Santa with the Beasley Kids

Mike has been asking for some new pictures of the kids, so while he was out of town this past weekend, we had pictures taken by Brandi Sutherland. Even J.W. is happy!

Chloe Mae made a 103 on a major math test! Anna Claire made the basketball team. Sara Beth received 2 awards today, one for all A's and one for perfect attendance. J.W. is the sweetest boy but destroys everything. We love him.

Sara Beth Lost a Tooth

Sara Beth lost her first tooth this afternoon - she pulled it out all by herself. What a brave girl! I will post pictures later. For now, I am going to bed to fall asleep to the sweet sound of rain.

Our little girl is growing so, so quickly!

Rain, Sweet Rain

It is pouring buckets of rain, yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One of the 3 Castroville City wells ran dry last night. Caused mass confusion in town today but they got everything back up and running. Luckily we are on a separate system. I have been so drained by the heat lately - thank you Lord for the rain!

1st Day of School

Here we come Medina Valley Middle School!

Sara Beth had a great first day! She is so ready for 1st grade, thanks to Mrs. Little and her wonderful sisters.

Mike

Mike is busy trying to get our roads in leading to the house pasture. Yes, it's a red, not green, tractor.

Love this picture of the Beasley men!

chloe mae's knee

Its chloe mae... so life is hectic... as usual, sigh! j.w.'s foot is MUCH better, and now i am the one hurt. i sprained my MCL, a ligament in my knee from gymnastics and we went to get xrays, and an mri. The doctor kept messing with it, pulling at it, and bending it, and that didnt help my situation!! now i have a huge, ugly knee imobilizer and i have to wear it for atleast 3 weeks, then we go to the doctor and see how it is. Im a little nervous about school because i will have to walk the halls, and do everything with a hurt knee that hurts a ton to walk on even with the imoibilizer! oh well, so goes life.

Foot is better, yea! So glad it happened quickly.

Tractor and shredder are put together, yea! But... added fluids and blew a hose. Welcome to life with a tractor.

J.W. is going to "cry it out" beginning tonight - he is too big to sleep with us anymore. Say prayers for me.

A New Season

After looking back at my old postings and realizing how many significant events I failed to document and share, I have decided to make posting a part of my regular computer life again. So, where do I begin? Cover all that I missed? No, better just start with today. The thought of back tracking is enough to make me give up again.

I have had 2 sleepless nights with J.W. He was stung and/or bitten by some type of insect on Thursday. He didn't cry or indicate a problem so we didn't know about it until Mike was putting him to bed and saw the large boil on his foot. After a long night of high fever and gross discharge, we made it to the doctor yesterday morning. He confirmed that it was a bite or sting and got antibiotics going. The "problem" area covers about 1/2 of his foot and looks so painful. It went from a boil to blackness. Yet, the little man doesn't cry. And he has learned to walk on the side of his foot so that he doesn't miss one moment of play time. He is one tough dude! I thought about posting a picture, but decided no one would visit again if I did. Anyway, he is getting better.

As for life in the country - we bought a shredder today. And a posthole digger. Now we just have to get it all working, together. Are we that talented? Also, Mike had 200 tons of road base delivered for the roads leading to the house pasture. The cows have decided that the base makes great sand dunes and they are romping up and down them. Even the longhorns! It is pretty fun to see.

We registerd the girls for school this week. Everyone was super nice and they are getting excited about the new school experience. Hope the excitement lasts.

J.W.'s good mood from his afternoon nap has worn off and he needs my attention. Until next time...

It's Been A Long Time

Can't believe how long it has been since I updated this. If you don't know, we are selling our house. Trying to keep it "Show Ready" with 4 kids and a dog is a bit much. Oh well, hopefully all the hard work will pay off. And Mike and the kids have been a huge help.

Anyway, a friend sent me this picture of J.W. today. It was taken on his birthday at McDonalds. She has 2 boys, ages 11 and 8. As you can see on J.W.'s face, he lovesssssss these boys. They bought him fries and ice cream and went back and forth feeding it to him. He is a blessed little man! Love the sparkle in his eyes.

The family supports Sara Beth

Chloe Mae throwing a ball to J.W.

Anna Claire and a friend.

Little Man

Great pictures of all the kids at Sara Beth's game.

Sara Beth's 1st Soccer Game

That is Sara Beth on the right in a full sprint. She didn't want to miss a thing!

This girl lovesssss soccer. And she is all about protecting the ball. I can't believe how aggressive she is.

Sara Beth's Artwork at Young Masters

Sara Beth was thrilled that her artwork was shown at this years Young Masters show!

Anna Claire's Spring Orchestra Concert

Anna Claire had a concert last week. She will compete in the UIL Orchestra contest on Tuesday. She really loves the violin!

J.W.'s 1st Birthday

J.W. enjoyed his own cake to celebrate his 1st birthday this evening. He loved making a mess with it but didn't much care for the taste.

2 of his favorite guy buddies treated him to ice cream and fries at McD's. He lovesss these boys!

Spring Break

Now that's a big bull!

We spent most of Spring Break opening the new office, not much fun for the kids. So, Jogee and I left late Thursday afternoon for a few days of no schedule or To Do Lists! Our first stop on Friday morning was a little fun pampering (a girl needs pretty toes even if it's 30 degrees and raining). Afterwards we headed to Walmart for Brian and J.W. to pick out some new toys - they were soooo patient for us.

Life is soooo busy

Just want you to know I haven't forgotten about this blog, life has just been too busy. We received the keys to the new office yesterday and have been working non-stop to get everything in line. Things will slow down soon and I will update you on all the kids activities.

Eek! only 2 more weeks, and J.W. will be a year old! Every day counts to catch the adorable moments of him. he could be wearing a diaper and a pair of socks and still be the cutest he can be. I keep seeing him stand up ALL by himself, but then he realizes it, and goes plunk on the floor because he's excited. I remember when J.W. was only 2 minutes old! he was absolutely adorable in his beenie, and white/blue outfit. Can you believe it?- he is already signed up for pre-k at Parkhills! My mom said that when i was walking inside the house from school, my mom asked J.W. ''where's Chloe Mae?" and he pointed to the house! that smart little boy! Sure, he may be T-R-O-U-B-L-E sometimes, but he will always be cute, cute, cute! I don't regret one moment that i have had with J.W.! and i don't think anybody else has. My mom says that he is so painful sometimes(really!), but at the end of the day, she loves him with all her heart. I wouldn't trade the world for that stinker!

Fun Days

Sara Beth is such a happy girl - we are very blessed! J.W. loves taking baths in the kitchen sink - mostly because he can splash water everywhere, all while being the center of attention. He is having so much fun!

I was folding laundry and he climbed into Sara Beth's chair. He was very proud of himself! Happy 11 month's big boy...

Anna Claire Plays for a Crowd

The talent show at church was last night and Anna Claire played for it. Brave girl!

Sara Beth's Field Trip to the Stock Show

A Friend Will Soon Head Home To The Lord

I am not so great at putting my thoughts to paper, but I feel compelled to share my thoughts...

At 6:30 this evening I rec'd a call from an elder friend that one of our common friends would shortly be called Home. She is an 80 year old woman with a fire in her belly for her Aggie friends, every soldier on this earth, and her community in general. She suffered a stroke a few weeks ago and hasn't been strong enough in body to recover.

This weekend she was moved to the home she shares with her husband of 60 years for Hospice care. Late this afternoon, one of her son's was lead to ask a few friends over to celebrate her life. So, at 7:30, myself and about 15 others arrived. A bed was setup in the living room and the entire room was decorated with streamers and decorations ( just like a party). Each person was asked to share a story or thought with the group. Then we joined hands, encircling her, and sang wonderful hymns. You could see her body relax with each song. Then each person was given the opportunity to pray for and with her and say goodbyes.

I share this because this is my third Hospice death of a dear friend in the past year. And interestingly enough, the ages have ranged from young mom, to mom of college kids, to this beloved grandmother. And in each situation, the family choose to celebrate the person as the end drew near. What a blessing for those left behind! Each of these women had a huge impact on my life and the lives of our children. And the loss of 2 and emanate loss of 1 more certainly brings me to my knees. What I have learned from each, is that actions speak much louder than words. These were all women of great character and strong love for their family. I can only hope to learn from them and share the love of God because of them.

Blessings...
sb

Sick

Anna Claire has the flu - say a little prayer for her quick recovery please...

J.W. had a flu shot before Christmas and we are washing everything like crazy, so we hope nobody else will get it.

On the bright side, she rec'd the "Walk with the Principle" Award at school on Friday. Good affirmation for all the hard work she has done this year.

Our Little Ham

J.W. makes this face and it makes us all laugh. Anna Claire made the exact same face when she was a baby! Do you think he knows how cute he is?!

Backyard Project - 2 days!

The back porch is FINALLY clear of 1,000 toys, yea!
Mike and I spent 2 days putting together this storage building. There must have been 2,000 screws and bolts. One of those things a person does once in life; once only. Anyway, I love it and it totally cleaned up all the toys. Thank you Wick and Jogee for your help.

Already full of stuff.

A Poem By Anna Claire

She wrote this poem in about 30 minutes on Thursday night. Thought it was insightful so I wanted to share it.

Anna Claire Beasley
Rdg. 6b- 7 period
January 23, 2009My Room

My room.
My safe place to get away.
A sanctuary of silence and peace.
My yellow walls from when I was a child,
Now occupied with posters from me today.

My fort.
My secure fortress in the battle of life.
A place to let it all out and be myself.
Where my army of dreams and I fight reality.

My study.
A quiet, calm place to journal and write.
My desk filled with books I cannot seem to give up.
Drawings and homework find themselves cluttered here.

Myself.
Blaring music,
A messy bed, and everything unkept.
Pictures from long ago posted on my billboard,
Reminding me of times I do not forget.
My violin perched casually next to my desk,
An instrument I use to express myself.

My world
A place where my books and dreams come alive,
Each night my dreams and fantasies become real,
My room.

Anna Claire's 12 Today!

Big Day!

Lone Oak

J.W. lovessssss to drive. He loves his dad even more!Sara Beth is listening to her Ipod and gettin' her groove on. Love that girl...

Tired babies.

Lone Oak

Mike has been working non-stop to clear the house pasture. It was very, very thick South Texas brush, but after much work, we can finally see where the house will go. Thanks to Nathan and Wick for coming out to help.Sara Beth is examining a thorn.

Mike, after 12 hours on the dozier. Wow!

Lots and lots of brush.

The girls are working on what we call "Narnia". It is a fun hidaway and they are building their own "rooms". It keeps them busy.