Family Fun

 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.

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.

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.

Merry "late" Christmas and Happy Birthday!

 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.

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

 All dressed up in new Sunday clothes!!

 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.

 In front of the tree!  We opened presents at our house on Christmas Eve morning.

Linden got some dress ups for boys.  He was pretty excited.

 Mandee got a baby.

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

 Christmas Eve night.  All the kids dressed in their pajamas.  We stayed at Ryan's sister's house in Idaho Falls.

 Anxiously waiting on the stairs to come up and see what Santa brought.  We waited until Grandma Linda and Jordan could be there.

 Cinderella dress and slippers.

 Race Track.

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

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

We had a great time at Grandpa Gummer and Grandma Linda's and were also spoiled by them!

 Singing elf hat that brought tons of joy to all kids, but especially Mandee.

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.

 The balloons I got her from Woodward's Country store were all she needed for her Birthday.

 Her birthday actually fell on the annual Beckstead Christmas party so Mandee got to take her first swing at the pinata.

 Linden and Sarah showing off the candy they collected from the pinata.

 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.

 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.

 We hooked the sled up to our four wheeler and pulled it around the field behind our house.  It was so much fun.

 Sarah got dumped off and didn't much like it so she rode with dad or mom on the four wheeler.

 Celebrating Mandee with the Woodward's!

 This picture says it all!  She loved her birthday and she loves cupcakes.

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Season!!

Halloween Activities

 We went to the Annual Pumpkin Walk.  Getting a picture where all the kids were looking was a task.  I almost put all of the attempts in a slide show, but decided against boring you.  I loved this one because it looks like Sadie is holding Mandee up on the sign. 

We decided to have the kids dress up for the Pumpkin Walk.  Of course on the day we were going, I had no idea what my kids were going to wear, but my mom went to her costume closet and found Raggedy Ann and Andy costumes that Wes, Natalie, and I wore when we were little.  The Andy costume was a little small on Linden, but I'm glad I got this picture of my kids dressed like I was.

 Here is a picture of all the kids including the babies.  It is the only picture of many where all kids are looking at the camera.

 Here is our Raggedy Ann and Jeff Gordon on Halloween.  Aunty Carly found this Nascar driver outfit for Linden and he was so excited to be Jeff Gordon who is #1 according to Linden and Ryan.

 We had a great time trick-or-treating and saw some very fun people.  Here we are with Aunt Sharon.

 And Aunt Kaye.

 Grandpa and Grandma Beckstead - Grandma was taking the picture so we didn't get her in a picture.

 I love these three kids.

 Grandpa Van at the store loaded the kids up with the rest of his candy that he had left to give out.

 We don't have a picture of Grandma Greta, but she gave the kids these wax lips and mustaches.  I think this picture is great.

 Here is the family.  Ryan was dressed as "himself"

Little strawberry Sopie came to visit us the day after Halloween and we had to snap a picture.  She was a super cute strawberry!

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!

 I have been a blogging slacker and I probably should be doing something else today, but the kids and I are enjoying looking at pictures so I decided to blog them.  We went to Loa the middle of August to visit Nate and Erin and Linden and Sarah participated in the Small Fry Rodeo.

 The stick horse race!

 Mutton Bustin - Wayne County Style.  Linden rode a sheep.  Ryan was going to help him, but the guys handling the sheep were in the way so Linden was on his own.  He did really good until he ate dirt when he fell off.  He wasn't too happy.  As he watched the rest of the people ride sheep, he decided the choke hold is the way to stay on.

  We hiked in Capital Reef National Park.  We had a great time.

 The Brigham City Temple Open House!

 Cherry Hill Beckstead Family Reunion.

 Grandpa Gummer let us sleep in Bear and Elise and Becka came down because their baby brother was being born and hung out with us.

 The carnival was the highlight for Linden, Sarah, Elise, and Becka.

 Eli is so cute!!

 This was at the Kroll family reunion.  They let the kids decorate cookies and my kids stayed and decorated several.

 The closest we can get to a 4 generation picture.  All the girls with Aunt Lois and Aunt Emily, my grandma Jones' sisters.

 My twinner girls.  I love these two.

 Pre-school with Sydney and Maggie.  Sydney is in kindergarten now, but happened to be there to join us.

 They learned about letters A & B and decorated a bear after reading the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

Dance and tumbling started and Linden and Sarah are both involved.  I didn't get a picture of Linden the tumbler.  Linden is also signed up for Rising Stars.  He is loving it.

And Mandee is growing up way to fast.  She is nine months now.  Enjoy the video of our cutie.