Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Spring Happenings

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 I taught the girls dance at our house and we had our performance at the park behind our house.
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 Totally Minnie
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 Linden sat and watched every week and he showed us he knew the dances just like the girls at our dress rehearsal.
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 Strawberry Shake!
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 I had to include this picture because even Mandee is doing the right move.
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 Sarah really has some moves.
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 Mandee did her own thing most of the time.
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 I love these three.
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 It really happened.  Ryan graduated with his Masters Degree!!  He walked through the arch and looked pretty awesome in his robe.
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 The support crew!  Sure love them.
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 This is the best family picture we could get.
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 We have been watching Top Shot lately and Ryan set up targets for the kids to shoot with dart guns.  It is the new fun at the Beckstead house.
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Linden participated in a Walk - a - Thon at School.  He walked 11 laps and earned enough money to get a blue ribbon.
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 Linden's field day/graduation!  He had a ball.  If you look close even Mandee is in the picture.
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He's officially done with kindergarten and ready for 1st grade.

Now I am trying to patiently wait for baby #4.  She had stayed in longer than her sisters so I feel overdue and we are only 36 1/2 weeks.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

A Long Overdue Update!

Terri Fredrickson and anyone else who may care, this update is for you.  I have been a true blog slacker.  We have been busy as usual, but are always having fun as a family.  Just a warning there are a lot of pictures on this post.

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 Rising Stars!  I drove the kids down every Wednesday until the December show because Sarah was so excited when she turned four that she could be in Rising Stars.  There is no teacher better than Tina for Rising Stars and seeing Grandma & Grandpa and cousins once a week wasn't so bad either.

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 Mandee Turns "2"!
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 Here is Mandee with the "pupcake" that she requested for her cake.  Ryan made a cupcake into a princess cake.  Pretty impressive!

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Guitars - this blow up guitar inspired Linden & Sarah to ask for Electric Guitars for Christmas.  We have had many concerts.

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Teaching the girls dance.  I started teaching my girls and a couple of little girls who are daughters of guys Ryan goes to school with at our house in January.  They love it.

Mandee's big girl bed!
 

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 Sledding!  We didn't get much snow this winter, so we took advantage of the "sniff" as my kids called it and went sledding.  They had a blast!

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 Ryan took me to a Masquarade Ball for Valentine's Day.  We had so much fun.  The flyers said to dress up, but not everyone did.  I felt pretty dressed up, but came away with the "best dressed" award!

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Sugar Cookies for Valentine's Day and Ryan's Birthday!  They love their aprons, grandma.
Mandee enjoyed licking her frosting more than putting it on the cookie.
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 Even though it took forever to make them, it was worth it because the kids loved it.

Uncle Nate &  Aunt Erin directed "Once Upon a Mattress" at West Side.  My mom has cute pictures of the Princess Party before the show on Thursday night, but I don't so here is a picture of the girls on the big bed when we came and saw the set before hand.

The girls loved the Princess Party!
  
Linden and Ryan went to a Monster Truck Show!  Linden loved it.  We took the girls to check out the trucks before hand.
 At the show!!

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 Conference weekend activity and treat.  We made "loop" necklaces and colored lots of pictures.

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 I just love this picture of the girls playing together with their princess castle. 

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 My two princesses and the handsome prince.  Linden is a great big brother, but he was sure hoping a brother instead of another sister was on the way. 

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 Our dear friend, Kassidi came to visit us and we had so much fun.  As you can tell from the pictures, the kids love her!
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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

When are we going to decorate our front porch?

 The kids have been noticing cute Halloween porches all season.  Of course ours was not decorated.  Yesterday, they asked me, "When are we going to decorate our front porch. So I went to the Farmers Market in Preston and got our 3 pumpkins for $5.00.  I felt pretty good about it.
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 We got carving and made them stick their hands in and pick some guts out.  You can see what Linden thought about that.  He wanted a traditional jack-o-lantern because he had been learning about them at school.
It didn't bother Sarah as much, but she thought it was a little gross.When we asked Sarah what she wanted, she told us a princess of course.  Ryan came through with his great drawing and carving skills.

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 Mandee on the other hand wouldn't let us put our hands in to scrape our her pumpkin.  It was a fight.  I was planning to make dinner in a pumpkin with hers because I didn't think she would care.  Wrong.  She wanted to clean it out and have it carved.  She was so excited.

The finished product.  They are each standing by their pumpkin.

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When we lit the candles inside.  Mandee said, "Happy Birthday!"  She's got the wrong holiday but she saw a lit candle and was just positive it was time to sing Happy Birthday.  The kids were in awe of their beautiful pumpkins and love our decorated porch.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

1st Day of School! Sniff, Sniff :-(

So excited for the 1st Day of School!  Mom and dad on the other hand were not so sure about it.  He did great and his favorite part of school was recess.  I am not surprised.

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 Mr. Cool, he just had to wear his new sunglasses from Aunt Carly.

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 Sarah and Mandee had to pose with big brother.

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Sarah started school also, with mom.  Because we had to get a flat tire fixed our school consisted of making 1st day of school cookies.
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Sarah and Linden also stared Rising Stars.  It was a big day, but according to Linden and Sarah it was AWESOME!

Friday, June 7, 2013

Family Fun

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 Our family loves to go Geocaching.  We decided to explore our new territory and went hiking up to the famous pillars at ISU.  Uncle Jordan came and spent the day with us and we had a great time.
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This is how the kids felt after the hike.  They did a great job and actually Mandee was in a stroller, but she wants to be as big as her brother and sister and she wanted to lay down in the grass with them.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Dancer in the Making!!


We are still alive although the lack of blogging suggests otherwise.  We have been very busy in our family including selling our house and moving, Ryan finishing his first year of his Masters program, preparing for and having the last Angela's All Star Showcase, and Linden performing in his Rising Stars Concert. 

This video is what Mandee picked up on from watching the dance show and also the competition that I took my oldest dancers to.  They danced to YMCA.  We love this little Mandee and her fun personality.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Merry "late" Christmas and Happy Birthday!

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 Christmas started with Linden's Rising Stars Concert, which we were so glad he performed in.  He was awesome at the performance, but sat on the stage during all rehearsals.

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 Sitting on Santa at the ward party.  I don't think Mandee is loving it.

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 All dressed up in new Sunday clothes!!

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 We went to my mom and dad's and had Christmas with my family on the 22nd.  Somehow, I managed to get no pictures.  We had a great time and were spoiled.

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 In front of the tree!  We opened presents at our house on Christmas Eve morning.
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Linden got some dress ups for boys.  He was pretty excited.

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 Mandee got a baby.

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 Sarah got a princess cape, tutu, gloves, and tangled hair as she calls it.

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 Christmas Eve night.  All the kids dressed in their pajamas.  We stayed at Ryan's sister's house in Idaho Falls.
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 Anxiously waiting on the stairs to come up and see what Santa brought.  We waited until Grandma Linda and Jordan could be there.
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 Cinderella dress and slippers.

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 Race Track.
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 Rockin' out bike for Mandee to ride and walk with.

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 Over at Grandma Linda's with Eli.  Him and Mandee are about six weeks apart.  He was born on Mandee's due date.

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We had a great time at Grandpa Gummer and Grandma Linda's and were also spoiled by them!
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 Singing elf hat that brought tons of joy to all kids, but especially Mandee.

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Happy Birthday to our 1 year old.  I can't believe she is one or that last year, we were having so much fun!!  We made her rainbow cake and cupcakes.  Ryan was feeling better on her actual birthday, but had been sick with pneumonia for the days before and mom had to decorate the cake.  Ryan is the cake decorator in the family so I did the best I could.

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 The balloons I got her from Woodward's Country store were all she needed for her Birthday.
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 Her birthday actually fell on the annual Beckstead Christmas party so Mandee got to take her first swing at the pinata.
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 Linden and Sarah showing off the candy they collected from the pinata.

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 The attempt to get a picture of all of the Beckstead cousins.  They are super cute kids.

We had a big birthday bash planned for Mandee, but my family was sick so we went with Ryan's family to Big J's after the Beckstead party to celebrate Mandee.  When we got home, we let her open her presents.  One of them was this chair (thinking ahead to summer).  As you can tell from the picture, Mandee was pretty excited about it.
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 We all got sick after Mandee's birthday, but paused one day to play in the snow.  This picture is Mandee's first time playing in the snow.  I think she is a fan.
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 We hooked the sled up to our four wheeler and pulled it around the field behind our house.  It was so much fun.
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 Sarah got dumped off and didn't much like it so she rode with dad or mom on the four wheeler.

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 Celebrating Mandee with the Woodward's!
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 This picture says it all!  She loved her birthday and she loves cupcakes.

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Season!!