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.

Slacking

It's been a while since I have posted an update on the happenings around here. Hard to believe that it is almost time for Christmas!

We had Daddy's birthday and Halloween in October, Kaylee's birthday, two Baby Shower's, and Thanksgiving in November!
We are all very excited about the pending birth of Beckham Nefi Garcia!

Jake has also received his Purple Belt in Karate, and has been training in Parkour. He competed in his 1st Parkour competition and did AMAZING! He also made the Honor Roll this past semester, and has improved a great deal with learning how to play the Violin. Good job Jake!!

Trevor is pulling all A's, and B's at school, and LOVES to read!! He mentioned the other day, that since we have moved back to Utah he has read over 50 books! He also received an Award for the Reflections contest. He had written a great story for 1 of his classes, and his Teacher wanted him to submit it. So he did, and Won!! He is bummed that Football season is over, but continues with his strength training, and running to be ready for next year!

Scott and I have decided to buy our First house.! Yiippeeee! We have enjoyed driving around and looking to see what we like and dont like. Hopefully not too long after the New Year we will be moving into our very first home. YES!

So, at this time of year, I have much to be grateful for:
1. I am married to my best friend, and am always treated like a Princess.
2. The most amazing, talented, and beautiful daughter that is bringing our 1st Grand baby very soon.
3. Two WONDERFUL sons that truly are Mama's boys! They continually amaze me with their humor, and witty ways that keep our house alive at ALL times!
4. The greatest Son in law EVER! He treats our baby girl like the Queen, and is such a great example to our boys.
5. Parents that love and support us wherever this journey takes us.
6. The job's Scott and I have, so that we can fulfill the needs of our Family.
7. The Army. 2 sides to that coin, but I do LOVE the Patriotism that burns in our Family as we watch our Dad, and friends serve our Country with true Pride!
8. Our beautiful dog Porter :) He is like one of our kids.
9. Our health
10. Last, but not least...... The Savior. I know that He has truly watched over our Family in good times AND bad. He has answered MANY prayers for us, and instilled the importance of eternal life in our hearts!

Reflection

It's been a CrAzY year at our house. Any one that knows me, is well aware that I am usually Full Throttle until I melt down because I bite off more than I can chew ALL the time! With the moving all of our household goods from Georgia to St. George, Scott getting settled in at Ft. Irwin, the frequent trips back and forth from St. George to Ft. Irwin for some Family Time, Freshman football, Karate, Parkour, Scouts, Young Men, Visiting Teaching, working at the treatment center, cleaning houses........ Wait. STOP!!! I forgot to mention that I have a beautiful cousin and her family living down here in St. George too. And over the last 6 years she has been battling Cancer. WAY more important than all of my trivial stuff. As my husband says "Take a knee, face out, and drink some water". A popular Army phrase. I like to put it into something like "turn your face towards the Sunlight"! I am really good at overwhelming myself with "lots to do". It is my middle name actually. But having the opportunity to spend alot of time with Nancy, and watch her have so much courage, and failure was never an option! She NEVER Complained, I never heard her say "why me", nothing negative EVER! She was always doing things to improve her health, and do better to beat this thing.
She was blessed with an amazing musical talent that she has shared far and wide, with anyone and everyone. She could play at least 8 different instruments that I can think of. She wrote music, and shared her talents wherever she went. Amazing seamstress (Tuacahn will vouch for her any day), beautiful wife (ask Wes, he'll tell you), and an amazing Mom (Alexa, and Eliza would agree). 12 brothers and sisters that were all wanting to help in any way they could even though they all live in Idaho.
Well, last Friday night she her courage fight ended. She was only 46 years old, and has 2 young daughters, and an amazing husband left behind. I packed up a bag and headed for Rigby, Idaho for her funeral. The service was beautiful, and as I sat there listening to ALL that Nancy had accomplished in her life, and reflecting on my own life, I realized that ALL of her music was inspired by real life events, struggles, accomplishments, etc. It was all driven by her love for the Lord.
I have much to learn in my life still, and I will always be grateful for getting to spend some time with Nancy in her last days hear on this Earth. I know she has gone onto the next life, and is sharing her incredible talents there with others. She and her Family have reminded me of a very valuable lesson.... Never take life for granted, live each day as if it were your last, and the list goes on.....
As I drove back to St. George, I realized that I have much to be grateful for. My health for starters. Amazing, supportive husband, 3 incredible children, the best son in law EVER, my first grand baby soon, Parents that don't always like my decisions, still love and support me anyways, I could go on and on. I guess I'm realizing that this life is short, and I shouldn't let it pass me by! I need to step up my game and live every single day with a purpose.
I have always looked up to my cousin Nancy, and now I will honor her name in all that I do. I will pay it forward and make her proud.
She wrote a song once called "Little white balloons". There are a few stories behind the writing and the meaning of this song, but when Wes (her husband) read the chorus at the graveside, and then everyone let their white balloon float away, I was speechless. It was a beautiful moment in my life.
I love you Nancy girl~ Thank you for being such an inspiration to me, and for letting me spend the last days of your earthly life with you. It was an Honor!!

Nancy Hammon Hamblin June 16, 1964 ~ September 3, 2010

Before school starts again.....

We were lucky enough to get Scott home from Ft. Irwin for a week to spent some time with us. So we went to Salt Lake and attended some friends' wedding, went to Lagoon, and just spend some time with the Crookston side of the family.
It was a whirlwind trip, but had a great time having our Daddy all to ourselves! It has been a tough year with us living in 2 different states, but now that Scott is in California, we are much closer, and visits will be more frequent!

Both of the boys went to Scout camp this Summer as well. It was strange to think that Jake is old enough to go on overnight camp outs. But he had a blast, and earned many new Merit badges while he was there.

Jake received his Orange belt in Karate! Good job buddy, we are very proud of you! We also got to go with Kaylee and Gus to their 2nd ultrasound appt. We got to see our grand baby wiggling, and kicking all over the place! We are sooo thrilled about having our first grand baby to join our family.
His name is going to be Beckham Nefi Garcia~ The way that little man was kicking around, I am sure he is going to follow in his Dad's foot steps and play Soccer!!!

The boys both started school last week too! Trevor is a Freshman at Desert Hills Middle School, and is playing on the Freshman Football team! can't wait to game's to start

Jake is in 6th grade, and going to Sunrise Ridge Intermediate. So we no longer have any ties to Elementary School. Very strange. Jake is learning to play the violin too! So, things in our family are changing rapidly. We are so blessed to have 3 wonderful kids (and the best son in law ever). They fill our lives with so much happiness, and endless laughter!

Families Are Forever!

Summer in Southern Utah

When the typical temperature is 115 degrees, what do you do to still have some fun and keep the boys away from the X Box????

ANYTHING with Water!!!!! We went out to Quail Lake with a few friends I work with. We fished, swam, ate yummy snacks, did some rock jumping, and got some SuN!!! Porter came with us, and had a blast! He didn't dare jump off the rocks, but he was a riot out there in the Lake.

The next week, a few of my nephews came down from Salt Lake to stay with us for a week. So I took Calvin, Nick, Josh, Trevor, and Jake up to Kanarraville, Utah to climb the Falls. It was by far the funnest hike I have ever done in my life!!! 20 miles of sloshing up the river, climbing water falls, and watching all of these crazy teenagers have the time of their lives!!!!!!

We already have a plan to go back ASAP! It was amazing to get out of the intense heat of St. George, NO electronics, and just some plain old fashion FUN!