My Brother moved down to Newport Beach in October, so we have been taking a few road trips down to help him move, and enjoy the weather. We LOVE the beach, and will do what ever we can to get there! Staying at my Brother's is always alot of fun. I took Kaylee in November to Disneyland for her birthday. We stayed at Greg's, and partied as the land of Disney, and got some good Sun time in as well. It was a nice relaxing Mommy, Daughter trip~

Saying goodbye.....

Deployment time once again........ Seems like it wasn't that long ago that Scott was in Iraq. Nut here we are again. Scott left for Ft. Polk, Louisiana on May 8th. He will be there until the first week of August, and then he flies out to Afghanistan for 1 year! It NEVER gets any easier to watch him and the kids say good-bye either. It's very heartbreaking to witness.

Scott is doing good down South (except for the humidity)! He is going through a whole lot of training that he has had a hundred times before, but it is necessary to stay safe! Scott was sitting at the MWR one night, and ran into one of his old mission companions! Brad Coleman. He is in the Navy, but is deploying with an Army unit this time around. So Scott has been able to hang out with Brad when their not in classes. They are having alot of fu, and I am so glad that he has someone there that he knows.

I'm still working at Red Rock Canyon School. I seem to stay SUPER busy with work, YW, driving the boys back and forth to their various activities, etc. Kaylee and I try to go to Zumba a few nights a week,a nd I am trying to get back to jogging!! Still in the process of painting the kitchen too..........

Trevor is 15 and has his driving permit! He has also towering over the rest of us at 6 foot even! He is excited for school to be over (this week). Seems pretty excited about being a Sophomore next year! He is learning how to play LaCrosse, and is hoping to play next year at the High School. Have no fear, Football is still his first love, and he will play again this next year. In his spare time he is either lifting weights for Football season, Parkour, or out running around in the desert in military gear having Air soft wars with his friends, and still has at least 3 or 4 different books around the house that he reads. Trev is great around the house, and really has stepped up and helped out alot since his Dad has gone.

Jake is turning 12 in a week! He has recently gotten his Green belt in Karate! He will be a Brown belt by July! He is always practicing his Parkour any chance he gets! Jake was in beginning orchestra this year and he did aweosme. He has NEVER played an instrument before, but he picked it up really quick. He has also been learning how to play the acoustic guitar.
Jake is a SUPER help around the house, and I know that I can always count on him for help.

Kaylee, Gus, and Beckham are all doing wonderful too. Beckham is almost 5 months old now! He is soooo funny! He doesn't want to be treated like a baby. He wants to stand up all the time. He is such a sweet, and happy little guy, and has brought sooooo much love to ALL of us. The boys just adore being Beckham's Uncles!
Kaylee is a fantastic Mommy, and Wife. She suprise's me all the time with her talents. She sew's, cook's, decorates, etc. you name it, she does it. She is getting ready to take a cake decorating class, and she would like to start a business for herself. Gus is still working at Sprint, and is always Top Salesman! He is such a cute Daddy, and is very good to my little girl. He is so great about including the boys in things too.

I am so grateful to be here in St. George with my kids. I am truly blessed with the GREATEST kids in the World!! They are so good to me, and continue to amaze me with their kindness, and hard work. I know the military life hs been rough on them, but they are so very proud of their Dad that they can't help but put a smile on their face and carry on!

I am going to try harder to keep up on our blog, so you can know how Scott is doing. I will post his address in a few days.

Much love to all~

Beckham Nefi Garcia

Close your eyes and go back to the later part of December. Kaylee's Dr. told her she was 80% thinned out, and dilated at a 2 and had been that way for a good 10 days or more. So, after Christmas we decided to head up to Salt Lake for a few days to visit family. This was December 26th. The morning of the 29th, Scott woke me up to inform me that Kaylee's water had broken!! We have been a road tripping family since 1997, so we can pack up and move out pretty quick. I think we made a new Crookston family record that day!
December in Salt Lake City would not be right if there wasn't a major snow storm that day! But Scott took it easy, and we made it home with a couple hours to spare. When we got to the hospital, Kaylee was looking calm, and cool. Breathing when she had a contraction, resting when she didn't. Gus was a model Coach! Did I mention that they never took any classes? They were sure they could handle it and decided to "wing it". Worked out pretty well if you ask me.

Her water broke at 5:00am, and by 9pm Beckham Nefi Garcia came into our lives! Weighing in at 7 pounds 9 ounces, and 20 and 1/2" long. Lots of black hair, and sweet little pouty face. He was having a hard time breathing, and they said he had fluid in his lungs, so he had to go with the nurses for a bit. Kaylee was AMAZING! 9 pushes and the baby was out! Did I mention that she choose NO medication too? As her Mom, I can say that I have never been more proud of her than I was that night! She has always been a very strong willed, and determined person, but that night, she pulled out all the stops!

We have never felt like there was anything missing in our family, but I can say that having Beckham with us now, just seems soooo right! We couldn't imagine life without him. He is 3 and 1/2 weeks old now, and he is such a sweet baby! big brown eyes, lots of dark hair, and is starting to smile away! (at this point it is probably just gas) but oooohhhhh so cutsie!

Thank you Heavenly Father for sending Beckham here to bless all of our lives. There is NO doubt how much he is loved by us all. Trevor and Jake are thrilled to be Uncles, and Scott and I have embraced being Grandpa and Grammy with open arms.