Proudest Day in This Dad's Life

As many of you may know, I (Caleb) have a borderline addiction to skiing. Lets just say that Cassi is the number 2 on my speed dial, and Alta is number 3. Cooper has been able to share a few Alta ski experiences with me while he rides in a backpack. With a recent increase in his "YEE-HAW's" and "WOO-HOO's" as we skied down the mountain, I knew that it was time; Time to get him on his own skis. And Saturday, the 7th of February, this historic event took place.

At 21 months old, Coop buckled into a pair of ski boots that were a little too big (they didn't have a smaller size), clicked into a tiny pair of Head skis, and set off to the bunny hill at Alta. His balance was amazing, his understanding of the skis was well beyond his years, and his desire to go "adin, adin" was a soulful chant that encouraged me to surmount the burning in my legs and arms to take Cooper up the rope tow time and time again.

After a few runs, Cooper and I had both had enough to be satisfied with the day's accomplishment,

so we went to the restaurant to bask in the warmth

that only a snowy day at Alta could offer for a dad and his son.

Oh the joys

He is so much fun!

Beckham Love's His Bath

"What Happened?"

I love in the middle of his dance when he falls down and says, "What happened?" That's my funny boy!

Baby Dahmer

We thought we'd send out a little update with our 20-week ultrasound pictures. As most of you know, this pregnancy has had some rough spots in it with some placental abruption (part of my placenta pulled away from the uterus wall, causing bleeding) and placenta previa (where the placenta is covering part of the cervix. This could result in a c-section because the baby needs to come out before the placenta.) We are happy to say that at this last ultrasound the placenta was no longer covering the cervix (no placenta previa) and there were no signs of my placental abruption. The baby is measuring great, has a great heartbeat, and is very active. I'm doing great now, too, especially knowing that he is doing so well. Yes, they cofirmed at least 5 more times that we are definitely having a boy. The last ultrasound picture we included is probably the best "boy" picture I've ever seen.:) Hopefully, he won't care too much when he's older.:) Thanks for everyone's prayers, concerns and help. The greatest blessings that have come through this experience is knowing that miracles do happen, that our Heavenly Father loves us and will always be there for us, and that he sends angels (all of you) to give us aid when we need it most.

Beckham Rolling Over

Easter Island

The other night the snow was just too good to pass up so after Coop went down, our good friends Joey & Kathryn came over and this is what we did.

Think of the movie "Get Smart" when he sees the assasin and yells "Easter Island, Easter Island!" This is our own authentic Easter Island head. We just can't get enough of the snow!

Coop's New Room

So here it is! The finished product! For those who don't remember, this room used to be covered with lovely green and gold stripes, now it's a cute little boy room. Thankfully Caleb helped me this time and I'm not so burned out after painting! Coop sure likes his new bed...although I have not been brave enough to have him sleep in it yet ;-)

Beckham

A Visit from Santa

Maddy had no problems hopping up there and giving her list.

Coop wasn't so sure.

Neither was Beckham.

This was as close as he would get.

Soon enough he'll learn that he needs to suck up to the big guy!

Gundy Kung Fu Panda 2008

The snow was perfect for the "sort-of" annual Gundy creation. So we created our newest favorite disney character, "Po". After he was almost finished we decided that unless we put some black on his eyes, nose and ears people wouldn't be able to tell who he was so Tyler got out the black spray paint to do the final touches. Notice the Kung Fu pose and the bowl of noodles his has in his fright hand. It was a fun evening.

The Amazing Race 2008

Team 1

• Misty
• Caleb
• Julie
• Tyler
• Bret

Team 2

• Scott
• Cassi
• Broc
• Kathleen

This year's Amazing Race consisted of 8 tasks

1) Catch the clock- The clock we were supposed to photograph at exactly 41 past the hour was not working so we improvised.










Team 2












2) Create your own Christmas Lyrics- Make up new words to the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", including choreographed dance moves and sing it to Lisa Sauer.







Team 2...actual movies to come later








3) Snow sculpture creation- Each team had to make a train with enough cars to equal the number of team members.



Team 1...tiny, tiny but they finished quick!














Team 2...creativity at its best (using the fire hydrant as the top of the train engine)










4) Pay the price- After reading a historic Wenatchee legend we had to find a pay phone & call Dad to answer comprehension questions.

5) Christmas creations- Each team member had to decorate an ornament that was later judged by the grandkids.

6) It's a puzzle- After figuring out a 16 word pass phrase in order to get the "secret package", we completed a puzzle at the WRAC.







Team 2








7) Fore again!- Frisbee golf in a foot of snow.








Team 2











TEam 1











8) Random acts of kindness- 5 random acts of kindness had to be performed at some point during the race. After a little coaxing, this older lady finally let us help her out of her car. Team 1 chose to leave some money at the WRAC so the next person to buy something would get it for free. Guess who the next people to buy something were? A very hungry pregnant lady and her team...yes that's right, Team 2 got a snack while at the WRAC on the tab of Team 1, what are the odds!





Team 2

Team 1

Although Team 2 won the lyrics, ornament, & sculpture portions of the race, Team 1 pulled off the big win by winning the choreography & time portions. (They beat us by exactly 1 hour.) We missed our other team members (Mindy, Josh, Jason, Alexa, & Adria) but hope this tradition continues throughout the years so we can all partake of it's greatness! Thanks Mom & Dad! It was super fun!

Come What May, and Love It

If there is one thing I need to work on as a mother it is taking life less seriously. I have a personal goal to laugh at least once per day. Somedays that small task is harder than it should be. So when we read this talk by Elder Wirthlin http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=b5f44bb52a73d110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

"Come What May, and Love it" the counsel hit a little too close to home. I determined once again to find ways to laugh and enjoy this journey of motherhood. Later in the week, I was having a really hard day. Just your typical bad mom day, so I determined to find something to laugh about. I said a silent prayer and then I started looking at the kids as funny rather than annoying and guess what! I laughed instead of taking life so seriously. I was so grateful for divine help. There are days that is the only thing that works!

Ready for some snow fun?

Record snowfall hit Spokane today! Are you all ready for some winter fun. Wishing you all safe travels!

Preschool Nativity

Dalyn's Preschool presented a Nativity Program for the residents of a retirement center as part of their Christmas Party. It was a wonderful program that reminded us all of the beauty and love this Christmas Season has to offer. These sweet chilren showed through their example that Christ is at the Center of this Holiday Season.

Christmas lights for Josh

Josh & family,

Sorry it took me so long to respond with pictures of our Christmas lights. But it took quite a while to count the 1,800 bulbs on our living room Christmas tree. I kept losing track of where I left off. It got really confusing. However, I figure we have about 25,305 Christmas light bulbs on our house and yard. We look forward to seeing all of you. One of the events for the amazing race could be to verify the Christmas light bulbs we have put up.

One of the fun things I did this year was to spell out Merry Christmas on the back fence. Lots of people have called us or mentioned that they have seen our Christmas greeting as they were driving along Western Avenue. Anyway enjoy the pictures.

Merry Christmas. Love Dad

Thanksgiving 5K

What a great way to start out the day! We ALL walked a 5K (our entire entry fee was donated to the UT Food Bank and LDS Humanitarian Services).

Laura really enjoyed her first 5K.

The two Barbs had a great time as well.