After the last big snowfall in February, we had fun sledding down the hill in our backyard and building a bobsled track with several banked turns. Over the last few days, we had a blast playing in the 8 inches of snow we got on Thursday. There were several firsts for our family: building a snow cave after dark and then enjoying the coolness of the sunlight through the snow the next day; creating a snowman; and boogie boarding on the snow!
Caroline and Sarah on the sled before the boogie board came out.
Joseph and Sterling on the sled making snow-sun faces.
Joseph, Sarah, and Caroline in the snow cave.
Sarah in the snow cave.
Caroline and Joseph on the boogie board.
Running in snow for more than 30 minutes while pulling people on a boogie board is a great workout. I was sore the next morning. Usually, two people on the board was the max...
Eldon pulling Caroline and Sarah on the boogie board. Once everyone got more confident, we went down to only one person per ride. And we went much faster. All the kids got quite good at leaning off the board on the turns to maintain their balance!
Here we are: Eldon, Joseph, Snowman, Sterling, Caroline, Sarah, Shaela, and John. The eighth member of our family will melt in a few days.
John's first days in the snow
Shaela and John after their relatively slow ride on the boogie board
Hugs for the snowman
If you've never been pulled on a boogie board on the snow, add it to your bucket list! This is like knee boarding on water. It is especially fun for the smaller kids who float over the snow with almost no friction when they are moving quickly.
This is Caroline's composition called The Gift of Christmas. It is a narrative-style script for a dramatic presentation of the birth of Christ.
This was one of Caroline's many spontaneous creations. This is the sort of thing she does every day. As a result, we commonly find this sort of document in odd places around the house and left in cracks or under seats in the cars.
January: The end of 2013 had us remodeling the kitchen, but in early January we also tore out the master bathroom cabinetry and mirror. Eldon had hernia surgery and subsequently returned to the ER via ambulance after repeatedly passing out and seizing.
February: The hunt for the right contractor and a plan for the house.
March: The remodel begins in earnest. We tore out the rest of the playroom/office space and demolished much of the old concrete floor. We built and poured new footings, slab and sidewalk. Then studs, drywall, texturing, painting, windows.
April: Put on new roof which included a new swamp cooler and electrical lines. We also had the learning lesson of a lifetime dealing crooks who were supposed to refinish our Saltillo floor.
May: John was born on May 15th and lifelighted to Loma Linda NICU to make for an exhausting weekend. We were finally able to take him home 48hrs after birth.
June: Remodel, remodel, remodel! I got really good with sanders, paint brushes, screw drivers, and everything Home Depot can sell. Most memorable was nursing John while changing electrical outlets. Don't worry, the power was off! ;-) We also made a trip to Modesto and Davis for April's graduation from UC Davis Veterinary School. It was a much needed trip for rest, but a risky trip with all that still needed to be completed on the house.
July: Still remodeling, painting the exterior of the house, packing and moving. We were saved by Beth and Judy, our Mom's who made survival possible. My Mom basically took the kids to the hotel and kept them occupied while fueling us with food, and Beth helped with John, cooking and packing. She was there, in the moonlight with us until 5 A.M. the morning the truck was going to be picked up. Amazing. I'll never forget installing the shower walls at midnight, and painting the back door the morning we were pulling out of CA. It was a most insane adventure.
The move to the East coast took us two weeks, six days of camping, five days in a hotel and three with family. We stopped at the Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, San Antonio and then Houston, Texas to see my family; New Orleans, Mississippi, Missouri and Kentucky. We took our time and only drove five to seven hours a day. On July28th we bought our home in Charlottesville, VA.
August: Eldon started the Grad Course at the JAG School and we got settled in.
September: Tony and Kathleen Kmitta visited with their family for a few days. We had a wonderful time together and had a great hike to the top of Crabtree Falls!
October & November: We spent as much time as possible together as a family. We have gone hiking, bike riding, to Monticello (multiple times), Williamsburg (On Veteran's Day), to the Washington D.C. Temple (twice), Arlington National Cemetery, and the Kennedy Center for Josh Wright's debut performance there. We have enjoyed time together on a much more regular basis and with much less stress than what we had at the beginning of the year.
Because we have a family blog, we shouldn't need to write a Christmas newsletter. Instead, we should just tell people to read the blog. But that would require more than two postings for the year. And since we didn't send out a Christmas letter last year, you probably have no idea what we've been doing.
In keeping with the Gothic family photo this year (see "American Gothic," for those of you who never played Masterpiece as children), we will try to provide a report that reflects the Gothic characteristics of realism and detail.
First of all, we're now a family of six. Sterling Williams Beck was born on 6 December 2011. He has all the health, strength, appetite, and desire for sleep that we could ever want in a newborn infant. We're all grateful for that. Sterling loves to be swaddled and held, but there's nothing terribly unusual about that. What is perhaps somewhat unusual is that Sterling has become accustomed to using the bathroom like a civilized human being instead of soiling his diapers. We're all adjusting to our new addition fairly well. His big brother and sisters are glad to have him in the family, though Sarah can sometimes be particularly sensitive to her new position as a big girl rather than the baby of the family.
Sarah Jane is Little Miss Independent. Though petite for her new age of two, she has remarkable physical strength and an even more impressive will. But Sarah's independence doesn't require her to sacrifice snuggling, stories, and one-on-one attention. She loves to play outside, is learning how to handle the single-rope swing in the yard, and is not terribly concerned about talking in ordinary English. However, she is quite expressive and able to communicate her needs, desires, and decisions. Sarah is a self-potty-trained individual and a chameleon-like dresser who seems to be sporting a new outfit every time you cross her path throughout the day. Sarah is also the champion eater in our house and will often eat a hearty breakfast that is as big as what her Dad eats. She loves playing with Joseph and Caroline and is quick to emulate their behaviors, whether silly or serious.
Joseph is a little working man, just like his Dad. He is always early to bed and almost always the first to rise. From the time he gets up around 5:30 or 6:00 AM, Joseph gets dressed and is ready for the day. He is neat and tidy, but normally prefers to spend his time outdoors in our desert. As a result, he usually has a patina of dust from playing in the sand, swinging, working in the garden, moving firewood, or feeding, petting, and gathering eggs from the chickens. Joseph loves the chickens and would be able and willing to take care of them all by himself if he was only a foot or so taller (four-year-old boys have trouble getting over 42 inch electric fences). Joseph has a great sense of humor and has recently taken to enthusiastically reciting Millie's famous line from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: "Ya gonna act like hogs... ya gonna EAT like hogs!" Though sometimes shy amongst strangers, Joseph is an engaging boy with a contagious sense of humor and a keen sense of detail.
Caroline is the best reader in the family... and an artist. Those are her own words. And that characterization is in no way delusional or deceptive: it is a perfect description of our six-year-old daughter. Caroline learned to read and wasted no time immersing herself in the wonderful world of books. She reads several large "chapter" books at a time (i.e. the 300 page varieties like the Little House on the Prairie series) and will devour two to four books of that magnitude every week! But she's not just turning the pages; her comprehension is excellent and her vocabulary is growing as she asks about some of the trickier words she finds. But Caroline is also an artist who creates incessantly. You can see some of her work here. From writing to woodwork, flowers to sand sculpture, and drawing to dining preparation, Caroline always has another brilliant idea that she is working tirelessly to reify. Still, Caroline spends plenty of time playing outside, helping in the house, and just being an ordinary well-rounded child. As she learns to wisely harness and focus her creative passions, she will be a bright and powerful force for good.
Shaela had the bright idea to adopt 16 new chickens just as we began raising 25 chicks in September. But due to a violent tragedy in the chicken's former house, natural selection left us with only 9 mature hens and 1 amazing rooster. The good news is that we have had enough eggs to supply our family over the last few months. This year, Shaela learned to trust in the Lord and to remember that these demanding, crazy times of young motherhood are both fleeting and precious. She has learned that, with the proper attitude, diapers, laundry, pool maintenance, chickens, and house cleaning can be exhilarating and inspiring, especially when the children are involved, learning to work, and even arguing over who gets to clean the toilet, iron handkerchiefs, or set the table the nicest. Additionally, Shaela has learned to love to learn this year as she has redoubled her own efforts in her studies while teaching the children. Day by day, she finds great joy watching their minds work and their souls expand as they gradually come to understand, embrace, and apply light and truth.
Eldon has had so much to do that he has not had time to do more enjoyable things, like post photos, videos, and pithy comments to this blog. He spent the last year, until November 2011, as a defense counsel and found great satisfaction helping Marines in trouble and holding the government accountable (i.e. "sticking it to the Man"). Eldon is grateful for the many wonderful people he was able to work with and the opportunity to learn so much through interesting and challenging cases, such as this case. He has recently become the officer-in-charge of the Civil & Installation law section and, as a result, has temporarily left the courtroom to learn the "corporate" side of the Marine Corps. He loves the challenge and complexity of his new job and is excited to tackle ambitious, much-needed, and high-payoff projects that will make a lasting positive impact on the way the office works. In Church, Eldon was released from the Elders Quorum Presidency in order to serve as the Second Counselor in the Bishopric. This has been another time-intensive opportunity to learn and serve that has been both demanding and rewarding. At home, Eldon continues to strive to be the husband and father that Shaela and the children need and deserve. There are always projects around the house and the chickens to care for, but we still find many a Saturday morning for a family hike in Joshua Tree National Park and sometimes even get the chance for an occasional Friday night movie in front of a cozy fire. And every night in our home is the time for Eldon to read aloud the great books that teach and inspire us to become great people.
That's about all the detail and realism we can share in a little family newsletter without turning it into an unwieldy tome. If you want the full experience, you'll have to pay us a visit! In the meantime, here are some of the best pictures of the family and the kids from this year:
Life is good. We miss all our friends and family, many of whom we haven't seen now for several years. We think of you often and are grateful for the uplifting influence you have had on us. More than anything, especially at this special time of year, we are grateful for our Father's gift of his Son and our Savior's gift to us of the Atonement, which opens the way back to our Father. Those eternal gifts provide the purpose and hope for our individual lives and our family. They are the path of immediate and everlasting happiness for all people who will but follow the plan. We are thankful for the many blessings we have received as a family. We're humbled and sometimes even slightly whelmed by the challenges and opportunities we receive. But we trust in and follow Jesus Christ and know He will make us equal to whatever burdens we may have to bear. We wish you all the best in the year to come and pray that you may feel an abundance of the sweet peace that the Gospel brings.
On Saturday morning, we got up and jumped in the Beast. We drove up the mountain and almost no one else was there in Joshua Tree National Park. It was warm and sunny, but not too hot. We climbed a bunch of rocks and had so much fun! Sometimes we were on the trail, but other times we were climbing on rocks or going through prickly bushes.
Sarah says funny things while she hikes. She is a pretty good hiker, but after a while, she gets tired so Dad puts her in the baby backpack so she can take a nap.
We also went up some rocks that were so steep that we had to go down the backside because we couldn't go down the way we went up.
While we were off the trail, hiking around the rocks, we found a cave where we ate lunch.
We found a big huge flat, slanted rock that went up to a big cliff where we took silly pictures and marched around, playing trumpets.
After hiking more than 2 miles, we got to Skull Rock at the very end of the trail. Then we got in the Beast and drove to the farmers market in Joshua Tree before we went home.
Our family trip to Hole in the Wall in the Mojave National Preserve. Definitely the coldest and windiest camping trip I have ever been on, but very rewarding and so fun. The kids hiked more than six miles and ended by climbing up several feet of big steel rings. It was wonderful family time. We were so grateful that the Acrees were willing to join us. It made the whole trip that much more fun!
Sarah loves the freedom and the flavor of the desert.
Caroline had a blast planting seeds for flowers and can't wait to be able to pick the flowers to give to her Mom. Or for her Mom to cut and give to her. She understands though, that this is, "just an experiement."
Really, can life be any better for our three year old? Popsicle in hand, waterproof boots, two acres to roam, and plenty of water to splash in?
After being here a few days we quickly realized that our childrens' clothes were being ruined by the elements outside. Sand, water and cactus pricklies just don't keep cotton in shape for very long. After changing outfits multiple times a day and using more oxiclean than I had in the previous many months Eldon suggested overalls. Of course, that was brilliant! The kids love them! Even Caroline, my dress queen, loves to wear her overalls "for work only," but puts them on every morning for at least a few minutes before switching to the dress of the day.
Translation: "Everyone must check our shoes to see if you have pricklies."
The kids have quickly become familiar with some of the dangers of the desert. Like going barefoot in a place where the "Jumping" Cholla Cactus thrives. It's packets of "priclez" really do have a way of jumping onto you even when you are very cautions.
But there's a lot to love about the wildlife here. Like the Ocotillo plant that looks like a giant inverted octopus on steroids... with thorns and occasional flowers. And the ubiquitous rabbits and quail. And the occasional roadrunner. And the coyotes patrolling the neighborhood at all hours. And the tarantulas hanging out by the front door. And--of course--Joshua Trees. For example...
A Sunday afternoon walk started with "parasols" in hand. But then the parasols were traded in for rocks after we saw a few foxes (or coyotes?) trot across the trail.
If you're not careful at night around the front door, you may have some uninvited company enter the house.
Of course, we're loving it here. Come visit us in the wilderness!
The middle of October is an eventful time for our family. The 15th is the day we got married, the day Joseph was born, and the day Grandpa Beck was buried. It will also be the day we move into our first house. We're excited and feel very blessed. Because this home was a short sale, we offered to buy it at the end of May but we only recently received notice of acceptance. We're survivors of the short sale roller coaster!
This house is built on a few acres on the southern end of the Twentynine Palms area basin. It is only a few hundred meters from the border of Joshua Tree National Park (which begins at the mountains you see in the pictures below). If you have never slept under the stars in the desert, you can come to our house and camp out in the backyard. Here's a glimpse of our new place:
All the kids are in swim lessons and are making wonderful progress. This first video will be a treat for anyone who has seen Joseph swim (or, more likely, anyone who has seen Joseph adamantly protest a suggestion that he get in a large body of water).
