Happily Ever After...

Christmas 2010

2010-12-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Family & Friends,

It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone! Time seems to be passing more quickly as we get older and it is hard for us to believe we are now the parents of a teenager. We have been so blessed this past year and are grateful for the memories we have made.

In February we had a mini-family reunion in St. George, Utah with Amy’s family and had a great time. We went to Zion National Park and just enjoyed being together. Carl’s parents were also there for a couple of days which was an added bonus.

We had so much fun in February that we decided to do it again in July. Annaka, Adam, and Ashlyn had a blast playing in the pool and staying in a pirate themed room with their cousin Kimberlee. From St. George we continued on to Salt Lake for more cousin time with the Besaw side of the family. We love our cousins!! When the kids are with their cousins, we never see them, which is nice because it gives us time to spend with our siblings. It is a wonderful arrangement!

Another quick trip to Utah in August for Carl’s twenty year high school reunion and then our annual trip to Utah for Thanksgiving completed our travels for the year. We were unable to be in Utah for Thanksgiving last year since Carl had just started his new job so we were very excited to get the tradition started up again. It was an extra special trip because Carl’s Grandma was visiting from Florida. We really enjoyed spending time with her as we don’t get to see her very often.

Ashlyn (age 2) continues to be a source of joy for our family. She wants to be just like her brother and sister and loves to pretend that she is going to school, soccer, etc. She makes us laugh when she repeats phrases she has heard that are too grown up for her: “I was just checking something online” (after sitting at the computer) or “I need to text my friends” (when trying to convince Annaka to allow her to hold her cell phone). The signs that we are living in an age of technology! She has decided that she doesn’t want to take naps anymore, even though she really still needs them. She even told Amy one day after it was suggested that she take a little nap, “Little naps are for little babies.” What?! Oh my, are we going to have our hands full with this little one!

Adam (age 9) is now in third grade. He started piano and Tae Kwon Do this year and is enjoying these new activities. 2010 was also the first year he played in the competitive age group in AYSO soccer and the first time in several years that he didn’t have his dad as his coach. He continues to be involved with our church sponsored Cub Scout Pack and is now at the Bear rank. He earned his Whittling Chip card, certifying that he has earned the privilege of carrying a pocketknife. He was very excited but we had to make sure he understood that this means we DO NOT take it to school! Adam makes sure there are plenty of boy things (Star Wars, Legos, Nerf guns, etc.) around our house for him and his dad to enjoy. He is a very good student and was voted to be class president by his peers for the first trimester of school.

Annaka (age 13), our teenager, is in eighth grade, her last year before high school. She is on the flag team and is involved with ASB (Associated Student Body) and other clubs at school. Her other activities include piano and participating in the Young Women program at church. She continues to be in high demand as a babysitter, so mom and dad need to plan ahead when they need her. She makes sure there are plenty of girl things around and recently started making her own scented facial scrubs and other sweet smelling concoctions. She is our “idea machine” and is always coming up with creative ways of doing things. She is very thoughtful and has been saving her own money to be able to purchase Christmas gifts for her family.

Amy continues to stay busy getting the children to their activities and keeping Ashlyn entertained, which is no small task! She is involved in the PTA at both Annaka and Adam’s schools. At church she continues to work in the Nursery and is also helping with the Young Women at the stake level (all the congregations in the greater Pasadena area). This year she had the opportunity to attend youth conference and girl’s camp which was really fun, especially being at girls’ camp with Annaka (although we’re not sure how Annaka felt about it!).

Carl’s time is filled with family, work, and church. He has travelled more with this job than previous positions and misses time with family when he is gone. However, he continues to really enjoy the work he is doing and the people he works with. At church, Carl was called to serve as 2nd counselor in the stake presidency and was released earlier this month as the bishop of our ward. Change is always a constant in the Church! Carl had his first broken bone this year, when he broke his finger while playing with the kids in St. George. Not thinking that it was actually broken, he went about business as usual and after about 3 weeks, when it didn’t seem to be healing he finally went to the doctor. He ended up having to have surgery which required 4 pins to straighten the bone. But thankfully all went well and he is fully recovered.

We are truly grateful for the blessings and trials in our lives. Our knowledge of our Savior’s plan for each of us brings great comfort and peace. May our hearts turn to Him this Christmas season and throughout the New Year as we follow His teachings and example. We send our love and best wishes to each of you for a happy and healthy 2011.

Love,

The Besaws

Christmas 2009

2009-12-21T04:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It looks like updates to our blog have become an annual event, so here are the 2009 highlights for our family:

The year started out a little bit rough with Carl still out of work and no real job prospects. We weren’t sure what was in store for us, but it is with grateful hearts we report that Carl has a wonderful job with Southern California Edison. He is a project manager with an emerging markets and technology group and is really enjoying his work. His commute is only 10 to 15 minutes, a far cry from the hour minimum he spent driving when he worked in Beverly Hills. He continues to stay busy with his church responsibilities and once again coached Adam’s soccer team (although probably for the last year since next year Adam will move into competitive play). When he gets a free moment, he loves spending time with Amy and the children.

Annaka has really grown up a lot this year. In June she celebrated her 12th birthday and was very surprised to receive the gift she had been asking for – a cell phone. Mom and Dad finally let her get her ears pierced and she has enjoyed participating in the Young Women program at church. Annaka also started Junior High School and has adjusted well to this change. She made the flag team as part of auxiliaries and is also involved with ASB (Associated Student Body) where she helps plan school activities. She is a good student, but has some late nights working on homework. She is still taking piano lessons and is in high demand as a babysitter (which allows her to pay for her cell phone each month). Adam and Ashlyn love their big sister and she is a great helper with them.

Adam also celebrated an important birthday this year. He turned 8 in September and was baptized the following month. It is always so nice to have family come visit for special events like this. He is now involved with Cub Scouts through church and looks so cute in his uniform. In January, Adam was selected as a prince on the royal court of a community parade and festival. He got to ride on a float in the parade, was treated like royalty at the carnival, and has participated in many other events throughout the year. Adam is now in 2nd grade and is a good student. He also had a great soccer season, scoring at least one goal in almost every game. He is a good brother and Ashlyn adores him.

Ashlyn is now 1 and ½ years old and has been such a joy to our family. She is walking all around and we love it when she talks to us even though we don’t always know what she is saying. She loves to "read" books, play the piano with Annaka, wrestle with Adam, and talk on the phone with family. She is a good sleeper, but we need to work on her eating habits. She definitely has a sweet tooth! Our family enjoys watching her discover and learn new things and we love it when she gives us hugs and kisses.

Amy is adjusting to not having Carl at home, children attending two different schools, and a little shadow following her around. She is still very involved with PTA (now at two schools) and stays busy being a wife and mother with all the things that go along with it. At church, Amy is no longer working with the Young Women, but gets to spend time with Ashlyn and the other little ones in the Nursery.

Our family had the chance to go on a couple of fun trips this past year. In April we took a quick trip to see the Easter pageant at the Mesa Arizona temple. Then in July, we spent time with Carl’s family in Utah and Amy’s family in Idaho. We also were able to go to Yellowstone National Park and see some of nature’s wonders found there.

Our family and friends have been a great source of strength and support over this past year. We truly have a lot to be thankful for and hope we all will take time out of our busy lives to remember the source of our blessings as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

With Love,

The Besaws

To see some of our pictures from the past year, click on the following link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/besawfamilyca/2009Highlights#

Christmas 2008

2008-12-22T13:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

The highlight of 2008 for our family was the birth of Ashlyn Mary Besaw on July 21st. She has been such a joy to us! Ashlyn is now 5 months old and just starting on solid foods. She is so very sweet, smiles a lot, loves to know what is going on around her, and sleeps through the night! Her big sister and brother are wonderful helpers and love her so much. We feel very blessed to have her as our baby girl.

Adam, age 7, started 1st grade in September and is a very good student. He enjoyed playing soccer again and having dad as his coach. Adam loves Star Wars, Legos, playing on the computer, and has achieved "professional" bowler status on the Wii. He is becoming a good little reader and is a great helper around the house.

Annaka, age 11, is growing up too fast. She is in her last year of elementary school where she is a captain of the drill team and plays the cello in the orchestra. Annaka is still taking piano lessons, enjoys reading, and loves creating craft projects. She thinks she is Ashlyn's second mom and we are looking forward to having her as our official babysitter when she turns 12 in June.

Amy continues to keep busy taking care of the children, volunteering with PTA, babysitting a few days a week, and working with the young women at church. She has recently discovered Facebook and has found that it is great way to keep in touch with family and friends. With the two older kids at school all day, Amy has also enjoyed having a lot of time to spend with Ashlyn.

Carl fell victim to the downturn in the economy and joined the ranks of the unemployed in September. He has several good prospects where he recently interviewed and is hopeful that one of these will work out in the new year. Amy has enjoyed having him home and is in for a rude awakening when he returns to work. Carl also had more time for coaching Adam's soccer team and fulfilling his responsibilities as Bishop at church.

As we look back on 2008, we are grateful for our trials and our blessings. We are thankful for the love and support of our family and friends which has meant so much to us. At this time of year, may we all take time to reflect on the birth of the Savior of the world as we strive to better follow his teachings and example.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

All our love,

The Besaw Family

Long Lost Besaws

2008-10-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone thinks we've disappeared off the face of the earth, but we are still alive and well, just staying busy with life. Unfortunately, Carl was laid off last month and has been looking for a new job. Ashlyn is getting so big and time is going by too fast. We are blessed to have so much love and support from family and friends. Instead of creating a huge blog with tons of pictures catching up on the last few months, we have posted them in an album. You can view them at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/besawfamilyca/Besawfamily2008#

Ashlyn

2008-07-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of Ashlyn's first few days...

Big Sister and Big Brother love her so much

Daddy helping Adam get the hang of things

Coming home from the hospital

Proud Daddy

Proud big sister

I like my passy

Just lounging

Our New Addition

2008-07-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn Mary Besaw was born on July 21st, 2008 at 10:28pm. She weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and is 20 and 1/2 inches long.

We are so happy to have her as a member of our family and that mother and baby are both doing well.

Bountiful Harvest

2008-07-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

Just thought we would post a picture of all the veggies we have been picking from Mom and Dad's garden while they are away. But what in the world are we going to do with all of these cucumbers?

Chubby Feet

2008-07-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

The countdown has begun! 22 days left till my due date and my feet reflect that! Thought we would post a picture for posterity. My feet were pretty swollen when I was pregnant with Annaka but we never got a picture, so this is one for the books. They look pretty gross and I can't wait for them to be back to normal again!

Baby Shower

2008-06-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry we haven't posted for so long, life just gets a little crazy at the Besaw house. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little girl at the end of July. We can't believe that she is almost here! This last Saturday was my baby shower given by my dear friend Andrea. Everything was beautiful and it was a wonderful day spent with family and friends. I am so grateful for all who helped to make it so special. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy:

Big News!

2008-03-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

We apologize for being such terrible bloggers but life gets so crazy!! Anyway we have some big news in our family this week. IT'S A GIRL! Yes, the count will be 2 girls, 1 boy. We are very excited, although we had to console one sad little boy who was really hoping for a brother. He's doing great now and is very excited too. He now kisses my tummy every night. Hopefully we'll be better about getting some more info on our blog soon.

One More Thing...

2008-01-16T18:50:00.000-08:00

Well, a huge thanks goes out to my wonderful husband for taking time to update our blog after all this time. But one thing he failed to mention, and I only do it with the utmost modesty and with great humility (because he definitely wouldn't do it), is the fact that he was called the Thursday before Christmas to be the Bishop of our ward. I only bring it up to illustrate the craziness of our month of December. The Stake president gave him about 5 days to choose counselors and he was sustained on December 30th, 2007. Talk about a whirlwind holiday! And he still updated the blog for me because I have been so lazy about doing it. I am so lucky to have such an incredible man as my husband! (Okay, enough of the cheesy stuff!)

Catching Up Our Blog

2008-01-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

No, we didn't fall of the face of the earth! The past few months have just been very busy. Let me try to catch you up and then hopefully we can keep our blog more current than we did the last months of 2007.

For Thanksgiving, we made our annual trek to Utah to spend the week with my family. While we there, the kids had a great time playing with their cousins and we did our family Christmas gift exchange. We also had a fun time bowling with some of my family, but I think the high point for Adam was getting to drive/ride his Papa Rod's "tractor". It was a great trip until the last night when my youngest sister Miranda was in a pretty bad car accident and gave us a scare, but thankfully she was OK.

After returning home, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Amy was pregnant. It's a little scary thinking about having another baby after so many years, but we are very excited. We told the kids one night by having them open their first Christmas present, a stocking for "Baby Besaw". The only trouble is Annaka wants a girl and Adam wants a boy, so someone will be disappointed.

Leading up to Christmas, Adam had his end of the season soccer party. Annaka performed as part of her school's orchestra where she plays the cello and also had a piano recital. After all of that, we were ready to take it easy over Christmas.

My parents drove out to be with us for the New Year and were able to spend a couple days with the kids before they left with Amy's parents to spend New Year's Eve in Idaho with Amy's sister and her family. Adam and Annaka had a lot of fun playing in the snow with their cousin Kimberlee and I think we missed them more than they missed us. They came home the beginning of last week and now it is back to our everyday lives: work, school, babysitting, church, and preparing for our new addition this summer.

Halloween Fun

2007-10-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

We are officially Halloweened out! We started on Saturday at our ward trunk-or-treat, continued Monday night at California Adventure for Mickey's Halloween Treat, and finished up today with the Halloween Spooktacular at the school where the kids go trick-or-treating to the classrooms. It makes me sick just looking at all the candy! They really did look cute in their costumes and they received many compliments. Annaka made a beautiful Snow White and Kimberlee was a darling little dark-haired Cinderella. However, Adam really stole the show because his costume was so unique.

Several of the Disney workers said they had never seen a Prince Charming before and one of them even gave him an extra handful of candy because his costume was so "cool." He did look very handsome! Enjoy the pictures and Happy Halloween!

Rogain Worked for Me!

2007-10-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

We were just messing around with some blonde wigs and decided that if Carl had the right pair of glasses there is an uncanny resemblance to Garth from the movie Wayne's World. Don't you think?

Just a Walkin' Down the Street...

2007-10-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

Today we had an interesting experience. As Adam and I left to pick up Annaka from the Pep Clinic she has been attending at the high school, we saw a Tortoise trying to cross the street! We couldn't let him get hurt so we stopped the car and tried knocking on the door of the house he was closest to. Nobody was home. So we moved the tortoise (Adam picked him up and moved him, not me) to the grass in front of a big tree away from the street. Then on our way home as we rounded the corner telling Annaka about the little guy, there he was again! Only this time he was really in the middle of the street. We stopped the car and I told the kids to pick him up and take him down to our yard. They thought it was great! They nicknamed him Speedy because for a tortoise he was pretty fast! We spent about an hour watching him and feeding him some lettuce leaves. When we saw the neighbors come home we asked if they had lost a tortoise and they said no but that their neighbor had a tortoise so they went to check to see if it was missing. Sure enough it was theirs, and turns out it was a girl and her name was DT, short for Desert Tortoise. I was sure glad we found out where it belonged because I wasn't too sure about having a new pet. And it just goes to show you never know what you might find just a walkin' down the street!

Daddy Daughter Campout

2007-09-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

This Friday was our annual Daddy Daughter Campout with church. Adam agreed that we could celebrate his birthday on Sunday so that Annaka and I could attend the campout. Friday is also the day we have soccer practice for Adam's team and since I'm the coach, I had to be there. Annaka went up to the campsite with her friend Cloe and I was going to meet up with her after soccer practice. I hurried home from soccer, packed the camp gear, and headed for the hills. I was a little bit of a grouch and wasn't looking forward to setting camp up in the dark after a busy day at work and soccer practice. I tried convincing Annaka that we could have just as much fun if we drove home after everyone went to bed instead of actually sleeping over, but of course that wouldn't really be camping and she didn't think it was as good an idea as I did. By the time I got to the camp, the campfire program had started, so I sat with Annaka for the program and didn't get our tent set up until afterwards. Once everything was actually set up, my attitude improved a lot and we ended up having a lot of fun. The next morning, we had breakfast with our ward and Annaka and her friends went on a little hike while I took camp down. Although it seems like a lot of work for just one night, I'm glad we do this every year and I hope Annaka will have as fond memories of our Daddy Daughter campouts as I do.

Be True to your School

2007-09-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

One of the first dates Amy and I went on was to a BYU football game. We were season ticket holders as newlyweds and took our first child to a game before she was a year old. Since moving to Southern California, we always try to support our Alma Mater when they come to play football. This past Saturday, the Cougars came to play the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl and we were there to show support for our school. Although the outcome wasn't what we hoped for, it was a fun day and brought back a lot of memories from attending BYU games in the past. The 3rd quarter got pretty exciting as the BYU offense cut the Bruin lead to 3 points. Unfortunately, the Cougars didn't score again and UCLA scored again with a couple minutes left to win 27-17. The game was much closer than the final score indicates, and BYU played well considering their opponent was ranked 13th in the nation (now 11th). Max Hall, the new Cougar QB was pretty impressive and has me excited for the rest of the season and years to come.

Just Gelin'

2007-09-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Gelin', as in hair gel, which about 15 minutes before we were supposed to leave for kindergarten Adam decides to cover his head with. He was in the bathroom with the door locked and when I insisted he open the door I was greeted with a kid who looked like he had just got out of the shower and still had the shampoo in his hair! I am so mad at myself for not getting the camera because it really was quite humorous (in hindsight). But of course being in the time crunch we were, I lost it and made him cry. Why can't I learn to be more relaxed about things? Anyway, we took care of it with a quick rinse of the head under the shower but I didn't have time to wash it. His hair will probably still be a bit stiff today, he used Carl's hair gel and Dippity Doo which those of us know from our performing days is like glue! Well, hopefully the week will just get better, and I will learn to be more patient.

Soccer Season Begins

2007-09-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

Soccer season is upon us and due to high enrollment and a lack of coaches, I ended up as the coach for Adam's team. Luckily one of the boys on the team has an older sister that plays soccer in high school and she is the assistant coach. I'm more of the figurehead and she actually knows about soccer. We had a practice last night where we met the team and decided on our team name, the Ninja Turtles. Then, our first game was this morning. Most of the players on our team have played before and they did really well. At this age they don't even really keep score, but Adam did make the last goal of the game and seems to have improved a lot since last year.

The First Day

2007-09-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

Well it's hard to believe this day has finally arrived. Adam's first day of kindergarten and Annaka's first day of 5th grade. How can we be old enough to have a 5th grader?! It went very well for both of them. I was the emotional one. But I don't think I'm the only mother who has cried when sending their little one off to school for the first time. Even though he has gone to preschool for the past two years and last year went 5 days, it's not the same. No more skipping school because we just don't feel like going, and now he'll have homework. This is the real deal! And will be his life for the next 13+ years. Of course education is a gift and I am grateful my children have this wonderful opportunity.

Annaka was an old pro not even really wanting us to walk with her to class. She's growing up so fast. Her teacher is Ms. Neumann and Annaka says she seems very nice. Adam has the same teacher Annaka had for kindergarten, Mrs. Maichrowicz. He is in the same class as Kaylyn and Mark, and a couple other kids he knows so that is good for him. He was a little quiet when we first went into the classroom this morning, but when I picked him up he was all smiles. Tomorrow we start the afternoon schedule.Another school year upon us. Where does the time go? But we had a very fun and relaxing summer so it will be good to get back into a routine.