Christmas 2008

On Saturday the 20th we went to Grandma Beddes' house for a Christmas party. We had so much fun! She had put a lot of time and effort into planning some games for the adults and the kids. We had good food and lots of presents. She's great...she puts all the gifts for each child in one Big HUGE bag and lets the kids have at it all at the same time. The kids always get clothes, toys and books from her (and grandpa) and they love it! This year Grandpa Beddes spent lots of time on his gift to the kids...he MADE blocks for the boys! He made them all with his hands and a few tools. The boys were so excited and I cried because that is what you call a gift from the heart!

We also opened presents from the gift exchange and Benjamin could hardly wait to tear into this big one with his name on it. JeriDawn got him a big Thomas the Tank Engine Tent. He absolutely loves it!

On Christmas Eve, we drove to my grandparents house and had the annual Steele Family Nativity. Benjamin got to be Joseph and he did a great job (no speaking parts are involved!) Alexander was a sheep and he would not let go of me so he is not in any pictures.

Just after the nativity and talent show, we had a special visitor. Benjamin was the first one up there to sit on his lap and he did not cry one bit.

Alexander did okay too!

Christmas morning was at grandma's and Santa found us there! We were really blessed this year and got some great stuff from the big guy. Benjamin got some big trucks for the sandbox we plan on having in the spring (hopefully!) He also got some much needed clothes and of coarse some candy in his stocking. Alexander got some cars and a train. We all got the traditional box of cereal and an orange in the toe of our stocking. Taun got me a gift certificate to the spa. That was a huge surprise!

The boys got matching Thomas jammies on Christmas Eve.

We were able to stay at my parents house for a few days around Christmas (Thank You Taun!) The kids had fun playing in the snow with cousins and riding in the sled pulled by the 4 wheeler. On Friday the 26th the kids all wanted to go to the church parking lot to have a bigger space for the sled so my sister and her husband took them. They had just gotten all ready to take off and somehow Benjamin fell out of the sled and it was pulled right over the top of him. My sister and her super-human strength pulled the sled off of him and rushed him back to grandma's house. He was screaming "I want a bandaid! I want a bandaid!" We put him in the car and took him to the instacare and after waiting for an hour the doctor informed us that he would be okay and no stitches were needed. He did so good letting the doctor look at his eye. He has a black eye now and lots of scrapes and bruises but he is fine. How lucky we were!

snow! Snow! SNOW!

On Saturday, we went to my parents house to trade them cars. (Ours was having some work done so they let us borrow their Durango, lets just say I want one!) We only had 1/2 and hour before we needed to get on the road again to Taun's parents house for the Beddes Christmas Party. My dad wanted to take Benjamin and Alex on a ride. We borrowed snow clothes from grandma (she has everything you need and even knows where to locate it!) Alex did not like it one bit but Benjamin loved every minute of it and did not want to leave.

This is Taun and Benjamin going for a ride.

I think he is having a good time.

Nobody was there to ride with him so he went alone.

He had the time of his life. Hopefully grandpa will have his four wheeler out and all gased up for Christmas Day.

Hyrum Holiday

We went to Hyrum Holiday at Hardware Ranch yesterday. We got a picture taken with the Elk wearing a Santa hat (Santa was no where to be found) and then we went for a "sleigh" ride around where the elk were supposed to be. (They had not come down yet.) We drove 20 miles through the snow to get there and even though the things we went for were not there, we had a great time.

Time Sure FLIES!!

I can hardly believe that it is December already. We sure have had a busy time lately (pretty normal for us.) In November we spent lots of time with extended family (mostly mine.) My parents came and spent 4 days with us and while Taun and I were at work they worked their tail ends off at our house. Have I mentioned how wonderful my parents are?! We had Taun's family over for an early Thanksgiving Dinner and it was delish! For Thanksgiving we went to my mom's side of the family and had dinner in my uncle's basement with the other 99 or so people who were there. I love getting together with family but I really hope that next time we will go to the church or something so that we can actually enjoy the company. It was great just a little claustrophobic.

I went to see Twilight with my sisters, mom, and sisters in law. It was a great movie and I am now reading the books. I am really liking it more than I thought I would.

We are all done with Christmas shopping. If only we could find time to put the tree up and decorate it!

We were driving past Taun's work the other day and Benjamin noticed how "daddy" had put lights up at his work. (For those of you who do not know, Taun HATES putting up lights, so we usually don't have them up) Benjamin asked me if daddy would put lights up at our house and I told him he would have to ask daddy. When Taun got in the car Benjamin was quick to ask and Taun (like always) pleased him by saying yes! It looks like we might be having lights on the house this year. YEAH!!

Happy Halloween!

Lately I am always a day late and a dollar short so I appologize that this post is so late. On Monday the 20th we went with JeriDawn's (Taun's sister) family to the Pumpkin Walk. How amazing! There were a number of GREAT scenes all made out of pumkins. This is our family in front of the entrance to the Pumpkin Walk.

All animals and people seen here are made out of pumpkins...yes even the elephant rears!

Again all made out of pumpkins!

On Tuesday the 21st we had company over for Spaghetti, Pumpkin Carving and Cookie Decorating! JeriDawn, Jason, and kids, Meggin (Taun's other sister), and Tammy (a friend of Taun's from High School.) We ate dinner and then the carving began. All the kids had their own pumpkin (except for Alex.)

Benjamin is carving his own pumpkin! (Daddy was very close by)

Benjamin and Mialee decorating cookies!

Sierra, Mialee and Benjamin (Look at Sierra's Frankenstein cookie...Wow! She decorated it all by herself!)



We had a great halloween at my mom and dad's house. Most of the family was there at one time or another. (We missed you Matt and Carrie and Kids) We went to the ward trunk-or-treat and then just played and visited at mom's.

Pirate Benjamin

He was so excited to be a pirate!

Dalmation Alexander

Crazy! Busy! Scary!

We have had a few very crazy weeks. CRAZY, BUSY, SCARY!

CRAZY: One day when we were here working and painting and repairing holes in the walls, Benjamin and Alexander were playing by the front door and then we heard a crash and a scream. Alexander was playing inside the house and Benjamin was playing outside. They were making faces at each other through the glass/screen door and the top part came crashing down on Alexander's thumb. He was bleeding pretty badly by the nail bed and then on the back side of his thumb. I thought that maybe the window had cut his thumb all the way through so I took him to Instacare. They examined it and did some xrays. The nail was still in the nail bed and the bone was not broken so they stitched it up and bandaged it and sent us home. It was not fun but he is doing better.

The window that we now know does not stay up.

The sweet, little, inocent boy who had a run in with the window above.

Alexander's finger after it was stitched and bandaged.


BUSY: We have finally "moved" in to our house. We are far from being settled but at least we sleep here now. We still have a lot of work before the house is done but it is starting to come together nicely. Everytime we turn around something else has gone wrong but we get it fixed quickly and move on.

We have finished all the bedrooms upstairs and so we moved in up there while we finish the rest of the house. Benjamin's wanted his room to be blue so that is how we did it. The chair rail and floor boards were all cut with a hand saw and mounted with nails...we work like the pioneers! Alexander's room is a pale green (can be converted into a nursery for any gender we have next.) The hole in the closet was fixed very nicely and you can hardly tell it was even there! Grandma's room (the guest room) is a pale yellow and looks much better than the blue that was EVERYWHERE! The glow in the dark stars have been removed and the walls and ceiling have been painted. This is the room we are sleeping in until we can finish the master suite in the basement.

Benjamin and Alexander in Benjamin's Room

Benjamin's Room and "The Choo-Choo Bed"

Benjamin helping me paint the guest room (a.k.a. Grandma's Room)

The Closet in Alexander's Room

What Hole??

Alexander's Room

SCARY: Last Sunday evening we were just piddling around putting things away and caring for Alexander (he had been throwing up everything...including water...for 2 days) and Taun was holding him while they played with the tape measure. Taun would pull the tape up and then let it go and Alex would giggle. They had been doing it for several minutes when Alex screamed once. I went to see what had happened and noticed that he was NOT BREATHING! He then started to turn blue and stiffen up. We could not get him to breathe even after trying CPR (on a stiff body.) I called 911 and cried, screamed, yelled, freaked out until the first officer showed up and the 911 dispatcher hung up. We were able to get him to breathe but he still was unconscious. A volunteer firefighter (who is also the custodian at my school) showed up next and they got a pulse machine hooked up to his toe and an oxygen mask on him.

I remembered that Benjamin was still in the bathtub so Taun went to get him dressed in case we needed to go to the hospital. (Our neighbor came over shortly after and took Benjamin to her house until JeriDawn, Taun's sister, went and got him.) The paramedics came and we decided it would be best to have him checked out at the hospital so Alex was strapped into his carseat in the back of the ambulance and I rode up front. There were 2 ambulances, 2 fire trucks, and 3-4 police cars outside. They kept saying it was a seisure but that he would be fine. I was just freaking out the whole time and so was Taun. They did not turn on the lights or the sirens on the way to the hospital, they just followed all the traffic laws while I was panicing and praying for my son's life. Just when we were pulling into the ER parking, the paramedics said "He's having another seisure!" They had put in an IV and it triggered the same reaction.

We got him into the hospital and they began doing all the tests and procedures to figure out what the problem was. One of the ER staff said "There's people out here to give him a blessing." I did not care who it was so I said' "Please let them come in." I just wanted a blessing for him no matter who gave it. Taun walked in just before them and they gave him a blessing. It was the neighbor and a member of the bishopbric. (We have lived in the house less than 3 weeks and they were already coming to help us out. We have felt such an outpouring of love and service...we know we have moved into a great ward and neighborhood.) The bishopbric member annointed and Taun gave him a blessing. It was a relief to get that done and I knew everything would be okay. I am so grateful for the priesthood and for the fact that my husband is worthy of it.

They ended up doing some blood tests, a urine test, chest xray, and a CT scan. Gratefully everything came back normal except for the white blood count indicating an ear infection. They admitted him to the pediatric floor for the night and said they would do tests again in the morning. He was given Rosefin (sp?) through his IV for the ear infection and lots of fluids to hydrate him again. He slept through the night except for when they came to poke and prod him. He ate breakfast at the hospital and was able to keep it down so they said we could go home after one more dose of the antibiotic. He ate lunch just before we left and was able to keep it down so we came home at about 1:30 p.m. He has been doing just fine since and the ear infection is gone.

While at the hospital, they allowed us to take Alexander for walks in the wagon...we could not carry him. He loved the wagon and it was very hard to get him out of it. They also gave him a teddy bear and he just cuddles with it. It is so cute!

The three doctors have classified it as ALTE (A Life Threatening Event) and really have no more answers for us. We are just glad that he is okay and alive. The experience was way scarier than I can explain in words and I am glad it is over. Thank you all for your thought and prayers in Alexander's behalf.

Welcome Home!

Grandma and Grandpa Davis are home from their mission. We are so glad to have them back and wish we lived closer. They served in the Phoenix Arizona Mission and spent the entire 18 months on the Navajo Indian Reservation. They enjoyed their mission and while they were gone (the last 5 weeks especially) we did this to thier house. We remodeled their kitchen! The whole upstairs got a new paint job and the living room got new furniture and decor. My mom could not believe it and I am pretty sure she is thrilled about her "new" house.

Tagged: Eights

These of course come in no particular order...

8 T.V. Shows I love to watch:
1. Any
2. Show
3. that
4. is
5. on
6. HGTV
7. or
8. Cooking Channel

8 things that happened yesterday:
1. brought Alexander home from the hospital (more info coming in another post...soon)
2. stayed home from work
3. worked on getting things put away in the kitchen
4. took a nap with Alexander
5. picked Benjamin up from the babysitter's
6. picked Taun up from work
7. went blind shopping--didn't get any so we still have no privacy in the main living area of the house.
8. went to dinner at Cafe Sabor--YUM!

8 favorite places to eat:
1. Ruby Tuesday
2. Cafe Sabor
3. Taco Amigo
4. The Bombay House
5. Cafe Rio
6. Chili's
7. Sizzler
8. My Mom's House

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. Taun having his Master's
2. Getting all moved in
3. Finishing all the fix up jobs with our house
4. The Weekend
5. Being a stay at home mom
6. Having more time for my family
7. Christmas BREAK
8. Summer

8 things on my wish list:
1. a food dryer
2. more time
3. more money
4. healthy children
5. vacation
6. more children
7. happiness
8. ETERNITY

Now 8 people that I tag:
1. Tiffany
2. Gayla
3. Cristy
4. Kristi
5. Carrie
6. Breanne
7. Hilary
8. Stephanie

Anyone else who wants to play along...join in the fun. I love reading these types of things because you learn such random things about the people you know.

Image Tagged!

This tag is kind of fun, but time consuming. Type the answer to the questions below in Google/Yahoo Image and post an image from the first page of pictures. PS--remember to load your pictures from the bottom up!

My Age: 30!

Where I live: Utah

Places I Want to Travel: Chile and Hawaii

Favorite Food: Chicken Tikka (The Bombay House)

Where I Grew Up: Pleasant Grove

(this is a picture of the "G" on the mountain)

(this is Main Street P.G.)

Favorite Color: Yellow

(I also love yellow roses!)


Favorite Animal: Monkeys

Something I used to Love: Sunkist

First Name: Shannon

(Shannon, Ireland)

Middle Name: I don't have one so I used my Maiden Name (Davis)

Last Name: Beddes (this just happens to be a picture of my children and it was on the first page when I googled "Beddes")

Whew--that one was NOT for the faint of heart.

I tag Gayla, Carrie, Tiffany, Kristi, Hilary, Stephanie, and Amy.