Pics from California

We got to go to Oakland, CA last weekend to attend the wedding of Mike's cousin, David, to his beautiful and sweet bride, Celeste. They were wonderful, and we were so glad we could be there.

The kids and Daddy walked around the BEAUTIFUL grounds quite a bit.

Becca just ADORES Celeste!

Grandma and Grandpa Grapes were there, too!

It was fun to get to spend time with Aunt Elizabeth!

I kept trying to take pictures of Michael, but most of them look just like this one.

It was a fun trip together as a family!

Birthdays!!!

I am so overdue for all of this.

Becca turned 4 on December 27, 2009. We were in South Carolina for Christmas at the time. She requested a pink cake with white icing. Since my cake making skills are negative, and Becca's last birthday cake was a disaster, I decided to let Kroger's bakery do this one.

We gave Becca a violin for her birthday, which she enjoys playing - especially "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".

Little Michael turned 3 on March 26. I took the day off work, and Mike took the afternoon off. We took the kids to "Five Guys and a Burger" for a very unhealthy, but yummy lunch. Then we took the kids to see the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" (which I thought was great, btw).


After the movie, we picked up one of Michael's little friends and went home for a little family birthday party. He especially loved the slide, which he had been requesting for a solid month. The funny moment was about 30 minutes after he opened his many presents - he came upstairs and threw a tantrum because he wanted to open more presents.

Besides the slide, Michael requested a blue cake with blue icing. When I asked if he wantged ice cream, he said, "No Mommy, icing, not ice cream." So we did not have ice cream.

I decided to bite the bullet and make the cake myself. I talked to my husband, who happens to be an excellent cake maker as well as my mother-in-law, who is an excellent cake decorator. And, after much labor, I think I finally made a cute cake!









Mike's birthday was pretty simple. I got him a couple of TV show seasons, so we just stayed up and watched those. Older birthdays aren't less of a big deal, just a bit calmer.

I know, I'm so slack...

I could write a novel of things that have transpired since Christmas, but since I'm just on my lunch break, and could seriously use a cat-nap today, I'll keep this short and current. I'll have to retro-post info about birthdays, etc.

Little Michael wore this slightly-too-large suit coat to church yesterday and looked adorable. And the pin on Becca's dress says, "I like Mike." Mike got it yesterday at our county's Republican convention, which he attended as a county delegate. It was a pin for one of the candidates running for Senate. Becca has been wearing it ever since and loves that she likes her dad.

A Christmas Hello

I hope this posting finds everyone healthy and happy on this wonderful day. I sit writing this at my in-laws house in South Carolina, enjoying the Christmas tree lights and a fire as the whirlwind morning of gift-opening comes to a close and calm returns. It rained this morning - a good southern downpour for quite awhile. I hear there is snow awaiting us back in Utah, and although the snow holds a magic of Christmas, I am truly enjoying the wet, warmer weather that reminds me of many good things I love - mostly my family.

We have spent this past week with Mike's family, and it has been so fun. The kids have been playing with cousins or as little Michael calls them, his friends. Tomorrow we'll trek down to Aiken, SC, to spend the next bit with my family. On Sunday, which is also our little Becca's 4th birthday, we'll have all of us kids there except Marianne and Joey. I am excited for that.

This year has been a busy but wonderful one for us. We bought our first home in May and now live in Clearfield, Utah. We have a great new ward and are loving making new friends. I am, of course, still involved with the music in the ward, serving as the ward music chairperson and the organist. The organ is a challenge for me, but I am getting better and usually enjoy it :) Michael is the ward Sunday School President, and is having fun training teachers.

Michael and I are also super busy with our jobs, which are both going well, and we are both very pleased and content with our work situations. I also had the incredible opportunity to be hired as the director of the new Clearfield City Children's Choir, which has been a fun challenge to get started, but is going well. I love working with kids and making music, so I'm just having a blast.

I also began composing music towards the end of last year. In April, I was able to direct a performance of an Easter canata I composed. It was an amazing experience. (I am working on a website with my music. www.shurtleffnotes.com. It will also include music arranged/composed by my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. It's still in progress, but let me know if you'd like updates once it's completed.)

The kids are great. Becca is learning to write, and she loves to draw faces. She is sure to include all the details, including eyelashes and cheeks. She's also an avid colorer and living room-dancer. I think Becca is also working on her acting skills, as she can be very sneaky and likes to twist around things we say to work for her interests. She is just full of personality, and we are enjoying watching her grow up.

Michael is an amazing helper and is the best of us all about putting his dishes in the sink when he's done eating. He is also a boy through and through. His favorite toys are matchbox cars, which he frequently carries around the house, sometimes even in is pockets. Second favorite toys are balls. Preferably ones that bounce. He is a very routine-oriented boy. He must sleep with all of his blankets (usually 5 or 6) and has to have his cup of water and particular stuffed animals. When we got here to SC, he had a hard time at first, because he only wanted to sleep in his own bed back home. It is cute to see the nuances of personality in both kids.

Well, I think that's about it for an annual update. Please feel free to browse the rest of the blog. Since returning to work at the office, my blogging has taken a nose dive, but there may be a bit there to read.

Merry Christmas to everyone!
Beth

Lessons from Halloween

When I have to shower in the mornings, I put a 45 lb bucket of wheat in front of the front door and lecture the kids about opening the door. I make sure they understand that if the doorbell rings or if someone knocks, they need to come get me and never open the door themselves.

This morning, as I coached Michael on proper door policy, I asked, "What do you do if someone knocks on the door?" He replied with a giant smile, "Give them candy!"

Holidays, Wal-Mart, Costumes, and Candy

So yesterday was Halloween. Melanie had babysat the evening before so Mike and I could go on a date, and she had gotten the kids all excited for the upcoming holidays. So they were quite excited to get up Halloween morning.

After spending a few morning hours doing some deep cleaning in the house (I can't believe we've been here almost 6 months already and that there is any deep cleaning that needs to be done!), I took the kids to Wal-Mart. Little Michael had a blast. I had the kids in one of those kid-carts that has special seats for two toddlers. If not buckled properly, and usually even if they are buckled properly, children love this because they can easily get in and out of the cart on their own. Michael watched me meticulously for a few minutes of shopping. Then, while I was looking at some juice, he hopped down to do some shopping of his own. When I turned around, he had a box of Capri-Sun drinks that he was hoisting up into the basket. It made me laugh, and I even let him keep them. A few minutes later, I caught him shoving a bag of flour into the cart. I assured him we had plenty of flour at home and put it back on the shelf. And finally, I had to put an end to his shopping spree, when I turned around and found about 10 Kleenex boxes in the cart and more on the way.

After Wal-Mart, we came home for naps. Melanie came up, and then it was time for costumes. Becca got dressed and made up and was super excited. Michael, on the other hand, absolutely refused to wear his costume. He was going to be a knight in shining armor, but ended up just wearing a black turtle neck and slacks. We all tried, but he never would put the costume one.

We went to the church for a chili cook-off and trunk-or-treating. Then when we got home, we took the kids next door to trick-or-treat. Then we came home for the night, relaxed and tried to keep the kids from consuming their candy in one night.

Peaches at Grandma's

Went to Grandma Shurtleff's today and canned peaches for the first time ever. It was really fun, and much less scary than I thought it would be. And now we have yummy peaches for the next year!

We also watched the USC vs UGA game. *sigh*