Beech Tree: February 2009

HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY BROTHER!

there are not even words that describe all the good in adam. i don’t think he even tries, it is just who he is. thank you for being the best big brother a girl could ask for!! l love you tons!!

meagy jean

Happy Birthday, Bennett!

Happy Birthday, Bennett! This picture is proof of what a wonderful cousin you are--helping out the younger guys and not going after the lime light. Actually, I was really bad about taking pictures when we were up there and I don't have a really good one of you. Thank goodness your mom and Aunt Darla take such wonderful pic, eh? We love you so much!

Happy Birthday Benny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can not believe You are EIGHT!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! You are one the best cousins I have, I do not know what I would do without you. We have had such good times together! I love You SO much.

Happy Birthday
Jane

we LOVE Bennett!!

Benny Benny BENNY!!! It's great to be eight!!!....you little sassafras, you!!

~Love the Bennetts living at Grandmas

Sorry Sorry So Sorry!!!

Dear Adam,

I hope that you got my text on your BD. I know that you were probably disappointed that I didn't call and sing to you but the day kind of got away from me. Anyway I was suppose to get this on the blog before your BD but I had Alicia's computer hooked up to mine working on it and didn't have the picture on it. Anyway it was Joan's idea at our last family home evening to take this. I love you and hope that you had a great Birthday and that it didn't hurt too bad to turn 30!!!

Meet Violet!

We got to meet our first little one today! And although our ultrasound tech wasn't exactly confident... it looks as though she is a GIRL! They said that she was measuring a bit small and that she is probably a week 'younger' than her previous predicted age, pushing her EDD to around July 23(ish). We've decided to name her Violet Parker Bennett. Brind and I are so crazy about her...

Needless to say, we are very excited :)

Love, Brind & Julia

ps i just want to remind everyone that you don't have to be jealous that our baby girl is gonna look way better than your baby girls in all the hand-me-downs you'll be sending our way. shes a cutie.

love brind (julia refuses to have her name associated with this post script)

AdAm

Yes, I do have other pics of Ad, but they're on the upstairs computer, which is turned off for the night. You get the idea though.., right? Adam, happy birthday! We're sorry we ruined YOUR day 7 short years ago. We hope you have a wonderful time at the cabin. Geof.'s sad he can't join you. You've been a wondeful brother to him and I thank you for that. Ditto to all that Brooke said-what a generous, thoughtful person you are. We love you!
~Darla, Geof., Cole, Dayne and June bug

Happy Birthday Ad!!

Today is my brother's birthday. Can I tell you how much I love my brother? It is hard to believe that 18 some odd years ago we spent every morning on the way to seminary exchanging insults about each other's choice in music and purposely using our "turn" to torture the other person with our most obnoxious choices (Adam and Meagan did much better). What a waste of time. I'm sorry.

Adam is the most caring, thoughtful guy I know. He is a great husband, dad, son (besides the amount of time he spends teasing mom), brother, uncle, and friend. My kids love Uncle Adam, he always has some outrageous (completely untrue) story to tell, some weird thing they can do with some odd body part, or some bizarre trophy they can bring home with them (bloody feathers, antlers that Jane still won't let me throw away). No more road kill k? He also married Mindi, for which we will all be eternally grateful. Adam is a good guy- sincere, opinionated, passionate about his interests, not afraid to buck convention, but always true to his faith and his family. Adam is AWESOME!!!!

I love you Adam. Happy Birthday.

My handsome men in black

Our Ellie Update

I do want to write a little Ellie Birthday Blog, but... it is Valentine's Day and we have spent the day celebrating Ellie's B-day and now it is time to spend the evening with my Valentine. He's finally home! I did want to let everyone know that the meeting on Thursday was a complete success. There might be a few kinks we will need to work out in our meeting in two weeks, but Ellyn is going to get everything I asked for. She will have an in class aide and an after school program. Both aides will come from the specific company that I requested, it could even be the same aide that stays with her all day. The staff at Central Coast Kids and Family are all highly qualified. They have to have a BA, which doesn't mean everything but it means that this is their focus and their long term goal, not a filler job. Ellyn's speech and OT are going to beefed up, we will have a coordination team that meets twice a month so that we are all on the same page at home and school. I know we will still have to work hard and also, that this is going to take another month or two to set up completely, but we got it all!!!!! Thank you everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers. I felt them. I couldn't have done it without my friend Meghan. She had done all of the legwork already for her son, researching services in the area, refreshed in all the legaleze that I hadn't had much time to read up on again since last Spring, she even came to the meeting with me for support. She was Awesome!

The results of all of Ellyn's assessments were kind of disheartening. At this point they say she is functioning at 30% of the full developmental level for her age group. The psychologist suggested that Ellyn might have slight mental retardation. Ellyn's occupational therapist spoke up and said that she didn't think so, that Ellyn just hadn't had the help that other kids in the program had experienced since a young age. It is exactly what I was about to say and I did. We just have to give this kid a chance. She has NEVER had what she needed, okay, for a summer up in Washington when she was two. Let's do it right and see what happens. If she is, so be it, but let's not go there yet.

Okay- obviously it has been awhile since I started that post. Things are still going well. A couple of kinks have cropped up but we are working on them. Thank goodness Mike has been home this week. I have spent hours on the phone and hours in meetings. Tomorrow I go to an all day training. I'm so grateful I have Jane and Mike.

Yes, it is wonderful having Mike home. It has been busy, even with him home most of the week and Jane and Sadie home for mid winter break. We did get to go hiking with the two oldest and Sawyer one day while Ellyn was at school and he took those three again another day while I was in a meeting.

Attempt number 3- I'm posting, finished or not or this will never get out. Off to SCERTS training- the program we will be using for Ellyn- lots of love. Me

Harley is in Guys & Dolls

I just thought I would let you know Harley's play "Guys and Dolls" opens this weekend. She will be playing the part of Little Adalaide and will be singing a solo (Bushel and a Peck) on the nights of the 20th, 21st, and 26th. On the 28th she will be singing in the matinee at 2pm. The evening performances begin at 7:30pm.

She will be in the other performances on the 21st (matinee), 23rd (eve), 27th (eve), and 28th (eve) but she won't be singing her solo during those performances.

It is at the Jeanne Wagner/Rose Wagner Theater next door to PF Changs at 138 W. Broadway (300 S.) in Salt Lake City.

Tickets can be purchased through ArtTix, Academy Music, or at the door. There is a $3 charge per ticket for purchasing through ArtTix (801)355-2787. I would suggest buying tickets either at the door or at Academy Music in Kaysville (801)444-0554 as there will be no service charge if you purchase at those locations. Group tickets are available only at Academy Music for the price of $28 for 6 tickets.

Hope to see you there!!

Monica

jackson’s blog

we just started a blog for jack’s art work. we haven’t got much on there yet. just a few of his quick doodles, but if you are interested in checking it out click here.

he has such a gift, but we just can’t save all of his drawings or our house would be nothing but paper! so we take a picture, copy it to the blog, and recycle! yay!

he is starting a new art class on monday, we are super excited.

……………….meagan

I knew I had more pics of Ellyn. And to be blogging about it this late is silly, I know. And I came across this sweet pic of Jackson hugging his favorite cousin Jane (am I right?). Sweet boy.

to sweet ellyn from bglife

here is my sweet ellyn. wow i love her. i tell brooke that i think she was suppose to be mine (however we all know brooke is the women for such a special baby). we love you little elly!!

…….meags cor and gang

So cute I had to share!!

This one is for you Mike!
Our little Chloe is growing up!!!

She is such a sweetheart. I have one more but it is late and I'm tired! Love you!!

Life as we know it

Geof. took us to Portland for Valentine's Day. What a good day it was. Geof. seems very calm and content. I think he's confident that we'll be steered in the right direction. And in the meantime, we're just happy he's home with us every night (and some days when he's not substitute teaching for the school district). Don't you all just love this Geof. face?

A bad pic I took while driving across the bridge in Hood River last week. I was on my way to pick up Geof. from his job interview with this company. The interview went well. We hope to hear back from them soon. As for Hood River, it's amazing!

The kids joined us for lunch at the Greek restaurant in Portland (you guys all know the place). Cole loves it when I try to nuzzle his cheek with my flared nostrils. Oh, how he loves his mama. (can you taste the sarcasm?)

Dayne's thoughts are all about jewelry right now. That, and owning her own bike. She's obsessed and can't stop thinking about it. I took her to TJ Maxx a few weeks back and bought her the whole princess getup. The ring and earings broke the next day.

It could possibly be that she's had green snot running from her nose for the last week..who knows? Geof. took this pic of her last night while he was trying to change her diaper. She was OH SO MAD. Poor little June, who's not so little anymore. )

Happy Valentines Day to Ellyn!

Little Ellyn! We need more pics of you! Happy birthday to the sweetest girl with the most beautiful dark eyes and light hair and sweet smile. We sure love you!!

Good thing I had a plethora of pics to chose from (all taken in one day on the Allen's farm). (;

Happy Birthday to our Valentine's Girl!

Request for Prayers

On Thursday I have to go in and meet with all of Ellyn's educators. I'm asking for some big things that Ellyn really needs (an in class aide and an after school home program). We have huge budget issues here in California right now. Prayers would be great. Lots of love to all.

The Sister's Party...

Here is a pic of the family at the annual Christmas party. We were wishing all the Washingtonians were there too.

P.S. Chels, I am glad you noticed Chlo trying to kiss Ike. I was going to post this pic on this blog and tell you to check it out. So funny.

Le Anne's finger

Here's the video of Le Anne that I've been meaning to post. Her poor finger is still like this (though not as bad, I think). She'll have to blog about it.