder!

Official pictures of all our floral efforts will be posted on my floral blog soon:

www.fortheloveofpetals.wordpress.com

Outback Steakhouse Run

2010-09-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

This year Caleb ran in the annual Outback 5k/10k Run. He was running the 5k...

... and as it turned out so was the whole Creighton basketball team! Talk about a surprise! Even their new coach was there. After the race the team signed posters for everybody -

Evidently it's tradition for the Creighton team to support and run in this race. Esther has declared she is coming next year [smile]!

The highlight of the race for Elise was her balloon [smile].

As the course was mainly on the Keystone Trail, the girls and I stayed in the parking lot and cheered on the runners as they left, and then again, 18 min. later when the first 5k runner showed back up.

Caleb came back through with a time of 22:00 - he finished eighth over all!

Darling girls...

2010-09-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

And several months later...

2010-09-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

It's like I forgot I had a blog! That's the only reason I can think of to explain why I haven't posted since Texas [smile].

Well let us see if we can catch you up to date.

After Texas we had a second birthday...

... complete with cake

and a new baby doll...

There was a trip to one of Omaha's two claims to national fame - the fabulous Henry Doorly Zoo!

Everything had changed since I'd been there four or five years ago...

....it would have been easy to get lost, but Elise kept us on track with frequent perusal of the zoo map!

We've led a relatively quiet summer -

....with a few sisterly dramas to add excitement [smile]!

'Tour de Texas' - On the Way Home

2010-06-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

We left Uncle Mark and Aunt Cathy's house at 5 a.m. in the hopes that we would get home at a reasonable time. We'd only been driving for three hours when we entered Oklahoma City. Four hours later we were still there thanks to some of the most incredible severe weather I've seen in a long time!

The interstate flooded from the 9" of rain, and we were stuck for quite a while waiting for the 'river' to go down. The water was twice this wide when we first pulled up, but I didn't think to take a picture till much later :-(

Thankfully there were puddles, and rocks to throw into them...

God, in His mercy stuck us right next to people with two dogs, and a farmer with four cows on their way to a show. So when Elise got tired of puddles there were animals to look at!

When we were finally able to drive over the former river bed, this is what it looked like down in the ditch.

'Tour de Texas' - Part Two

2010-06-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Caleb took the girls and I to the famous Ft. Worth Zoo on Friday. We braved the 98 degrees (+ extreme humidity) and enjoyed ourselves very much, although we did spend a little longer than was absolutely necessary in the air conditioned penguin exhibit [smile!]

Yelena just hung out in the stroller, and took in the sights - all 3" of them - from underneath her hat...

Our favorite part was a goofy orangutan that was playing with a straw hat. After chewing off half the brim he tried to place it on the head of a buddy who was trying to sleep... that didn't go over too well.

Elise loved the birds...

----

Saturday morning, before getting ready for the wedding, we went Glen Rose, TX the home of approximately five dinosaur tracks. Well, five were all we found [smile!] They were under water - of all places! I would have thought the river would have worn them away....

Next time we head back to TX, we're going there again! And this time we are bringing water-walkers and swimsuits, maybe even a tube or two! To get to the second set of tracks people have to wade across the river. Most never make it, they're too busy playing in the water!

'Tour de Texas' - Part One

2010-06-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

The wedding of a good friend of Caleb's nessesitated a visit to the far away state of Texas. I'm pretty sure the only reason it seems so far away is that now we're traveling with two small people instead of just one.

Elise spent most of her time asking for 'More' of whatever snack she had last...

And then being plunged into the depths of despair when she was told 'No'!

We got to stop in El Dorado, KS and visit Grandma and Grandpa. Aunt Karol surprised us by coming down from Wichita -

We ate lunch with them and enjoyed being out of the car - I visited with Aunt Karol and Grandma, while Caleb tried to coax Elise through the play area. She didn't go for it, and was content to stand around our table and do cute things for the adults.

The Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament

2010-04-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

The best single sporting event (hands down!) is not going to change...much! http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5125307

Sorry to all you ladies out there that read this blog but it is my blog too and I'm going to post about the tournament that is near to every sports fan's heart. Besides I know some guys read this and it also links to my facebook.

Rumors abounded the last few weeks that the NCAA wanted to tweak March Madness (to make more money). It seemed that they wanted to expand the field to 96 teams instead of 65. While I was not dead set against this expanison as many others were, I was opposed to it. Why try and change the nation's best tournament? (I didn't think the expansion would deem the regular season meaningless because the first round bye would be very important, I more or less thought the added round was unnecessary.)

I thought the NCAA ended up making the best choice in expanding the tournament to 68 teams, meaning there will be 4 play-in games instead one. This gives the teams from tiny conferences a chance to win a tournament game, and this also could lead to the first 16 over a 1, since (relatively) better teams will be 16s. (If Robert Morris, which would be a 16 in the new tourney, took #2 WV to OT, who's to say they couldn't have played as well against #1 Syracuse.) In addition, the new Great West Conference was going to need an auto bid soon so either there would have to be expansion or an at-large bid would be lost. So in the end, you're only going to "dilute" the tournament by adding 2 more at-large teams, and I hope that can allow a worthy mid-major regular season champ i.e. Kent St that didn't win its tournament. And another thing is that overall look of the tournament didn't really change so filling out your bracket and competing against your friends can continue as it has for the past decades.

The thing I didn't care for is that CBS had to partner with Turner to win this contract. I do not have cable TV. I liked the fact that I could sit down and watch the best games on CBS and they would switch me to another if it got out of hand or there was a closer game nearing the end not in my region. Now it appears that each region will have its own channel so I will be stuck watching KU beat down East Western St instead of the nail biter 5/12 game between Georgetown and George Mason. And then in 2016 the Final Four is going to be on TBS?! But by that time, who knows what technology is out there and it is 6 years down the road. Things change over time.

I'm just glad to ESPN didn't get it, it will still be on regular TV (mostly), and it will still be the same tournament I've known and loved.

I just can't get over it... children are such a delight!

2010-04-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

(note: it just said 'noise' - not 'melodious song' or anything like that... we seem to have a lot of that first stuff going on here [smile].)

Yelena had been making her share of 'non-joyful noise' - so I sent Elise in to comfort Baby, not expecting much. I believe my exact, rather desprate, words were, "Elise, go make Yelena happy!"

Being the dutiful and obedient daughter that she is, she trotted out of the kitchen. I was doing dishes so the small figure that came back in and got into the Tupperware cabinet a minute later didn't really register. What did register was the cessation of noise in the living room...

Elise had brought Baby her favorite toys - I walked out to find Yelena half buried in Tupperware lids!

Thankfully I got to her before Elise started hauling out the glass containers!

What a good big sister!

Settler's Tournament

2010-03-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

This was the thirteenth Settler's of Catan tournament. Kudos to our favorite 'cellist (that apostrophe was just for you Rick!) for arranging everything and figuring out all the stats.

Some of us were serious about playing the game...

...playing so hard they had to take a nap to recover :-)

But as is the case at almost every party, some people came only for the food!

Round #1 wins were marked down on the score sheet...

...and Round #2 was dived into with gusto!

... Well, most people dived into Round #2 with gusto... some were slightly distracted by the shiny Apple.

Abby was the self proclaimed "Official Kibitzer" - since she did not have points to lose :-)

Elise was the first to notice that Anna was only one point away from winning her second game of the day...

Anna played down the last cards that enabled her to build the winning settlement, netting her a tournament victory. An honor that she shared with her brother John, who had also won his two games...

Yelena felt that Anna's success was largely due to Yelena having drooled over the cards in the second hand of the last game - tired out by using such extreme measures to help a relative she relaxed with her sister and listen to 'Are You My Mother?'

In the end a lovely tournament was had by all! Here's looking forward to Catan XIV!

Baby portraits...

2010-03-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

Yelena needed her 'official' baby portraits and since our favorite family photographer is currently snowed in at her new house in VA, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Or rather, take the camera into my own hands...

We stuck by the old adage, 'If you take enough pictures a few are bound to turn out'! :-)

I had quite the helpful team - everybody wanted to be in on the picture taking :-) We had sheet holders, baby holders, people to make Yelena smile... you name it we probably had somebody doing it! But I guess after 20 minutes we wore her out - then there were baby comforters :-)

Elise got her turn for pictures too...

Joshua 21:45

2010-03-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to pass on a verse I read recently that was encouraging:

"Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled."

-Joshua 21:45

How to play football at a basketball game...

2010-01-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

On Monday night we got to watch Joe's game against Central Bible College with the Beasleys. It was a great game - with a nail-biting last couple of minutes that eventually led into overtime. The Royals ended up loosing by four, but they put up a good fight.

Elise was in seventh heaven - she had a captive audience - three rows of doting relatives and friends who would give her anything she wanted, and who laughed at all her little tricks. What more could any little girl ask for :-)

John gave her a football at half time, and she gave us our own little half time show! The first pass was a little tricky...

... and the second one just kept right on going!

Pictures of the Girls

2010-01-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been some time since we posted something, but we have been very busy with a wedding, Christmas, and 2 little girls, not to mention work, school, church, and extended family. You'll probably be surprised to see a new post. I was hoping to put together some kind of Christmas letter but I don't think that is going to happen especially with school starting again next Monday. But here are a few pictures of our darling daughters.

A morning with physical and spiritual food.

Cool Baby!

2009-11-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

Somebody learned how to put their sunglasses on all by themselves - with the result that the glasses stayed on even when it began to get dark. That made walking in certain rooms rather hazardous... or entertaining, depending on who you ask!

Beeping the baby's nose - before Daddy could grab the hands :-)

More pictures of Sweetness #1 and Sweetness #2

2009-11-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

Elise is more than happy to bask in the extra attention a new baby brings.

Elise is our self proclaimed 'baby watcher', which is a little trying at times. She is very enthusiastic about bringing over books and toys to share - which means I have to be on hand to remove them when they start to bury the poor baby :-)

Elise, letting me know that it is time to un-bury Yelena, yet again!

It's a Girl!

2009-11-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

Introducing Yelena Joy Beasley

Weight: 6 lb 6 oz, Height: 19.5"

Born November 5, 2009 at 9:06 AM

Abby and Yelena are doing very well.

She was named in honor of our late sister-in-law Alaina Beasley. May the LORD give us joy through our trials.

Waiting for Mama

2009-10-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Evidently I took too long in getting her up from her nap.... Usually it's just a blanket or two on the floor, sometimes the pink bear, but today it was everything!

Farewell, Metrodome

2009-10-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

By Caleb:

Most of you may not know this, but I'm a bit of a Minnesota Twins baseball fan since my grandparents have lived in MN for some time and they won the World Series when I was real little (1987/1991). I just follow them fairly casually, although the internet now gets me a little more involved. But I had never been to a game. The Twins are moving a new ballpark next year and wanted to go to a game in the Metrodome before they moved. So finally, at some persuading from my cousin Tim, who lives in Minneapolis, I bought 2 tickets for the second-to-last game of the season, last Saturday (10/3), against the KC Royals.

When I bought the tickets, the Twins were well out of first place so I thought the game would be fairly meaningless for the players. I could not have been more wrong! The Twins kicked into gear and won 16 of their last 20 games and now were only 1 game from first place. Abby and I drove up Saturday morning for the game, spent the night in a hotel, then toured downtown Minneapolis and St Paul in the morning, then went to the Mall of America.

The game (and the whole weekend) turned out to be lots of fun. The Royals pitched Zach Grienke, one of the best pitchers in the league, but the Twins managed to get 4 runs off him. But the Royals came storming back to tie it including a homer by former Husker Alex Gordon. Then in the bottom of the 8th, to the delight of the 48,000 in attendance, the Twins' first basemen hit a homer, and they went on to win 5-4. That place gets incredibly loud, being indoors and all! It was a memory I will never forget. :-)

This is the Minnesota State Capitol in St Paul. A marathon was going on at the time so we couldn't get any closer. It was a great trip for Abby and I, we called it our 2nd anniversary celebration.

It's a Wild Party Night

2009-09-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

What could be more fun than cute chicks and board games :-)

Millard Days Parade

2009-09-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves parades, right? I guess babies are no exception - unless the parade runs for over two hours and they miss their naps :-)

The expectant throng

Finally! Our people!

Tired, but still happy - a crawling billboard for various campaigning politicians :-)

Worlds of Fun Home-School Day

2009-08-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Every year we go to the Worlds of Fun, the girls have an official color - to make us less 'lose-able' :-) This years color was hot pink!

Caleb could not come with me so Aaron, bless his sweet heart, volunteered to be my ride buddy!

This is my ride-buddy looking sad because they would not let me on the 'Fury of the Nile' because I was pregnant... we're still not quite sure why. You'd think a tame water ride would be fine :-)

After lunch we let our food settle, and avoided the roller coasters - doing instead all the smaller things that tend to get passed over, like the bumper cars!

The 'Rip Cord' is one of those in the category of 'Generally passed over', but that most certainly isn't because it's smaller! Two massive towers fixed with cables that haul you in a harness up 200' and then let you free fall. It looked cool, but I still don't know what possessed Aaron into trying it :-)

He talked Anna and Phillip into doing it with him... well he talked Anna into it. Death defying recklessness must be a male thing, because Phillip volunteered :-)

Here are the harnessed people waiting for their turn.

Being lowered to terra firma!

At the end of the day the older ones started bowing out of the more 'exciting rides' - prefering to take pictures instead of getting motion sick :-)

Here are the darling pickles on the way home, all wound up from the ice cream their dear brother got them! We had to slip sedatives in their pop before they conked out :-)

Base Picnic

2009-07-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

Norfolk YMCA Triathalon

2009-07-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

This past fall I decided to try some swimming over the winter to keep myself in shape when it was too cold or snowy to run. So of course to keep myself motivated I had to have a goal to pursue. Enter: A sprint triathlon. Josh and I entered the Norfolk YMCA triathlon, a 500 yd swim, 10 mile bike, and 2.5 mile run.

This was a pool swim we had to wait our turn to get in the pool. It was based on your registration date so we were a ways down the list.

I set a personal best of 10:58 on the swim and then rushed to pull on my socks, shoes, shirt, and jacket (it rainy and windy and fairly cold). If I do more triathlons, my transition must improve because it was horrible.

Josh finished the swim shortly after me because he started later.

I biked in my running shoes and Josh had his biking shoes so I just hung up my bike and ran off while struggled to change shoes. We managed to come into the transition area together.

Josh also flew through the run and placed 1st in our age group.

I also had a decent run time and finished with 1:08:20 for everything. I was 4th in our age group. I was happy with my times but compared to everyone, I was quite slow.

Abby and Elise came to cheer us on. Elise was showing off her Husker hoodie along with her cute baby looks.

She's a 'steak and potatoes' girl

2009-07-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

Caleb grilled some of the most beautiful steaks for dinner - Elise evidently wanted to be part of that action!

... And was sorely disappointed when Daddy didn't share.

Maybe Mommy will share?

Hah! Not a chance :-)

Elise loves Father/Son baseball...

2009-07-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

....So much love and attention!

Driving Home

2009-07-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Caleb got a little tired while driving home on Sunday. So he enlisted a little help from the back seat :-)

Somebody was overjoyed to lend a hand!

Day... (Oh, dear - I think I lost track!) - Trip to Washington D.C.

2009-07-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

The last Saturday we were in D.C. Dan came up to spend the day with us.

Saturday was alot brighter than the previous few days had been :-)

Caleb - bless his heart - went to stand in line at seven in the morning to get tickets to go up in the Washington Monument. Dan and I met up at the house where we were staying and took the metro down town to meet Caleb. We hung out until our tour at ten.

The view was great - we saw Marine One and it's two escorts come to either pick the president up or drop him off... No one could quite tell - although, heaven knows, we certainly watched long enough :-)

When we'd had our fill of heights, we set off to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence. That was the longest wait we had in a line anywhere. Well over an hour to file through the room where they kept the documents. Elise kept herself occupied watching the sparrows with the greatest fascination.

One of my personal favorites that day was walking down 'Embassy Row' - a large portion of street totally occupied by various countries' embassies. Caleb could look at the flags and tell us which country was represented - he even knew the obscure flags that belonged to countries I had never even heard heard of :-)

Greece had my favorite embassy.

On our way home after a great day!

Elise enjoyed the Metro as much as we did!

Day Seven (or was it Eight?) - Trip to Washington D.C.

2009-07-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

It's tradition that when ever you're in D.C., you have to talk the walking tour of the monuments. Caleb had never been to all of them, so I had the very rare pleasure of knowing more about where we were going than he did - for once in my life!

We came out at the Metro station next to the Smithsonian Castle and walked down the Mall, past the Washington Monument to the new WW II Memorial.

We walked down to the end of the mall to see the Lincoln Memorial...

Despite the beautiful sky in the pictures, it was less than beautiful temperature-wise! When you were out of the wind it was great, but other wise the chilling breeze cut right through your layers, making you wish you'd decided to stay inside and rent a movie :-)

Elise was in layers and layers of blankets - she was our little pink cocoon!

We walked all the way around the beautiful Tidal Basin, stopping briefly at various small gardens and monuments dedicated to soldiers and great statesmen, but the Jefferson Memorial was our goal, and we finally reached it, despite all the distractions :-) A fitting end for our tour...

Day Six - Trip to Washington D.C.

2009-04-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

(Caleb is writing this post)

We realized that Manassas, VA was not far from the DC metro area, and since I am an avid Civil War student/historian we ventured forth to the battlefield where the Confederates twice routed the Federals.

The park is very well kept and in a pretty part of the country. We went on a 1-mile walking trail around the grounds of the 1st battle of Manassas. (There is a 4-5 mile trail as well but we had a baby with us, and since we were a little tired ourselves that was a good enough excuse :-) There was plaques and monuments at various places telling what happened at the different sites. One could easily reconstruct what happened in one's mind.

The monument below stood at the approximate spot where then-Col. Thomas J. Jackson was given his infamous nickname "Stonewall" as his Virginians were withholding the primary thrust of the Union army while most of the Confederates were fleeing.

I would highly recommend the park for any Civil War and general history fans who are in the area. Get out of the car, and stretch your legs in one of the loveliest parts of Virginia!

Day Five - Trip to Washington D.C.

2009-04-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

Caleb: I attended the Nebraska Breakfast. Senator Ben Nelson and Congressmen Lee Terry, Jeff Fortenberry, and Adrian Smith were all present. Senator Mike Johanns was still recovering from surgery. It was nice to see a more casual side of our representatives. Nelson and Terry traded House and Senate jokes back and forth. There was about 40-50 Nebraskans there and each was introduced by their congressman. I thanked them for their work and asked them to try and balance the budget and vote against any government health care bills. I would recommend anyone visiting Washington, DC to attend the Nebraska breakfast. It is held every Wednesday morning while Congress is in session.

Abby: We had a 12 o'clock tour of the Capital Building, but a sweet information lady let us sneak into an earlier tour! While it was great to be in the capital, I wouldn't say that the tour was the most comprehensive :-) We saw only three of the rooms, a theater for a lengthy video, and a very nice stairwell. I understand that they can't let massive amounts of people wander around in really important parts of the building...

Since we got into the earlier capitol tour we were able to make it to the only tour of the Library of Congress that day.

I love the Library of Congress - it's one of my favorite places in Washington, D.C.

Day Four - Part Two

2009-03-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

On my family's recommendation we went hiking on the Billy Goat Trail at C & O Canal Park in Maryland. We were warned that it would be physically demanding so we put the baby in front pack - backwards :-) We figured it might be easier to walk that way... but it didn't work so well!

The Waterfall Outlook

We were hiking over rocks along the river most of the time.

The hike was took over three hours for a three mile round trip! It was that tough! Great fun though - it totally wore poor Elise out.

Snoozing on the way to the car.

Day Four - Trip to Washington D.C.

2009-03-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was a blast! Caleb took Elise and I to the National Cryptological Museum in the morning. I was really looking forward to it - I've always been very interested in codes, especially the methods used during the World Wars.

A piece of the pentagon from 9/11.

The Enigma machine from World War II.

The museum was home to one of the oldest and best collection of books on code in the world. All in all it was a great museum - one that you really should visit if you're ever in the area!

Day Three - Trip to Washington D.C.

2009-03-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

The National Air and Space Museum attracts people from all around the world with over 9 million visitors a year. That's around 25,000 people a day. Caleb said that on a summer Saturday he wouldn't have wanted to set foot in there - as it was already bad with only the couple thousand that were there :-)

Where do we start first?

The museum is home to the original 'Wright Brothers' Flyer'. The first airplane was surrounded by an exhibit giving a peek into the Wright brothers' life and work - there was even one of their original bicycles on display.

I've always wanted to visit the Smithsonian Castle, so we wandered in for a minute. It was a taste of each of the Smithsonian Museums put together - I think it was to help clueless tourists figure out what they wanted to see :-)

After a long day of walking we're waiting to board the metro and go home!

How Elise Spent Her Down Time in D.C.

2009-03-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

...In Grandma's mail bucket!

Day Two - Trip to Washington D.C.

2009-03-23T19:22:00.001-07:00

Arlington National Cemetary

Walking in the drizzle that soon turned to a steady rain.

The rain kept most of the noisy tourists and school groups away, so we had complete peace and quite in which to walk around and visit the graves and monuments to the men who served our country with so much honor and bravery.

The roads were named after famous - and some not so famous- generals of various wars.

Elsie refused the stroller as the rain came down more heavily - so it was that I discovered the art of holding a small person and an heavy umbrella at the same time :-)

Day One - Trip to Washington D.C.

2009-03-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

We left for our long awaited trip Friday evening after Caleb got home from work. We'd decided to make good use of Caleb's vacation time and drive through the night. Neither of us had ever had to drive through the night before - we'd slept in the back of fifteen passenger vans, while our poor parents drove - so we had little idea of what we were getting into :-)

It was rough - ugh! Just thinking about it makes me tired! But making a long story short - or rather, a long trip short - we finally arrived around 4 pm.

Aunt Linda and Uncle James and the boys met us and took us to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. (Which, by the way is my new favorite restaurant!) The waiter brought Elise a little plate with slices of bread and banana :-)

The presentation of the dishes were very creative and attractive!

Very happy to be there - finally!

Costumes for NCHEA

2009-03-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Elsie is trying to help Anna with the sizing - I think the fit is still a little off though.

Darling Daughter Picture

2009-03-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

I thought it was fine time to add some more pictures. I can't believe it's been so long since we posted something.

Elise is learning piano at a young age. She has her daddy's long fingers.

She has an adoring father.

No Elise didn't get to go to this game, but her parents did. Creighton defeated Illinois St 74-70 in their final home game of the year, sending 3 seniors out as winners including Josh Dotzler, one of our acquaintances from way back when. I even practiced with Josh when we played for different grade levels for Central Christian in grade school. Josh's senior speech was filled with references to his large family (he has 13 siblings).

Our sweet little pickle.

Please continue to be praying for our family, Josh especially, as we go through these difficult trials.

"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in Him." -Job 13:15
"The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down." -Psalm 145:14

My Prayer List

2009-02-16T19:12:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to pass on some people I'm praying for:

-Josh, my brother, who is in a world of hurt.

-Mike, my cousin, who lost his job.

-Katie, my friend, who is making decisions with lifelong consequences.

-Bryan, my friend, who just moved to Ukraine for a year.

I also want to pass along some thoughts I had while reading Genesis 29:

You would think God's plan would have been for Jacob to go to Paddan Aram, marry Rachel and have 12 sons with her. But then Laban steps in and tricks him into marrying Leah first. The "plan" was ruined. But yet God works all things together for good (Rom 8:28), and from Leah we get Levi and Moses, and also Judah, David, and Christ!

St. Cecilia's Quilt Show

2009-01-31T15:33:00.001-08:00

While at Anna Beasley's Pampered Chef party (see the Grady Family Arcives) a friend from church mentioned the fact that St. Cecilia Cathedral was hosting their annual quilt show. She also said that, as an added bonus, they were also showing flower arrangments. That sealed the deal for me - I had to go!

Thankfully Betsy and Anna also felt the need to go see quilts, and graciously agreed to accompany me :-) Here's just a small sample of the beautiful things we saw...

Shopping For Glasses

2009-01-31T12:28:00.000-08:00

Can anyone say 'child genius'?

Coming Home At Last... (and to sub-zero temperatures! Ack!)

2009-01-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

Coming home on Monday we ran in to a horrible ice storm in Texas/Oklahoma. There were cars littering the sides of the road and the rest of the traffic was going at a pace which seemed to indicate that they wanted to join the others in the ditch!

This is what our car looked like after we finally got out of the mess.

Elise thought the slipping and sliding was great fun :-)

New Years Bowling

2009-01-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

Bowling with the Ukraine guys was so great - it was a lot of fun to see everybody again. I had only met them once - and rather briefly- at our wedding, so it was nice to actually be able to talk to them this time :-) All the guys were able to make it except for Jonathan Steele.

We had fun playing 'pass the baby' during our various turns of bowling. She liked all the attention. Well, the attention, and the lights :-)

We went out for dinner afterwards, some of us felt like Chipotle and some of us felt like Asian. But we managed to work it out in a peaceful manner, and us Chipotle people came over and joined the Asian people after we got our food :-)

Jonathan Rhodes is courting a wonderful girl named Amanda. It was a delight getting to know her that evening and then at church the next day.

Note to Betsy and Anna:

I am not going to put the guys' names next to their pictures like a good blogger should. I want to see if you can still name them like you used to!

2009-01-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

I fear that I am begining to sound like a broken record with all of my "70 degrees" and "balmy morning", but it was truly lovely being in a place where if there hadn't been a breeze it would have been hot!

Uncle Mark took Caleb and I golfing Saturday morning - I hadn't touched a club since my days of sneaking out with one of my Dad's "big ones" to hit golf balls as far as I could into the corn field. Uncle Mark was kind enough to give me a comprehensive crash course, and then tell me at each hole which club would be best :-) If left to myself I could very well try a long shot with the putter!

Needless to say we ended up looking for balls oftener than I could wish - I won't tell whose ball they're trying to find here.

Elise was all ready to go golfing with us - sun shade and everything. She was most displeased when she found out we went while she was napping :-)

Letterboxing in Texas

2009-01-21T17:34:00.000-08:00

You are gazing upon the face of a happy man - a happy man in 70 degree weather at the end of January!

Caleb took his girls letterboxing around the Dallas Metro area on a balmy Friday afternoon. We stopped at the Frontiers of Flight Air Museum to hunt for our second box of the day... But Elise was only interested in hunting leaves!

Following the instructions given in the letter box clues can sometime make you a target for strange glances from people who did actually come to look at the airplanes :-)

The box was hidden in the middle of a great patch of bushes - it is a good thing I married a man with long arms!

Elise helped us stamp up - You know, I really think she's developing a knack for this kind of thing :-) Note the attachment to her trusty ink pen!

Trip to Texas I

2009-01-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas/New Year's holiday season. It was good to have Dan back for Christmas and we spent lots of time with both families. We did some bowling for Mom's birthday on the 27th. We also got a good game of Axis & Allies in.

Over New Year's Abby, Elise, and I traveled to Texas to see the stallions, the guys I went to Ukraine with, and my aunt and uncle who live in the Dallas suburbs. Abby is going to post a few pictures when she gets around to it, but I wanted to make a post of my own while I have time.

On New Year's Day, Nebraska won the Gator Bowl over Clemson 26-21. We watched it with Uncle Mark and Aunt Cathy and Elise was dressed in her Nebraska cheerleader outfit. :-) Uncle Mark took Abby and I golfing at their neighborhood's private course. Abby did very well for her first time and I thought I did well for not golfing since the last trip to Texas 2 years ago.

On Saturday and Sunday we spent time with the guys. We went bowling Saturday evening and then to dinner at either Chipotle or some Asian place. Sunday afternoon/evening we hung out at the Rhoades who cooked a fabulous dinner. We relived our summer in Ukraine and caught up with one another. It was great trip with great fellowship. Y'all gotta come up north some time.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-30T08:06:00.000-08:00

We started our own tradition this year with the immeadiate Beasley family and the two newlywed couples :-)

Josh gave Alaina some lovely earrings.

Elise was delighted with her new swing :-) It kept her happy for the rest of the evening.

2008-12-30T07:59:00.000-08:00

I drew a map of Middle Earth in pen & ink as a Christmas present for the wonderful Hess family! So much fun!

Learning to make a proper burger

2008-12-30T07:54:00.000-08:00

A Divine Afternoon

2008-12-30T07:33:00.000-08:00

After several days of hidious cold a nice warm Saturday was wonderful! Caleb took me to the new bridge to Council Bluffs, and we had a lovely walk.

Shopping with a wild bunch!

2008-12-30T07:25:00.000-08:00

Abby's Birthday Outing

2008-12-30T07:07:00.000-08:00

Betsy and Anna had given me an outing for my birthday. We did lunch at my favorite restaurant - Fudruckers :-) - and then went to the Pacific Plaza to satisfy a long standing curiosity we'd had about the place. The weather warmed up from the below zero that it had been to a very tolerable 40 degrees. It was lovely...

Some one - who will remain nameless - occupied herself at lunch by eating an endless number of napkins :-)

Black Friday Shopping

2008-12-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Anna, Esther, Elise and I went shopping the afternoon of Black Friday. We took a break for some Cold Stone ice cream. Elise decided she wanted a part of the action too!

After the Race...

2008-12-05T07:12:00.001-08:00

Caleb took us took to the Des Moines Science Museum - a place filled with good memories from his childhood! :-)

They had a fun station where you could make a rocket and shoot it off. Elise didn't feel up to it, so Caleb did it for her :-)

There was a cool water station where you could make dams and produce 'power'. The goal was to get fifteen marks on your stations score board. It was a lot of fun!

The beautiful time telling pendulum.

Living History Farms Cross-Country Run

2008-12-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

A cold and miserable day to run, yet over 7,500 people showed up at the run - many in less than warm costumes! This is only 1/4 of the crowd - I have never seen this many people racing before. You couldn't even see the starting line!

The course was 6 miles long, with vicious hills to clamber up and cold creeks to cross.

The costumes were varied and creative. Santa and four reindeer showed up, along with the entire cast from the Wizard of Oz! (below)

A cold and wet Caleb shows up at the car. There were so many people there that I never did see Caleb start or watch him run by on the course. Elsie did so well in the cold - until she got hungry :-) So we had to walk back to the car and wait for Caleb to find us!

It started snowing as soon as the race was over so it was not fun for the poor racers who had to walk over a mile to get back to their cars. Speaking of cars... there were lines like you wouldn't believe! The exit on the interstate was backed up for over two miles before the race, and after the race... well I just leave that to your imagination!

A Happy Birthday

2008-12-05T06:11:00.001-08:00

A very happy birthday - despite the fact that my dear family was gone in VA! Sniff! :-)

The Semi-Monthly Settlers of Catan tournament just happened to fall on the 8th so I played for the first time. My first game was pretty good - except for the part where I lost to Phillip :-) But the second game was wild! I played John B., Esther and Luke Pena, and John ended up winning before we barely even started - so the rest of us just continued. We planted up all the remaining houses, built all the roads we could and played until the board looked like a maze and you couldn't tell what belonged to you!

That afternoon we celebrated during the Hucker half-time, in traditional Beasley fashion, with a delicious ice cream cake! (It was so good it didn't last long enough to be photographed :-)

CRASH!!!!!

2008-11-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

I was rear-ended last week and here is the result:

The evil Jeep that did the dirty deed.

Our poor Honda, totaled. ;-(

An F-15 at Offutt

Three Month Portrait

2008-10-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

Elise's three month portraits were take at the beginning of the month by a very talented friend of ours! She did such a great job - we wanted to share them with you!

Elise the "Rich Lady"

2008-10-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Betsy and Anna gave Elise one of the rings from Alaina's bridal shower - she loved it! After all diamonds are a girl's best friend - Elise is just discovering this early I guess!

Naptime with Daddy

2008-10-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Studying with Aaron

2008-10-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

Aaron comes over every Tuesday and Thursday to study and have dinner before class at Metro. He and Elise work on memorizing those plumbing definitions together.

It's always useful to have a plumber in the family - but two are even better!

Happy Birthday

2008-09-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

As of 1:49 this morning I have been around for 24 years. All I can say is God is good and faithful. He has blessed me so abundantly and He deserves the glory from my life. I have a wonderful wife and darling daughter, a good house and job, etc, etc, etc. May the next years of my life be pleasing in His sight!

But I still have to work on my birthday so Abby is making a "nice" meal tonight and then we will celebrate with family on Friday night. Abby made cinnamon rolls to take into work because here the custom is the birthday person brings in doughnuts or other pastry on their birthday. The guys really enjoy Abby's cooking!

Beginning Elise's classical education early!

2008-09-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 16:14

2008-09-12T05:21:00.000-07:00

"Do everything in love." (NIV)

"Let all your things be done with charity." (KJV)

Sounds so simple, doesn't it, but only if we would live that way.

Alicia's wedding flowers

2008-09-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

I was recently given the opportunity to do the flowers for a dear friend's wedding. It was so much fun to be able to work with such lovely flowers - and in the very best company too! The day before the wedding Betsy, Rachel (and Baby!) and I took our buckets of flowers and went to the church. We were given some space in the kitchen to work and boy did we! From 10a.m. to 6p.m. we worked on alter peices, bride's maids' bouquets and all sorts of other fun things :-)

Betsy was my ever faithful assistant - Here I have her chopping the ends off of a finished bouquet so we don't have air bubbles trapped at the bottom of the stems cutting off the flow of water.

Alicia and Justin - the happy couple :-)

The main flowers were hot pink, orange and yellow gerbera daisies and roses - buckets and buckets of daisies and roses...

I was in heaven being able to work with flowers like these!

Every so often we'd get a 'sad' daisy :-)

Morning Devotions

2008-09-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

In the morning O LORD, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my requests before You, and wait in expectation.

Trip to MN

2008-09-02T17:50:00.001-07:00

We took advantage of the long weekend and went to Minnesota to visit Grandpa & Grandma (Beasley) and let them see Elise. It was a nice, relaxing time and hopefully it was a blessing to them. :-)

This last picture is us at the USS South Dakota battleship museum in, you guessed it, South Dakota. We decided SD doesn't have much to boast about but the memorial/museum was its one redeeming quality so if you are in need of exercise while on I-29 near Sioux Falls, we recommend it.

To Vote or Not To Vote: That is the Question

2008-08-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

In this presidential election with no very good candidates, why bother voting? I think it is of utmost necessity that you and everyone you know go to the polls and vote for Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the most important reason is that it is a vote against Senator Barack Hussein Obama (D-IL). McCain is perhaps last Republican I would have liked to see on the ballot due to his moderate stances on many issues and frequent clashes President Bush. He is weak on immigration, has some strange economic ideas, and is not exactly the social conservative that we evangelical Christians want to support. But he is oh so much better than the alternative. I don’t think Obama for sure knows what he believes. He says one thing one day and a couple weeks later says something else. But almost everything he says frightens me from his tax plan to his government run health care to the fact that he thinks the solution to high gas is making sure your tires have the proper amount of air.

However, the most important reason you must vote for McCain versus Obama is national security and addressing the threat of Muslim extremism. As a Vietnam War veteran, John McCain will be tough on terrorism and continue our current president’s fight against Muslim extremism. B. Hussein Obama will do no such thing. He wants to bring the troops home from Iraq. Whether the left will admit it or not, the Muslim extremists are out to get us. They want to kill every single American. It is in the Koran (Quran), it is in the hearts of their leaders, and it is mission of many, many Muslim young men. Do you want a president who going to do his best to defend you or one who will barely acknowledge we are in a conflict?

So while I don’t like McCain much, I can’t stand Obama, and I do know McCain will do his best to defend his country.