Hello, Anybody Home?

Yeah, it's been a while.  I've lost the motivation to update this thing regularly; maybe the holidays were just too busy.  And it's always getting harder and harder to get time on the computer without children having a crisis or bothering me to the point where trying to get stuff done on here is worth it.  But, I have some time right here, right now.  We'll see how it goes.

Just a few of the highlights we've had recently:

Ready? Set! Go!

Alayna entered the PTA Reflections contest again.  This year she did a literature entry and a composition entry.  She won medals for both of her pieces!  I don't know what'll happen now, as far as moving on to the next level of competition.  I haven't heard anything about it.

Isaac lost his first tooth!!!

Alayna got her ears pierced!!!  She was SO brave.  I thought they'd do both ears at once, but they did one at a time.  I thought after they did the first lobe Alayna would say 'forget it.'  But no, she was tough--she didn't flinch or show any signs of discomfort.  Tough as nails, this one.

The day after Christmas we took the kids to the BSU Student Union building for bowling, and we played pool while we waited for our lane.  It was a fun evening with the kids (Kristen got left with Grandma).

You're a superstar, that is what you are....

I watch my niece Kinzie on Wednesdays.  Here she's wearing Maren's fairy wings while playing a Transformers game.  Too cute.

Alayna turned 8 and got baptized!!!!  Grandma Howell and Papa Bart spent the weekend with us, and Aunt Rose and cousin Phoebe also drove up, spent two hours, then drove back to Utah.  We appreciate everyone's love and support on that special day!

Derek had a birthday, too!!  Big 3-4.  We ordered pies from Staci Woodland (YUM!).  Here's the key lime (I had fun with the garnish).

This is a Very Berry pie.  No, this is not what it looked like when Staci gave it to us.  It had the little design on the top, and when we took the candles out it looked like eyes, so I drew a mouth and took a picture.  And voila, alien pie!

While we're on the subject of food, the morning after Christmas all of the Becks got together for breakfast and gift exchange.  Our assignment was fruit, and I got the idea of rainbow fruit kabobs from Pinterest.  Here's the final product.  Isn't it so pretty?!

Now, to wrap it up, some Christmas highlights. 

For the ward Christmas party the Primary was asked to provide some decorations.  The kids and I painted these cardboard trees (the halves fit together to make them stand up) and then the Primary children drew decorations on the trees.  It was a fun project.

Our tree after Santa came and visited.

Visiting Santa at the Elementary School (Santa was WAY cooler last year--but hey, Alayna's picking her nose and Kristen's crying, that's what memories are made of).

I made these stockings the 2nd Christmas Derek and I were married.  I mean, I really made them.  That semester at BYU I was taking a weaving and a sewing class, and each teacher wanted a final project.  There was no way, as a full-time student, I could do TWO final projects.  The teachers approved a combined project idea I had.  I wove the candy-cane stripe fabric then cut them out and sewed them up with some red courderey.  We've always used these and I love them, and this year I finally embroidered the names on all of them.  Acts of love, I tell you.

This was a new thing we did this year.  Instead of taping cards to the wall (WHICH ALWAYS FALL DOWN!) or lining them up on top of the piano (most cards aren't folded anyways, so that idea never panned out well) I hung some string up in my big window downstairs and paperclipped the cards are we got them in the mail.  We had so many we started clipping them on the reverse side.  I really liked the effect it had.   

Wow, I'm at the end of the pictures.  I had some more cute ones but maybe those will be saved for another day.  Happy late Holidays, and a Happy belated New Year!!!