Christmas Fun

You know the song "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas," Not only did we have one but Christmas eve we got 6 beautiful more inches. It made for somewhat treacherous driving and several forays out to the sidewalk to shovel and blow. We even had someone get stuck in our driveway. As the day warmed up, the snow became perfect snowman/snowball fight worthy. The kids, and of course the dogs, all went out to battle, with sides quickly taken and forts built. It's hard to know if there was a winner but fun was had by all. Working on the perfect fort.

Kristan and Branden rolling the perfect balls

Patrick and Trayce putting the finishing touches on theirs

Grandma trying to get Jeff to model his Christmas shirt.

A very tired Syd hates getting his picture taken. He only plowed the driveway three times. Isn't great to be in Idaho. Patrick and Kristan, I think they cheated on the Ticket to Ride game.

(Mark, we got our own copy so now you can bring new games for us to enjoy)

It was a lovely day, with good food, good company and movies galore to watch. Santa was extra generous in that category.
We hope your Christmas was equally as nice.

Christmas Letter 2008

I must apologize up front, I am lazy andthe time has gotten away from me so I am posting our Christmas letter here and not sending them out.

This is truly a wonderful time of year. It’s not just the lights, the songs, the food or the overall feeling of giving, but a time when one reflects on the role the birth of the Savior plays in our lives and also our achievements and failures of the past year. We have had a few, nothing worth bragging about.
Syd, thankfully, despite all the financial woes of the nation, is still able to go work each day. Like everyone else he has tightened his belt, but has been able to keep his crew, all two of them. We are ever thankful for this. He is still serving as Bishop of the BYU-I 67th Marrieds Ward and loving it. They constantly teach us so much. Sadly, he had the unfortunate opportunity to preside over a graveside service for one of the littlest of his ward. It was very humbling.
One of perks that came with this calling is the opportunity to participate in the Rexburg Temple open house and dedication. We served several times in giving directions, parking cars, and dumping garbage. Then we were able to attend the first dedicatory session, sitting in the hall just outside the sealing rooms. It was a wonderful and memorable experience. We love going with his ward to this beautiful temple.
In August we (our stake) moved into our own building. It’s a beautiful 8 ward stake center, with 2 of everything, chapels, kitchens, libraries, mother’s lounges, Primary and Relief Society Rooms, even two nurseries with a tiny toilet. Currently it is the largest stake center in the church, at least until they finish the one they are building next to campus.
Ruth Ann is still serving as the first counselor of the BYU-I 8th Stake Relief Society. They keep her busy with their enrichments and constant changing of presidencies. At least all the wards are now in the same building. This makes it so much easier. She also, still works as a Library aide at the High School. Most days she enjoys working with the teenagers, but they have their moments. She also made several trips to SLC to help her sisters entertain her father while their mother recovered from surgery. She became quite a pro at hanging out in waiting rooms.
Patrick is two semesters closer to graduating with a degree in accounting. When he isn’t going to school, he is working with his dad. Kristan and He still live/rent our basement. They have spent the last year teaching a most challenging primary class of 4 year olds. It has taken most of the year, but they learned to love them. Patrick signed up for the Air Force Reserves and in January will be leaving for boot camp at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Hopefully this will be a successful step for him in his career.
The Beazers are hoping everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
Syd, Ruth Ann, Patrick and Kristan

A Day of Thanks

Thanksgiving is a day to be shared by the family in giving thanks. We have so much to be thankful for, jobs, warm homes, good health, freedom and so much more. Marks contribution to dinner. It was greatly appreciated.Before the dinner a nap is in order, especially since one must patiently wait for the turkey to cook. The turkey was delicious. We did something different this year, we soaked it in a brine.
No dinner would be complete without fingers full of olives.
Then after dinner another nap is in order. Even Pugsy got into the act. He especially enjoyed the turkey, Brussel spouts and marshmallows Patrick ate so much he was about to pop. He did dinner with the in-laws first then back to our house for seconds and more.

After dinner a wild game of sorry was in order.

This was followed by Community Train (aka Mexican train or Chicken Feet)
Day two meant another round of food and games. We can always count on Mark to bring the games and orchestrate the activities.

Trayce showed off his reading skills

Syd worked on his talk for Sunday

Trayce was in charge of sampling the snacks.

The twins were definite contenders in Train Game

DeAnn (Cameron's wife) and Denice ganged up on everyone. We told DeAnne she could come back anytime as long as she didn't plan on winning next time. She's a real contender.

Mark was a gracious loser, even if he brought the games and had an unfair advantage of lots of practice and natural skill.

We all had a great time. We hope your Thanksgiving was was as nice as ours.

Crystal and boys

Cindy Lee, Crystal and the boys came to spend a couple of days with Grandma Beazer. They played, ate, picked apples, canned peaches, visited family, went to a movie and to see the new temple. The finale of the visit was train rides (and of course pictures, lots of them). Brandon and Nathan were so cute. They could hardly wait to ride the train and were so excited to help Uncle Syd walk the track checking for sticks and branches. They loved every minute of the train. After the serious faces a few funny faces are certainly in order.
Getting three little boys to all pay attention to a camera is definitely a challenge.
Enjoying the rope.
I can swing clear to the moon
This was not posed. Just a lucky shotBrandan and Grandma, so serious and yet so alike
I like my Grandma

Grandma and the boys.

Thanks Travis and Crystal for having such cute boys. They were so much fun.

Patrick on stage

On Oct. 10th, Patrick enlisted with the Air Force reserves. Their enlistment ceremony was part of the Reba McEntire - Kelly Clarkson concert held in SLC. He reports to boot camp January 14th in San Antonio, Texas for 9 weeks. We are hoping to attend his graduation.

This is a group shot of Reba, Kelly and the enlistees. They also got individual shots with them but Patrick hasn't received his yet. We will post it when it comes. If you want more information at the event go to http://www.419fw.afrc.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123119519

Welcome

So I started a blog for the family. It has some drawbacks but it can also be fun. Please feel free to make suggestions, vent frustrations, or whatever about this site. One of the drawbacks is that you have to have a google account to submit a post. I will try to get something set up to make this easier for everyone. I do make a one request. Since this is an open account, please do not post anything personal such as full names, addresses, or phone numbers. I want everyone to be safe. Keep checking back for more information.