Sweet Remembrance

Jacob Troy Beatty
December 29, 2000
We Love You, Angel Baby

Eight years ago today I gave birth to a special little spirit, Jacob Troy.

And while he couldn't be with us long, he is still a vital and important part of our family. And I am eternally grateful for each of the precious fifteen minutes he got to be with us.

It's funny how time works. You think at the time you will never be the same again. That something so hard will never be forgotten, but time really does help pain to fade. And, while the memory is strong, it isn't quite so sharp.

I am feeling especially tender this year because Jacob would have been baptized this year. Probably this very week. But he wasn't with us long enough to reach that milestone.

Still, I want you to know that I really am glad that Jacob is a part of our family. I wouldn't change it. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have him here than not, but i'd take every second I knew him and all the pain that came after than to have never have known him at all.

So, Happy Birthday my sweet Jacob.

It's a Mystery

Saturday is chore day at our house...and we spent the morning cleaning house...which has been kind of disater since Christmas.

In addition to being messy, we have also lost quite a few things...including the remote to the tv...and since we have an older television, you cannot change functions on the tv without the remote. That means no vcr or wii unless you have the remote. Oh no!

So, you can imgaine the angst at our house and the intense remote hunting that has been going on.

Well, we finally solved the mystery of the disappearing remote (as well the the missing phone, the other remote, the vcr remote, and other assorted odds and ends).



There is a hole in the couch, and if anything falls under the cushion, it has been falling through the hole in the couch and has gotten trapped INSIDE the couch. LOL!

This makes me think...maybe there is a hole in the dryer that is eating half our socks!

Warning: Soapbox Alert

So, I try to keep my posts, mostly about our family and what is going on with us, etc.

But, I feel the need to get up on my soapbox here, so feel free to pass on this one.

As many of you know, I read a blog called Free Range Kids...it's all about learning to give our children a little more freedom to learn, to make mistakes, and to grow into strong, confident adults.

Well, today's post really got to me.

The writer allowed her son to ride the railroad for a half hour, by himself. He is 10 and had done this many times before. He was put on the train by his mother, and was being met at the other end by his friend's parents.

Again...he has done this many times, and prior to riding the very first time, he and his mother had asked at the ticket counter at what age could he ride alone. Well, there were no guidelines, but they all thought that 10 was a fine age...as the boy and his mother both felt he was ready.

Well, when the conductor saw him riding alone today, he was appalled. He was so appalled, he called the police...and wouldn't let anyone leave the train station until the police came to investiage. Even though the conductor called the boy's mother and she told him that the boy had his permission, even though the parents of his friend were waiting, right where they were supposed to be.

Well, the police came, and thankfully, they ended up agreeing that everything was okay...but it just as easily could have turned out the other way...they could have called Child Protective Services...and this woman could face the task of trying to get her child back for letting him ride a train!

She realized that this is not just about giving our kids a little more freedom, but it is about our rights as parents to raise our children as we see fit. I could not agree more!

We live in a world where more and more people (e.g. government) are getting involved in how we raise our children. They are deciding what kinds of things can be taught in school (whether we agree or not), and what kinds of things we can and should do for our children. They are even getting involved in the medical decisions we make regarding our children.

It is scary...and I think we need to be aware of new laws and regulations propogated in the name of "keeping our children safe".

Frankly, I want Troy and I to be the ones to decide what, when, where, and how we will raise our children. And I don't want the government looking over my shoulder to make sure I am doing a good job.

Granted, there are instances where the government can and should step in...where children are being abused...but too often they step in where they have no place.

And it is getting worse. I hope you will be on guard for these instances, and look to see what you can do to make it stop.

Here is the link to the article if you want to read it for yourself. Whether you agree with her decision to let her son ride the train or not, I think it's obvious that she and her son talked this over, and planned carefully before making the decision to go ahead.

Not all 10 year olds might be up to the task, but I think it is up to her and her son to make that decision, and not some stranger on a train.

Let's be vigilant about what rights we are willing to give up...because I think one day, maybe even soon, we will have to stand up to defend what we know to be right...and I, for one, hope to be ready.

So Sappy

I love Christmas.

We had such a fun day, just being together and hanging out. There's nothing that has to be done, no where we have to go, just us and a really special family day.

The kids had a great day. Everyone got something that they really wanted.

Mikayla got a camera, and she was pretty excited, because up until she opened she didn't think she was getting anything for Christmas. (She had wanted a coat, and we had already given it to her.)



Emma got pixos and a pogo stick. (I hope to have some photos of the kids and Troy using it..maybe tomorrow.)



Joe got a bunch of games for the wii...the kind we said we'd never get...but, he's a good kid...and we're pretty strict about video game time.



Josh got a gameboy...he was pretty excited to get such a big kid gift.



Becky got a baby, complete with stroller, car seat, and bassinet. She is in heaven.



Katie got a bunch of little toys...she REALLY enjoyed unwrapping the presents...her own and everyone else's. She's got the ripping paper off stuff down. She also really enjoyed all the chocolate she could find...and Becky's doll.





Troy got a GPS, so he can take the kids geocaching.



And Troy TOTALLY surprised me with a lot super thoughtful, amazing gifts. A couple of my favorites were photography and design books, filters for my camera, and an amazing drawing pad and stylus for the computer. He knocked my socks off!

And if all that wasn't enough, we also got a wii fit and dance, dance revolution. (Again, I don't have photos yet...but soon.)

I really enjoyed the day, and in the past, for me, it was all about the presents I was getting. But, as sappy as this sounds, today, my best gift was seeing my family all together and so wonderfully happy.

Very, Merry

I can hardly belive Christmas will be here tomorrow.

It has come, and is now almost gone, before I could enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

But, we are thinking of you, our family and friends, who we miss most of all during these special holidays.

I hope you have a very, merry Christmas.

Here's our 2008 Christmas card and letter.



Twas the first of December
And all through the house
Everyone’s busy,
Especially my spouse.

Troy’s bags are all packed,
And he’s ready to fly
France is now calling…
I’ll try not to cry.

He’s so busy at work,
We miss him a lot.
But when he is home,
He gives all that he’s got.

Mikayla turned 12,
And is liking this stage.
Earrings and clothes,
And shoes are the rage.

She’s working so hard,
And pulling straight A’s.
She’s busy at school,
And fills up her days.

Emma is nine,
And enjoying new things.
She’s playing piano,
The drums, and she sings!

She’s such a good girl,
A friend and a light,
She’s always concerned,
With doing what’s right.

Joseph has grown
Into quite the young man.
He works really hard
And follows the plan.

But he still loves to game,
And tries hard to be,
The best that he can
At playing the wii.

Josh is now six,
And crazy as ever,
He’s smart as a whip,
And really just clever.

The teacher, she says,
He’s good and he’s sweet,
We think that she’s kidding,
But she claims he’s a treat.

Becky is three,
And helps out a ton,
We’re thankful she’s here,
Cause she is so fun.

She likes her new school,
And mothers the kids,
But they like her back,
And do as she bids.

Katie is tiny,
But the loudest one yet,
Her favorite new toy,
Is the downstairs toilet.

Her year and a half,
Have all but flown by,
I can hardly believe,
That nursery is nigh.

Things are so good,
And I’m thankful and glad,
That we are all well,
And for the year that we’ve had.

I traveled to Paris
When Troy went for work.
It was the best thing I’ve done,
My own little perk.

We miss you all now,
When lights are aglow.
We think of you often,
More than you know.

We send you good thoughts,
Of joy in this season.
And remember the Savior,
For He is our Reason.

Love,
Troy, Denise, Mikayla, Emma, Joe, Josh, Becky and Katie

Ring Out Wild Bell

What could be sweeter than having your daughter play a bell in the preschool Christmas play?




Nothing.

Show Us What You Got

We held the 1st Annual Beatty Bundt Cake Bonanza this weekend and it was a blast. (I should note here that the original Bundt Cake Bonanza started with the Oldroyd's...so thank to them for this tradition.)

Anyway...the rules are that each husband must bring a bundt cake, which they bake themselves, with NO assistance from their wives.

And, I must say, the men really pulled out all the stops.

First, was Troy's plain on the outside, sexy on the inside cake...which he would thought would remind us of him. lol!



Travis' cake was made with "love."



Jeff's lovely cake garnered great sympathy when he explained that he had to make his cake twice when his daughter accidentally ate a piece of the first one.



Ben happily presented his "country" cake, complete with a country platter.



Paul made a fluffy on the outside and a sweet on the outside cake...just like him, he said.



Joe presented us with a refined and elegant creation...but who's surprised by that?



Dave presented us with his spice cake...again, just like him.



Jon wowed us with his to die for chocolate cake, made with five different kinds of chocolate.



And, the piece de resistance was Keith, who must have been a cake model in a former life.



The big winners of the evening were Keith for presentation (no contest there!), Joe for taste, and Jeff for both appearance and overall best cake.

We followed up with a white elephant exchange and a raucous game of celebrity...which the women won, of course.

So many great highlights...but a couple of my favorites included Jeff's white trash gingerbread house, made lovingly by the Hobbs.



And Troy's fish bowl...complete with water, fish and all.



And, let us not forget Ben's Richard Simmons impression, Emily's Dora the Explorer, and Jen's voluptuous woman. Unfortunately, I have no photos of the celebrity portion of the evening...it's too hard to play and take pictures...probably to everyone's great relief!

Can't wait to do it again!

It's All About Me

Well, I think it's safe to say that Becky had the best birthday EVER.

She really wanted to go to Build-A-Bear, and other than Katie, she's the only one who hasn't been.

So, she has pretty much been waiting all year for this one...and it was great.

She choose Hello Kitty, and was thrilled to be able to choose clothes, shoes, and a purse for her little "Pretty."



She had a few friends over for a little brithday party, and when I asked her what kind of cake she wanted for her party, she said, "I want a Becky cake."

hummmm...a Becky cake.

Okay.

Miss Personality

So, Miss Becky is four years old today.

Holy cow.

So, in honor of her birthday, here are four things I love about Becky.

1. She adds the letter "Y" to many words...she is going to sit in the chair-y. She likes to go to the store-y. Cracks me up.

2. She is full of personality. She is always happy and smile-y and super fun.

3. She is very knowledgeable...and loves to share her opinion about many topics...when she talks you are SURE she is right.

4. She is so loving. She loves to hug and kiss and tell you that she loves you so much, even one hundred.

I am so glad she is part of our family. It wouldn't be the same without her.

Say It Ain't So

So, we are big on responsbility in our house.

Everyone is responsible for themselves, and when you are big, you are responsible for the people who are younger than you.

Somehow, over time, this has translated into "I'm the boss of you."

So, Mikayla is the boss of Emma, Joe, Josh, Becky, and Katie.

And Emma, by virtue of THREE WHOLE MINUTES, is the boss of Joe, and also Josh, Becky, and Katie.

You get the idea.

Well, it thrills Josh to no end that he now has TWO people he gets to be the boss of, and this has lead Becky to ask if she is the boss of Katie.

So, in the car today, we were again discussing who is the boss of who in our house.

And Becky says, "Am I the boss of Katie?"

"Well, sort of. But she doesn't realy listen yet."

"When do I get to be the boss of Katie?"

"Maybe when you're four."

To Josh pipes in and says, "No, you don't get to be the boss of anyone until you're five."

Becky says, "No, Mom is the boss of EVERYONE. She decides."

At which point Josh says, "No, she isn't the boss of everyone. There's Jesus, and Grandpa Joe, and Grandma Kay..."

And the list goes on and on.

In fact, Josh got quite a bit of pleasure listing ALL the people who get to be the boss of Mom.

Sigh.

Leave to a kid to tell it like it is.

Where Can I Get A Stick?

Just wanted to share some new pics of the girls.

I have learned to curl their hair with a flat iron and I am loving it. It is quick and easy, and best of all, the curls stay all day, unlike when I use a curling iron or hot rollers.

The girls look great, and, when you see them, you will know why I have been looking for a stick. Sheesh. They grow up WAY TO FAST!!!!

Don't Stand Too Close!

Hey! It's my 300th blog post. WOW! I can hardly believe it.

Things have been crazy here...with Troy gone, but he is back today, and I couldn't be happier.

So, as I was up last night until the wee hours of the morning baking 18 dozen cookies, I was cursing myself for taking on yet another task during this busy season.

But, as I met with the ladies in my cookie exchange this morning...all was right with the world...because after baking just three kinds of cookies, I now have 18 different (AND GLORIOUS) kinds of cookies.

Here's my haul.



Woo hoo.

My contribution were chocolate filled macaroons, raspberry lemon swirls, and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.




Can't wait to do it again next year!

And, now that I have you nice and hungry, one more story guaranteed to KILL your appetite, so if you have a weak stomach, PLEASE, read NO further.

Well, Emma spent the night with Andirana last night so that she could attend her baptism this morning. Emma was thrilled to go and Ana even asked Emma to say the closing prayer. So sweet.

So, this morning, after the cookie exchange, the kids and I drove out to get Emma. The 20 minute drive was just long enough for Katie to fall all the way asleep, but not long enough for her to actually nap.

Needless to say, she was NOT happy when I woke her up. And promptly upon entering the house, she just LOST IT.

Part of the reason was the lack of a nap, and part of the reason was we have left Katie with Alex on a couple of occasions for babysitting (one of those being Paris). So, while we love and adore Jeff and Alex, Katie doesn't even like the sight of their house! (Sorry Alex and Jeff...for SOOOOO many things!)

So, Katie is just getting more and more upset. And wouldn't you know it, she just throws up EVERYWHERE. Ugh. It was disgusting. Thank goodness Jeff and Alex are such good friends.

I get Katie cleaned up, and get myself cleaned up, but not before she throws up a couple more times. Holy cow. It was awful.

Now, at this point, you might be thinking to yourself, well, it sounds like Katie is sick.

But when she really works herself up into a frenzy, she makes herself throw up with her crying. (This totally started with a crappy incident at the gym...but that's another story.)

So, I change her clothes, and wonderful Alex, cleaned everything up...that woman is a saint!

And we sit down to visit for a minute.

Well, after a while, I glance down at Katie, and she has some goop on the front of her, and I say, "Hey, what's that?"

At which point Alex and Jeff simultaneously look at me and jump up, as the rest of the "goop" oozes onto my pants.

Crap.

Literally.

So, once again, it's off with the clothes, but this time, I have to give Katie a bath.

If only I could have gotten in with her!

Well, I figured at that point we had done all the damage we could to poor Alex's house, and it was time to get the heck out of dodge.

And now that Troy is home...nary a hint of throw up nor a poopy diaper.

ack.

The Other Shoe

So, Troy is out of town, and just yesterday I had the thought that we might make it through this trip without a disaster. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

We were getting ready to leave the house this morning, and poor Katie had been a little grouchy, so I didn't think too much of it when she started to cry.

But, she came up to me and wanted to be held, and when I picked her up she had blood running down her face!

eek.

She had tripped and hit her head on the corner of our sheet music box.

It was just a little cut, but we took her to the emergency room to see if she needed a stitch or two. Luckily, it was a really clean laceration and they were able to glue it shut. But, not until they made us wait 2 and a half hours.

Thank goodness for Andrea. She took Becky for me, and I returned just in time to take Evan so Andrea could rush Anna to the doctor.

What is it with these absentee husbands of ours?

No, seriously, I know you'd be here if you could Troy. Everything is fine.

And here is the little miss now. Don't be freaked out, it looks worse than it really is!

Sing Out Loud

So, there was a little fundraiser tonight for the PTA at Barnes and Noble.

Now, the PTA ladies, they're no dummies...I mean, you have a fundraiser, and only so many people are going to come.

BUT, you have a fundraiser, and invite every one's children to perform, and you KNOW that people are going to come out.

Well, it worked.

I mean, it even got me out of the house, so that's some crafty marketing ploy.

But, just so you don't think me completely cynical, it was really cute and the children did a wonderful job.

Joe and Emma are in the choir at school, and the performance was really good. My only wish would have been that we could see it and hear it a little better, but it was worth it, regardless.

Of course, I was directly behind the man who felt he needed the photographically document almost the ENTIRE performance, and so most of my own photos are of his camera as he moved it into my field of vision, or underneath, around, or over his outstretched arms...like so.



But I did manage a couple of unobstructed shots.





In unrelated news, I love Christmas.

I thought this just captured the wonder.

Tis the Season

We went to the lighting ceremony at the Washington DC Temple last night.



It was just lovely.

There was a little program hosted by Elder Marriott and Senator Bennett, and Elder Neil Anderson spoke. He told a great story of Christmas giving he experienced as a mission president in France.

Then we listed to a musical program performed by the Mormon Choir of Washington. Wow. They are really good. (We even got to see Emily perform in the choir, as well as several other people we know from here and from Vienna.)



Towards the end of the performance, they invited the children down to participate with the choir and ring bells.

It was super sweet.



Mikayla had a hard time deciding if she was a "kid" or not, but when she saw a few older kids gets up she decided she had better get in on the fun.

Of course, you give a bunch of kids bells, and you are pretty much guaranteed to hear bells the rest of the performance.

Let's just say that Silent Night wasn't as silent as you would have liked it to be!

Anyway. We got to see the Chritmas lights too, and it was pretty awesome. 450,000 Christmas lights is a pretty big deal.



I love being able to start our holiday in this way.

(Don't worry. The baby is fine. We left her with Alex and Jeff so we could actually sit through the entire concert. It was awesome!)

Little Thrills

I wanted to finish up my Christmas shopping before Troy heads out of town next week...so I picked up Melanie and off we went.

One of our stops was at Toys R Us, and I just have to share.

We stopped in the Planet Heros section (which, apparently I am so out of the loop to have never heard of them before!). She was looking through their selection and as the toys part, I hear a little gasp.

"What? What's wrong?"

With a reverence I reserve for only rare Tim McGraw sightings, she says, "It's the Sun Commander."

Best part of my night.

I love Christmas shopping.

Speed Learning

Mikayla is taking French this year and has also joined the art club.



Lucky for her, these two teachers got together and decided that a field trip was in order, so yesterday she went to the National Gallery of Art for a look at some French art.





Lucky for me, it's still okay for your mom to go on your field trips (the 8th graders are not so similarly disposed).

But, for some reason, I am destined to never go on a field trip that doesn't have some major mixup. Like the buses didn't come.

Apparently, transportation cancelled our buses and by the time the mix up was fixed, we were VERY late for our field trip...you add DC traffic to that a two hour tour becomes a thirty minute jog through the museum.

But, I had never been to Museum, and I have to say, I was extremely impressed. The art was amazing and the docents really know their stuff.

I loved the Monets, they had quite a few.



And of course Seurat is my favorite.



And just for fun, one of the "cool" 8th graders on the trip was cute Regan.



The field trip was a little nutty (which included a 20 minute stop at Burger King where they completed 60 different food orders), but fun nonetheless.

This is someplace I definitely plan on visiting again, but slowly...and of course, its free! (hint, hint)

Best Mom - EVER

Yesterday, the kids wanted to know what was for dinner.

I didn't have anything set in stone, so I asked them what they wanted.

Thinking they were being funny, they said, "dessert."

Well, it took me just a moment, but I decided why not?

They each asked at least five times if I was serious.

I was.

So, last night, we had dessert for dinner.

The best part of it all?

They all wanted REAL dinner tonight...and no dessert.

LOL!

Everyone Should Do It This Way

So, Thanksgiving was awesome.

We have a new holiday tradition and decided that Thanksgiving is just too much work...so we went to McDonalds instead.





The kids thought it was the best, and I enjoyed not having to do the dishes.

Although Mikayla has finally reached that age where McDonalds just isn't fun...can you tell?



But seriously, we met the Hobbs at McDonalds and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast...since the only thing I had to cook was the turkey.



Truly, Thanksgiving was as low stress a holiday as I have ever had. We had the Burdicks, the Hobbs, the Taylors, and the Jones over...and it was wonderful. Everyone pitched in with the food, all the kids got along, and it was just lovely.




I think too, since it was so low stress, I was really able to enjoy it and be grateful for all my blessings...truly, my cup runeth over!!!

In addition to the two photo shoots I did over the weekend, I also got almost all my Christmas shopping done. Black Friday was a blast and Melanie was the best shopping buddy. We started at 3:15 am and shopped for 12 hours. (I know, I'm crazy! But it was awesome to get so much done.)

It wouldn't seem like Christmas without Black Friday!

Everything I had to mail is ready to go, I am hoping to get Christmas cards out this week, and my plan is to enjoy every moment of Christmas possible!