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Asher loves to be outside!  We've always believed he is part dog because he has this NEED to be outside and active.  As a baby I would have to put him in a little snowsuit and let him crawl around on the back patio during the frigid winter months because the boy needed his out of doors fix.  He will follow Scott around all day as he is doing yard work.  He loves to help and we look forward to the time he can contribute to the completion of yard work.

Top Toy of All Time...

If I were to be given the choice of one toy for my boys, there is no question the Power Wheels Jeep has been the most loved and well-used of them all.  It is the favorite of anyone who comes over to play.  It has been responsible for many arguments about whose turn it is to drive.  It has been drive so hard, it's amazing it hasn't fallen to pieces.  It has survived the abuse of three boys and countless friends use over the past six years.  Having the big driveway with a nice hill has certainly added to the fun.  How do you raise boys with a hill for them to race down?  I will never know.  Yep, toy of the century as far as I'm concerned.

When it's time for greater adventures, the driveway
is abandon and the driving continues all over the yard.

Flying "Free"...

The joys of flying stand-by...only those who have endured it can really appreciate it.  Often the exclamation of, "You can fly FREE!?!?  Wow!" is heard when others discover one of the benefits of being married to a pilot.  But if one were to really understand what "flying free" really means, the excitement level would not be the same.  Yes, we are able to fly for free when there is a seat available.  With the way the airlines are currently functioning, most flights are completely full because they have drastically reduced the number of flights available.    We need five seats for the whole family to make it.  Often we will need to split up between two different flights.  If we do get seats, sometimes they are five single seats spread throughout the airplane.  What passenger is going to be thrilled with the idea of you sitting your three year old next to them and saying, "I'll see you when we get there!"  So when we get on the plane, it's a matter of begging and pleading with others to switch seats with you so that there are at least one family member sitting next to each other.  As the boys get older this will be less of an issue, but it has been a serious issue for a long time.  There is the sleepless night (or nights) previous to the trip, with the thought, "Are we going to get on the flight?" racing through the mind.  This is especially stressful when we're going a cruise.  They aren't going to hold the ship for those who don't get to the dock in time.  If the flights are looking especially full, we'll try and go a day early.  Which means paying for an extra day in a hotel (not cheap) and eating out (not cheap).  Checking the loads even a few days in advance isn't really that helpful.  One plane ends up broken down or cancelled because of weather, then that plane load of people has to be worked onto other flights.  One can never know for sure.  A flight may show 75 seats available and you think it is looking good, then a flight is cancelled and those seats are taken by the passengers from an earlier flight.  There is just knowing for sure until you're in your seat on the plane and taxing down the runway.  Even being given a seat is not guarantee.  I have been seated on the plane and then called over the loud speaker to come to the front of the plane, once on our anniversary and Scott was flying the plane!  They tell me a revenue (paying) passenger showed up at the last minute, so my seat is being taken by them.  I know the other passengers are wondering if I'm a terrorist or why it is I'm being taken off the flight.  I just let their imaginations run wild.

But I'm happy to report, though, that things have most often worked out for us.  We may end up taking a really round-about way of getting to a certain location- Los Angeles via Seattle, Atlanta via Tennessee, etc.  We may end up waiting hours and hours in the airport, hoping the next flight has seats available.  Eventually, we do reach our intended destination.

The following photos were taken as we tried to get a flight to Arizona in hopes of seeing the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple.  We waited for flight after flight and never did make it.  The boys (Oakley was in Idaho at Grandma's) did keep themselves occupied in some creative ways:

Hiding in airport play area toy box (oh, the germs
that must be covering every inch of that place!)...

Climb on areas not meant to be climbed on...

Search desperately on the internet on the phone,
hoping there is another flight with open seats...

Wrestle in the gate area on carpet that is surely so filthy and
disgusting it is barely safe to walk on, let alone roll around on....

Look for watermarks on dollar bills...

Finally giving up on getting on a flight and heading out
to the edge of the airport where you can watch planes
land and take off, the planes full of people who actually
got a seat on the flight and are getting to where they wanted to go.

Flying free does have a cost... my mental health!

2012 already....

So many entries to get caught up with, but I feel like I need to put my thoughts about the coming year down first and then get back to those that have been missed.  2011 was a fabulous year for our family.  There were many highlights- starting the year off in Disneyland with cousins, visiting Ellen in Washington D.C., the First Annual Family History Pageant in Manti, a trip to Mt. Rushmore, boating, Lake Powell, purchasing and using our motor home, Oakley and Eli starting school at American Heritage, a cruise to the Bahamas with Scott, and all of the other fun activities that filled our days during the year.  But Eli helped to put all of these "activities" into perspective last night.  We were sitting in front of the fire, each of us with a goblet of sparkling cider in hand.  We asked the boys what some of their favorite things of 2011 were.  With all of the fun and exciting places we'd been, Eli's response was, "Being at home with our family."  Really?!?!  It's not Disneyland?  A cruise? The fancy boat and motor home?  Nope.  What makes him the most happy is being in our home with our family.  That should have been all of our answer...

The speaker at church today spoke words that were especially meaningful to me as I contemplate a new year, a fresh start, and deciding what will be the priorities for me and our family.  She talked about this "list" that we all have in our mind, the things we "should" be doing- even good things like providing service for others.  This list gets longer and longer and soon turns into guilt about not having the time, energy, or resources to get to the things on that list.  I am all too aware of my list and it will often make me feel so guilty that it turns to anger, which is then manifest in the way I treat those I'm around most often.  I get resentful of their needs and the fact that their needs require my time and energy, time and energy that I feel like should be devoted to those things on that endless list in my mind.  She shared an experience she had at a fireside with Sister Beck, the General Relief Society President.  There was a question and answer session and she raised her hand and asked, "What role should guilt play in the life of a Latter-day Saint woman?"  Sister Beck then shared this insight, if what you're feeling says you're not doing enough and aren't good enough, it's from Satan.  If what you're feeling makes you feel, you could do better in this area and I WILL HELP YOU,  then it's source is the Father.  Sister Beck also talked about how she arranges her days.  She puts three columns on a paper with the following title for each- essential, needs to be done, and would be nice to get to.  The essentials include: prayer, personal study, anything that helps us to keep the covenants that we've made with our Heavenly Father.  The essentials list should be very short, just a few items.  The next list should include things like: feeding the children, exercise, and other items that really should get done.  This list should not be very long either, but not absolutely critical.  The final list should include those things that would be nice to get to, but not essential.  I would like to make my daily three column list, also.  One of the essentials I would like to improve on is personal study.  With the calling to teach Relief Society, I need to be dedicating time each day in researching and gaining greater understanding of the principles of the lessons I will be teaching.  It will be a tremendous blessing for me, and hopefully meaningful to the wonderful sisters in our ward.

As I was contemplating what should be my Word of the Year, I decided upon FUNDAMENTAL.  As I was brainstorming different words and read the definition of FUNDAMENTAL, I decided it was perfect for the coming year.  The definition is, "A leading or primary principle, rule, law or article, which serves as the ground work of a system."  I need to include the FUNDAMENTAL activities first, then all others will find their place and time.  If we are to have success in this "system" of family life, the principal duties must be accomplished first and daily.  It will serve as a constant reminder when deciding how I will spend my time, "Is this essential or just something that I would like to do?"


Here's to another outstanding year for the Beeson Bunch!