Grandma turns 80

What a weekend. Grandma turned 80. She is the baby of her family, with only one other living sibling. As many of the immediate family came to visit and play and party as were able to. (Travis and family got sick at the last minutes, we appreciate their decision not to share it with us, Wayne was off being a weekend warrior, Patrick was still at tech training, and Dave had to work at his new job.) The guest all trickled in over the week and we had a great time. Thursday some of them went to Bear World and got train rides. Friday some went to Jackson Hole to see the Bar J and other stayed close to home and went to a movie. Saturday was the party day.

Afton opening her birthday cards

Due to the wet weather, (it poured and poured and poured) we moved the party up to Syd's Church in Rexburg.

One of the activities was to decorate a visor (it was suppose to be hot and sunny) Everyone young and old was required to do one.

While dinner was cooking (main course was dutch oven Moroccan Chicken cooked by Mark and Becky in a regular oven because of the rain, VERY YUMMY) a rousing game of basketball and volleyball was played. It was certainly adventurous as the little ones ran through the court. Everyone was tired and happy at the end.

Every game needs a spectators club.

Even the spectators need a rest

Those not involved in the sports activities played board games, provided by Mark of course

After dinner we sang to Afton. Because we were at the church we couldn't light the candles.

The whole gang.

And now for a few shots of those attending.
Kristan and Melissa (our military wives, both husbands were off training for our country)

But Mom, I am so tired I don't want to smile and be happy

Rose and Derek (they had tent adventures, just ask them)

Ry Ry, taking a ride.

Cheese!!! when ever a camera comes out he knows what to say.

The Three Amigos

April and Britt

the Youngs

Mr. Attitude

It was a fun day despite the weather, lets do it again in 10 years.

Work Day 2009

Each year we have a work day at Grandma Beazer's place. Anyone who can come does. They work and play like only a family can. Raking, shoveling, trimming, cutting, and of course riding the train.

They gather to prepare a plan of action. Who is doing what and and when. Everyone has a say, young and old alike.

First you load them on the trailer and haul them up the road to work on the canal. It has to be cleaned out, branches, weeds and silt.The apple trees need to be trimmed.
The lawn mowed and raked. (Mark does a quick cloud check)
The raked grass then is spread on the garden

(red neck spreader)

Taking a break

A very important job, keeping the grass from blowing away.

Our Cheer Team "Work Harder"

He was anxious to ride the train, but not until the work was done. He sweetly encouraged all in his soft voice to "WORK HARDER"

Farmer Richard

Grass is meant to be played in like a pile of leaves.

When the call for the work day goes out the question of "Do we get to use the chain saw?" is asked. If the answer is yes then you can guarantee the Utah boys will be there. They like to show off who's the best.
Others are content to take on the tractor.

Look at me, I can drive it.

Uncle Syd is great to let even the little ones tackle it.

Even the "Batman brothers" can drive it. Ladders are no fear if you are batman

The last task of the day was to tackle the Raspberry patch. Of course the putty car was put to good use. Transporting the little ones who so patiently waited for the work to finish so they could ride the train.

Sometimes it took team work.

Yard work is hard work.

Boys will be boys and climb on everything.

It's finally time to ride the train. All pint sized engineers must wear the right hat and scarf.

Lining them up for the big ride is a challenge

Engineer in training.

Not everyone is as thrilled to wear a hat and scarf.

The first run of the season and of course it didn't want to start. All the men gathered round, gave their advice, poked and prodded, added fresh gas, checked the spark plugs, only to discover they had forgotten to pull out the on switch.

The blue eyed duo.

ALL ABOARD

What picture show would be complete with out the rabbit ears. It's part of being a boy.

Thanks to everyone who helped. The yard looks great and, all in all it really was a lot of fun.

Airman First Class Patrick Beazer

We are proud to announce the graduation of Patrick from Air Force Basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. He is now at tech training in Biloxi, Mississippi until June.
Syd, Ruth Ann and Kristan were able to go to San Antonio and watch. Due to rain, lightening, and cold some of the events were cancelled, some were changed and others were just plain cold and miserable. We also had the chance to attend a semi-pro hockey game, eat alligator, take the scenic route to most things (really we just got lost), seen the Alamo and riverwalk and FREEZE. The only sun we enjoyed was what escorted us back to the airport. Other than being cold most of the time we were glad we went. This pictures makes him look so young. He's had several officers question his age. They won't believe he's 25 until he takes out his drivers license.

Patrick with his wingman.

This guy (aka Napoleon, because he can do an incredible impression) had the bunk just below Patrick and also shared the locker bay.

His flight, the 215 Bulldogs

Patrick is on the second row back of the guys standing, 3rd from the left. It's hard to tell because they all look alike.

His final Sunday there he had the opportunity to speak in church. Yes, that is him talking, the missionaries took the picture and emailed it to us. It was fun to see all the men and women in their ABUs, praying, playing the piano, passing the sacrament.

We were lucky to be able to be there to hear him.

We are very proud of him and his accomplishments.

A story of faith

As many of you may know, Kurt and Linda Krupp, cousins of somekind, are serving in the the Nigerian mission. They have a blog, http://thecastleofkrupp.blogspot.com/ which is elightening about their experiences. They also send a family letter home each week. In their last letter they included this story. I was touched by it.

My conclusion to this week's letter is a "Miracle Story". Ray Johnson, my missionary mate from my first mission in Germany, 44 years ago, is collecting African Miracle stories for a Blog. He shared this one with us while we were in Ghana. We share it with you as an example of how closely Heavenly Father is involved in our lives and how much He loves us and does, for sure, answer our prayers.
This story was written by a Doctor who worked in Central Africa
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
"All right," I said, "Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm….."
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed, "send us a hot water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while you are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"
As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, Amen?? I just did not believe God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the Equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door.
By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.
Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas-that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the…..could it be? I grasped it and pulled it out-yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!"
Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child, -five months before in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."

AR Beazer, Patrick S.

Elder and Sister Reynolds sent us pictures of Patricks first day in church at Basic Training. It's been harder than he thought it would be. He isn't as tought or prepared as he thought he was. But he will survive.

If you would like to write him, and he would love the letters, here is his address:

AB Beazer, Patrick S.

326 TRS-SLT Dorm A-8 PSC E

1320 Truemper St. Unit 941015

Lackland AFB, TX 78236-5570

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