Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve was wonderful. We went to the Christmas Eve Service at our church. WOW!!! I am not exaggerating when I say, that was the most amazing christmas eve service I have ever been to. It was so worshipful. The music was incredible, Pastor Stovall's message was great and most importantly people were saved! I never realized how worshipful christmas music can be. Paul's parents joined us and that so nice. We went to their house after for dinner and christmas celebration. Once we got home the kids put on their matching PJs and put out cookies and milk for santa and carrots for the reindeer. They were so excited to go so sleep so santa could come!!

No Clothes

I could not resist! Some things happen with your kids and you have two reactions... 1)get mad or 2)get your camera. I chose option 2. David Jasper is not too fond of clothes. I was in the process of changing his clothes and he managed to get outside in his diaper. By the time I got to him, this was the scene.
And of course Samuel wanted to join in the fun. Then there is cute Sarah Mae in her dress. Honestly, this is reality for my kids. If they had their choice of outfits each day, this would be it!
p.s. this picture was taken the day before Christmas Eve!! It was very warm outside.

THE Red Outfit

My most wonderful mother-in-law made an adorable red outfit for Paul when he was about 18 months old. Being the picture of organization she saved it all these years for Paul's future boys. I have a picture of Paul in the outfit, Samuel, and now David wears the red outfit. So cute.

12th Year!

For the past twelve years I have gotten together with some girls for our annual christmas party. I think it is quite amazing that we have done this for so long. Our first christmas party was 1996, we had all just graduated from college. WOW, how things have changed since then. This year we had a great time at our party. Thank you Dana for being a great hostess!
p.s. we missed you Hope!

Christmas Card 2008

Every year at the beginning of December I gather all the family for our annual christmas picture. We coordinate our outfits and TRY to get a decent family picture. It is always an ordeal to take this picture. Sarah Mae and I are the only ones that actually look forward to this event. We like the idea of matching outfits and love taking pictures. The boys however, not so much. Its not perfect, but its done!
Merry Christmas from the Beasleys!!

More Catch Up!!!

The title alone sounds like something Samuel would say while eating chicken nuggets.
So here we are again... trying to update the blog. The last month has been soooo busy!!! Good busy!!! No complaining here. I have not had the time to update my blog. Much of my computer time is spent editing pictures. A few months ago Paul and I started praying that God would provide some ways I could bring in income to help out the budget, but continue to stay home with the youngins. God is ALWAYS faithful!!! He does more than we can imagine, IF we are patient! I have always loved photography and now God has given me some opportunities to get the business going. Its a lot of work and its fun. I will take it one day at a time.

The Christmas season is here and it is so fun! My goal this year is to truly focus on what Christmas really means.
JESUS!!!
I will write more later...stay tuned :)

First Hair Cut

David Jasper got his first hair cut! He did great! There is the cutest hair salon near our house. They have neat chairs, tvs, candy, everything and anything to keep them occupied! It was a pleasant experience!

moraccas! anything to keep him happy!

what is she doing?

he loved the water bottle

final product!

Catch Up!

Its been awhile! A friend sent me a message the other day letting me know I needed to update my family blog. Well, she is right! And its nice to know someone actually reads this stuff. :)
I have had a few technology set backs the last month. First, my cell phone completely died. I could not get it to work long enough to write down all my phone numbers. So, I had to start completely over. That was fun. I was without a cell phone for a few days. It was not bad at all, (other than having kids with serious food allergies,) I could probably do without the cell phone.
Then, exactly one week after the cell phone drama, my computer crashed. I had to have to have the hard drive replaced. I was without my computer for about two weeks. That was frustrating! It is crazy how we (I) depend on technology to function.
When the hard drive was replaced in my computer I had to once again (like the cell phone) start completely over. I had to re-enter all my programs, favorites, setting, etc... I still had the same computer, everything was the same on the outside, but it was brand new on the inside. It made me think.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are still the same on the outside but our inside is made new! We get rid of the old self (old hard drive) and replace it with something new and better. It is amazing how everything starts to work better. Not perfect, but better. We choose what we want to install in our lives. If we put a bunch of unecessary things in our lives, we crowd ourselves with distractions and do not function to our full potential. With the computer if I put too much on it, it will slow down and not work properly. I have to keep the anti-virus up to date to keep the bad stuff out. God's Word and prayer are my anti-virus. By keeping up with what God's Word says and taking time to listen to Him I can fight off the viruses. Wouldn't it be nice to start completely over? Well,you can! God's mercies are new every morning, He forgives ALL our sins and He is faithful.
The parallel might seem a little odd but I thought it made sense.

More updates to come...

Marine Corp Half

Today was the Marine Corp Half Marathon. This was my 4th half marathon. My goal was 2:20 (2hrs. 20min.). My time was 2:21:10!! Thats 2hrs. 21min. 10sec., almost at my goal. I was pleased considering I have had so much siadica pain the past few months. I am thankful to even be out there and have two legs to run on. Paul was sweet to bring the kids to the race. It was soooo nice to see their sweet faces right before I crossed the finish line!
Oh, and thank you Paul for supporting me by taking care of the youngins while I trained.

almost there!

finisher!

the best part, seeing the fam...

Fairness Award

Sarah Mae's school has character awards each month. September was fairness. One student is chosen from each class. She was chosen from her class. We are so proud of our sweet, "fair" girl! She loves school and is doing great.
We went to the awards ceremony and then had a tasty donut afterwards.

the big girl and her award

daddy and his girl and yummy donuts

loving on brother

Happy Birthday Daddy

Paul's 37th birthday was today. I am married to an old man. But, he is a good man!!! I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband. He is so good to me and I love being married to him. He makes me laugh and treats me like a queen. He is an awesome dad. He spends time with the kids, plays with them, has fun with them and is a good example. We are a team!

Happy Birthday Day Husband!

Stress

The past two weeks have been a little stressful. Not bad, just stressful. I know that God is in control so I will give you His Words instead of mine.

Psalm 16:11
You have made know to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

Beach Day

We decided we needed to take the kids to the beach today. Samuel asked me what the beach looked like. Ok, so maybe we don't go very often. Paul and I are not big fans of the beach. It is so fun to get sand all over you in the hot sun. But it was all worth it. Sarah Mae asked if we could go to a beach without so much sand and one with a big umbrella for shade. She would do well at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club! Paul was great sport and let the kids bury him in the sand. David Jasper enjoyed eating the sand. We had fun. But for the record, I would take the mountains over the beach any day!

First Day of School

grumpy & happy ready for school

Monday was our first day of school for Sarah Mae and Samuel. Sarah Mae started 1st grade and Samuel started Pre-School. We were very blessed this year:
Sarah Mae's teacher from last year moved to first grade and we get to have her for another year! We LOVE Mrs.C, she is a perfect fit for Sarah Mae. AND, school starts at 8:30am this year,(instead of 7:50am!!) which is soooo nice.
Samuel got in the pre-school class at Sarah Mae's school. This was a big deal because there is always a waiting list for their pre-school. I was unsure whether or not I wanted to send him to pre-k, but so far so good. He is not big on getting up early every morning but once he gets there, he loves it!! Tuesday, when I woke Samuel up to get ready, he said "aww mom, do I have to go to school again!" So cute.

Its been a busy week and I have my work cut out for me. We are going to have a great year!

sarah mae's backpack is bigger than she is

samuel wanted to be the leader

thumbs up means he's happy

mommy did not want to leave her boy

we love mrs.c

1st grade means no more tables, now its a desk for the big girl

my sweet girl

so glad daddy could come with us

tator tot is going to miss big sister and big brother

Platform

Ryan Hall - Beijing Olympics 2008, Men's Marathon

Galatians 6:4-5 – The Message
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

I am not sure how much you followed the Olympics this year, but I watched it quite a bit and I am amazed at the discipline of the athletes. Pictured above is Ryan Hall. He is the man! He is an incredible athlete and runner but most importantly he is a follower of Jesus Christ. He uses his platform of running to share the gospel. I love that! I recently read an article about him in Runner's World and I was so impressed. He said his bible was not there to collect dust, but a book he read daily with pen marks and notes to make an application to his life. There is also a video on God Tube (kind of like You Tube) explaining how his running glorifies God. He said he is using his gifts to make an eternal impact. This is where the verse from Galatians comes in. What are we doing with the gifts we have been given? What am I doing with the gifts I have been given? Ok, I admit it, sometimes I feel like my only gifts are changing diapers, doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen (AGAIN!!!), making numerous trips to Publix and baking pumpkin bread Sarah Mae's teacher. However, I know I can glorify God with anything and everything I do. I am a runner myself, but I am not Ryan Hall material. He can run a full marathon faster than I can run a half. However, I can still make an impact. Now right now I am not able to run as much due to a lovely sciatica pain that radiates from my backside (which is growing bigger everyday) all the way down my leg to my feet. My first choice is to whine and complain and be depressed. However, I know this will not do me any good. So, what will I do with this set back? Learn a creative way to cross-train and be thankful I still have two legs that function properly!! I have been so inspired by Ryan Hall's story in the way he glorifies God with his talents and uses his platform to share Jesus. While I may never be an elite runner, speaker to thousands or famous anything, I can impact my little tribe right here at the Beasley house. I would love to do one day go on another foreign mission trip. But, for right now I can minister to my neighbor across the street who is from India. I can share Jesus with my Russian friend at the bus stop. Its up to me what I do with my "platform." And while the seasons of my life will change,so will my platforms.
Lets cultivate our talents and use them to glorify God!

Red Shirt

Psalm 17:8 "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings"

If you are a fan of football at all you may know that while the team is practicing the quarterback wears a red jersey. Everyone else wears their team jersey. The idea is that the quarterback stand out. The other players are not allowed to touch him. They do not want him to get hurt. He is in the game. He still needs to practice but cannot risk getting injured. I thought of a great parallel for our christian life. We want to be better Christians. We want to be women of God, love our husbands, and raise our kids to love and serve Jesus. But we cannot do this by sitting on the side lines. We cannot improve if we do not practice. Sure, its easy to sit in your comfortable chair at home, with your bible, a great cup of coffee, a QUIET house and just enjoy one on one time with your Heavenly Father. But, we all know that we cannot stay there forever. There is work to be done. We have responsibilities. We have to get in the game. So, how does the red shirt play into this scenario? We are practicing, we are in the game, BUT we are protected!!! God is our protector. Sure we might get knocked down once in awhile. But, our overall well being is secure in our relationship with Jesus Christ. If we know Jesus as our Savior He is in charge of our life and will make sure we are taken care of. There are so many things coming at us. We have to practice or we will never improve. We have to be tested or we will not grow. Lets put on our red shirts and know that Jesus is our protector. Its time to get in the game!
I better get in the game and do some laundry!!!

Lost a tooth

 

Last Tuesday we were at the pool and Sarah Mae's front tooth was very loose and producing lots of blood. I gently pulled and out came the tooth. She cried. She was scared. Then when we assured her that the tooth fairy would come visit and she calmed down. So, the tooth went under her pillow that night. She wanted all the details on how the tooth fairy would enter the house, get in her room, could she fly, how does she fly, does she have a key to the house, will she wake me up when she leaves my money... She has already lost two other teeth. We tried to do the tooth fairy thing then but the idea scared her so we told her the tooth fairy was not real and that mommy and daddy put the money there. What a bummer. So this go around we were careful what we said. Her final response was... "mommy I know the tooth fairy is not real, that you put the money there, but we won't tell anyone because we don't want to ruin it for other kids."
She is so considerate. So, the next morning when she awoke there was $2 under her pillow. We then headed to our favorite store, Target and got a prize. Since that day she has made sure EVERYONE in North East Florida knows about her tooth.

David Jasper's 1st B-day

We celebrated David Jasper's 1st Birthday today. What a fun day it was. Our theme was rubber duckies. Rubber ducky you're the one, David Jasper is turning One! We found all the yellow duckys we could and decorated the house. It was a fun theme.
We started the day with breakfast and then got to work on David's "get it all over you" cake. A friend made the cake we ate, and the kids and I made David's cake. I decided since David got to stick his hands all in his cake, I would let Sarah Mae and Samuel make one that they could stick their hands in.
Our plan was to have the party outside. A sweet friend let us borrow her bounce house. Paul set the backyard up so nice. The party started at 5:30pm and at aprox. 5:50pm it began to rain, and rain hard! So, we had to move the party inside. Now, I am not complaining, but my house is not that big. So, with 17 adults and 14 children, it can get crowded. Samuel quickly reminded everyone that it was ok that it was raining because God made the rain. And Sarah Mae added, "and the plants need rain to grow." Ok,so we found the positive and went with the flow.
I had really been looking forward to this day as a way to celebrate my sweet baby boy. I had a lot of problems while I was pregnant with him. I was so relieved once he got here and we was healthy. It is easy to take things for granted and I want to ALWAYS be thankful for his little life and give God all the glory. And to think we were done with two children!!! What a blessing he is in our lives. Once you have three, whats one more???

If I were to write a profile on David Jasper it would read...

Favorite Person - Paul (he will NEVER come to me once Paul is holding him) What is it with my boys? Once I quit nursing them, they only want their daddy. I guess they only want me for my on-board feeding system. Oh well, its cute and it makes Paul feel loved.
Favorite Toy - blue bunny that he sleeps with
Favorite Food - cheerios
Loves to walk around the house "talking" to us; loves to take a bath; smiles ALL the time and loves kisses
Wakes up happy
Likes to cuddle
Completely spoiled by everyone in the house. We love our baby boy!!!
Enjoy the pictures...


the beginning of a fun day
(i love this picture, they look so cute; my kitchen looks like a pre-school classroom!)

my little bakers

David Jasper tries to help (i love the circle his hair makes on the back of his cute little head)

licking the batter is the funnest part!

the naked chef ices the cake

the birthday boy in his birthday suit

all the cakes (we made the two in the back, as if you couldn't tell)

the family

and the fun begins...


the kids got to take turns sticking their fingers in the cake

having fun with daddy (good thing Paul doesn't have any hair)


bath time

all clean

a new "bike" from aunt joy, he loved it


We had a fun day! Thank you Jesus for friends, family and and my sweet baby boy!!!