Cheerleader down...

Well, Maddie has one the prize for becoming the first one in our little family to break a bone. She was doing some stunts at a cheer practice and landed wrong on her left arm. She fractured the bone just above the elbow. Not fun, but she is in good spirits and hopes to be able to continue cheering...just not stunting. :) It's a tad inconvenient to be a one-armed girl...no cheer, no piano, needs help getting dressed and doing her hair...but she has been very brave and upbeat inspite of all the incovenience. She will get a cast on Tuesday (she's hoping for purple...she is a Lehi cheerleader), so any and all that would like to sign it are more than welcome! :) She is actually pretty excited about it. ;)

Happy Fall, Everyone!!! I love this time of year. The cooler weather, the leaves changing colors, football season! I simply love it.

Rasmussen Reunion 2009...

How much fun can you have in 5 days? Quite a bit, we found out. We crammed in as much as we could while still managing to get some rest and relaxation. From panning for gold in an old ghost town, to a guided horse-back ride in the Sawtooth Mountains, to making good use of an awesome water slide, we did it all...and had an absolute blast!! We LOVE May Family Ranch! We wanted to stay for another week, but alas, we had to come back to reality some time...darn it!!

pictured...May Family Ranch (above) Red Fish Lake (below) It looks like something out of Lord of the Rings!

All of us had so much fun on the guided horse-back ride. We saw scenery that we would not have seen otherwise. Views that take the breath away!! LOVED IT!!

Savannah rocketing down the water slide!!

Paul and Sharon May with my parents.

Avery's Sunflower!!

This is a mammoth sunflower that Avery started in her 1st grade class. She has been so excited to see it grow and eventually get taller than her...and then mommy...and then daddy! :)

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House...

Heritage Park...

My parents took the kids and I up to Heritage Park a few days ago and here are a few of the pics that we took. There was pony rides, train rides, a petting zoo with a pygmy goat named Goliath and a lop-ear bunny named Jasper. Old-fashioned pictures, ice cream, candle-making, arrow head necklaces and souvenirs bought at the village store. We even met "Brigham Young". I've never been into the village before so it was a lot of fun to experience it for the first time with my kids. I just love that time period. In fact, many times I have day-dreamed about living in the time of the pioneers. I don't know if I would have been any good at it...but I would have loved it! :)

Matt and Rachel came to Utah!!

We just took Matt and Rachel and their kids to the airport so they could return to North Carolina...sniff, sniff. We were sad to see them go, but we had so much fun with them while they were here. We even got them all to ourselves for an evening of fun-ter-tainment and good food. We love their family and we will miss them...but next year is right around the corner... :)




From top to bottom: This is the gang in our awesome swimming pool.... making a lazy river...going down the giant slippery slide that Grandpa and Grandma Beck provided for everyones enjoyment...Uncle Matt with Savannah and Samuel.

Sleepover at the Whites!!

Every few months we get together with our good friends, Rock and June White and their darling kids...Ahnika, Haydn and Mekiah. Since they live in Nephi and we live in Lehi, we thought it would be easier to simply get together and sleepover. It is. We have so much fun together. WE LOVE THE WHITES!!

This is Ahnika with Maddie...














Morgan, Mekiah, Haydn, Savannah and Avery....















Danny and myself with Rock and June...

A Feel Good Story...

I read this story a long time ago and I've kept it saved because I loved the message. It has always made me smile and feel all tingly inside when I read it...I hope it has the same effect on anyone else who reads it, too. Oh, how I wish I had faith like Kevin's! I guess it touches my heart becomes my brother, Troy, has Downs Syndrome. He looks at life exactly like Kevin. Whenever I call my parents home and Troy answers, I'll ask him how he is doing and everytime, every single time, he will say, "I'm fantastic!" Everyday I learn something new from Troy...something as simple as smiling when you've had a crappy day or singing while I do my chores. And I wish I loved doing laundry the way Kevin does. That would definitely make my life easier... :) Anywho, enjoy the story...

GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen. "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed..."I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in. He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7 year old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni and cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.
And Saturdays-oh the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. "That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth, of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.
His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He doesn't shrink from a job when it is begun, and he doesn't leave a job until it's finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.
He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.
Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God-to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap...I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances- they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care. Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.
And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!!

YUBA RESEVOIR 2009

Here are some fun pix of our annual trip to Yuba Resevoir with Angie and Calvin and the whole gang! Good Times!

Danny's Birthday...34 years old!!!

We just celebrated Danny's birthday on July 8th. 34 years of living on this beautiful earth...only 6 more years and it will be 40 years of living......hehehe! I have to tease, just a little bit. Happy Birthday, my love! I've enjoyed every minute spent with you!! I adore you and I'm so glad that YOU are the father of my children. Everyday is an adventure!! I'm the luckiest woman alive!! ;)

Parades, Piano, Cheerleading, Scouts, Gymnastics and Friends!!

We have been very busy so far this summer with all that has been going on. Not just Danny's stuff, but the kids have all been involved in different activities that have kept us hoppin'. Maddie had a piano recital where she played "When the Saints go Marching in". She did a wonderful job even though she was a tiny bit nervous...she was the BEST!! Maddie has also been heavily involved with cheerleading. She practices twice a week with her squad and during the month of June she had parades and fundraisers to go to as well. She is such a cute little cheerleader. We have had so much fun watching her grow and gain confidence in herself. It's just hard to believe that she is old enough to be a cheerleader! GO, BIG PURPLE!! :) Avery has also kept us busy with gymnastics. They were in the parade as well and Avery tumbled her way down the street, trying not to look too excited! She is doing very well and was just moved up to level 3! She works really hard everyday so that she can move up to level 4 and start competing! EEEK!! Morgan was in the parade too, as a scout. He is a Bear right now and enjoys going to scouts each week and then coming home and letting me know what he passed off or what he needs to work on. I'm also scared to admit that he got a Rip-Stick recently. He loves it!! It's a little bit scary for me to watch him go on it, but he just takes off and goes and doesn't care that I hold my breath until he's off again :) ...Anywho, Savannah isn't doing much right now except playing with friends and being cute and sassy! Aaaaah, they grow up too fast!!

Concert Tour 2009: An American Tribute

Yes, we have hit the big time!! ;) We were able to go with Danny on tour with Maureen McGovern. For those of you who don't know who she is...she is a fabulous singer that has done a lot of Broadway stuff and shows around the country. The concert was put together by Craig Jessop and Maureen was the headliner. But Danny did get to sing a couple of songs from his album as well as some duets with Jessie Funk and an amazing choir and orchestra! It was a beautiful tribute to our country and so well done that I hope they can do it again next year!!

Memorial Day 2009

Our family has a tradition that we started about 2 and 1/2 years ago...we take balloons to Brynnley's grave on her birthday and Memorial Day and we let them "go up to heaven". And then we watch until we can't see them any more. This was Savannah's and Avery's idea and we love it!! And we like to think that Brynnley is watching and just waiting to "catch" all of her balloons! :)

hAPpY 7tH biRTHdaY, aVErY!!!

Okay, so it has been a while since I've posted anything...and for some reason I didn't post any pictures for Avery's birthday, which was back on May 25th. So I'm doing it now because she is so special and needs to be recognized. We have so much fun with Avery. She is always crackin' jokes and making people laugh. And when she smiles, she sparkles! She's a little firecracker and we LOVE having her be a part of our family!! Happy Birthday, munchkin!!

Marvin Goldstein, Daniel Beck and Me.....

Danny performed with Marvin last weekend and what a fabulous show it was. Marvin played for about 20 artists and then did some of his own stuff as well...Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star from around the World anyone???

Good times, good times!!

Cutest Kids in the World!!

So, my good friend, Jessie Funk, has got a new photography business going (http://www.cliophotography.com/) and asked if we would be her guinea pigs. I said sure. It turned out to be an awesome and fun session and we got some incredible family and individual pictures. Love them!!