Scout Camps

Stake Day Camp
Since I am in Scouts right now, I get the wonderful opportunity to go to the day camps with my boys. This year there were two camps each boy went to - Stake Day Camp and Camp Jeremiah. Stake Day Camp was on June 5th. I loved being with both Tanner & Johnathan at this camp. Our first area we went to was making bottle rockets and shooting them up into the air. The boys absolutely LOVED this activity. They filled up the bottles half way with water and hooked them up to a compressor which shot them into the air. I couldn't believe how high some of them flew. After this activity we headed to shooting bow and arrows and a science area.

Half way through this rotation it started to sprinkle. We kept on going until the rain turned to a down pour. We all quickly ran for cover under canopies and the pavilion. We all thought it would blow over. Since it was lunch time, we all started getting in line to eat. Most of the boys had their food when huge gusts of wind and rain starting coming, which knocked down a few of the canopies. At this point we determined that we were leaving - soaking wet! So disappointing for all the hard work that went into this activity and we were only able to see less than half of it. I think the disappointment was felt in every boy also. Johnathan was so excited about his first day camp and has this fun experience to remember.

Camp Jeremiah Johnson

On June 22nd, we were able to attend Camp Jeremiah Johnson. The Wolves and Bears went at the same time - so I was able to attend with Johnathan. Tanner attended a week earlier with the Webelos. This camp is up in the Springville canyon. We all had such a wonderful time. The weather was perfect and the boys all seemed to have a lot of fun. The boys were able to pan for gold, do bows and arrows, sling shots, made a rope and had a tug of war, make pioneer wagons and BB guns. Each boy had picked a buddy to be with and Johnathan was with Isaiah Anderson. There were about 19 boys that attended and 5 leaders. Johnathan's favorite part was the store where they could buy candy, pop, or scout items. The pocket knives were a huge hit - thankfully Johnathan was content with the candy:). We had a wonderful time.

West Coast Get-away

A couple of months ago, Byron mentioned that I should get together and have a sister's retreat. At first I just thought it was a great idea, but wasn't planning on really acting it out until I realized he was very serious. At that point I quickly sent out an email to my sisters and mom to see if they would be interested. From there I set a date and booked airplane tickets. Allyson & I flew out of here on May 28th arriving in Portland that evening. Jared was nice enough to pick us up from the airport along with my parents who were flying in from California. We enjoyed sleeping over at Jared and Danielle's house - enjoying their wonderful hospitality.

Friday morning we headed over to Janessa's house to meet up with everyone else. Heather was nice enough to be our designated driver and we headed towards the ocean. We stopped off in Seaside and enjoyed eating at a Mexican Restaurant, shopping and going on a fun 6 person bike. While we were there, we noticed all of these junior high kids on these bikes all over the town. They were all having such a great time we decided to see how much they cost to rent. We ended up getting a bike that allowed 4 people to pedal at the same time. Janessa was great to be our driver the whole time as we embarked on a fun outing. A few of us switched back and forth so all could take turns pedaling. We had such a great time going down the residential streets. After 1 1/2 hours we were definitely ready to be done. Apparently some of us aren't in as great of shape as others - I was pretty sore after pedaling for a while. We ate dinner at Mo's - delicious! I was the only crazy person to not have any of their great clam chowder - I am pretty boring when it comes to eating fish. I had a delicious chicken sandwich.

We headed up to Rockaway to a cabin that somebody in Heather's ward owns. We were right next to the beach in a beautiful 3 bedroom cabin. We only paid $50 each night! Saturday we relaxed and enjoyed having no children to wake us up. We started out with a delicious breakfast made by Allyson & Janessa - biscuits, gravy, eggs, and sausage. The meal hit the spot and was so good. We talked and relaxed all morning long. We finally headed down to the beach which is literally one minute away. It was so cold and windy that we decided to head back to the cabin.

There is definitely nothing like having no interruptions from children - loved doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted! We had a delicious lunch by Danielle & I - chicken wraps - they were so good - I still need to get the recipe from Danielle to share with my family. We headed to Tillamook Cheese Factory. Unfortunately we didn't see them making anything by the time we got there, but enjoyed some great ice-cream. We headed over to Oceanside beach. The sky was so blue and not windy at all like it was at Rockaway Beach. We enjoyed walking along the sand and seeing some beautiful scenery. There was a cool tunnel that we went through to get from one side of the beach to the other. We wanted to see some starfish, but the tide wasn't low enough when we went. I have to admit that I was thinking about Byron while on the beach - how much fun it would be to walk hand in hand through the sand together. I had to send him a message to show him how much I loved him. I ended up writing in the sand a message to him and texting it. Since we didn't get any coverage while there, I had to wait about one hour to send it. When Byron finally got my picture, he loved it.

We headed to another beach and saw a lighthouse and some cool birds that are like penguins. There was also a really fun tree that is called the "Octopus Tree" from all of its branches that come out of the base.

We headed back to our cabin to enjoy dinner. Heather & Mom made a delicious meal with lasagna, salad & fruit. We enjoyed talking and then headed down to the beach to view the sunset. It was absolutely gorgeous! I took so many pictures trying to capture the sunset, and then realized that after I changed settings on my camera to "sunset" they took beautifully. Janessa had brought wood to have a campfire on the beach, but we opted out of it and made smores back in the fireplace instead.

Sunday we cleaned up the cabin and headed back down to Portland. We said goodbye at Janessa's house to Danielle & Janessa. Heather took us to pick up dad at Heather's house and then to the airport.

We had such a wonderful time together that I honestly didn't want the time to end. I was able reacquaint myself with my sisters/mom and get to know Danielle better. I LOVED every moment we had together. I have NEVER left my family to do something like this. I will have to say that getting away is such a necessary thing for a mom - everybody needs a break once in a while to help rejuvenate us and make us want to be a good mom again. After having our flight leave 50 minutes late, I was definitely ready to head home. I was so excited to see Byron outside of the airport upon arriving. I missed him greatly! I look forward to our next sisters/mom retreat - 2011 here we come!

Space Derby

On May 27th was the Space Derby for the Scouts. Johnathan and Tanner were so excited for this day. Both boys enjoyed sanding and painting their rockets. Tanner decided to go with "The Pickle" since it was shaped like a pickle when he was sanding it. I thought it turned out rather cute. Johnathan wanted to make his like a hot dog. He had fun painting it with the bun, hotdog, ketchup and mustard. Both boys had fun racing it down the track. Johnathan got the "Most fun rocket award" and Tanner got the "Most Unique Rocket." Tanner ended up taking 3rd place. Both boys did an awesome job and had fun - which is all that matters, right? I love being in scouts and being able to participate with my boys in for these fun activities.

Memorial Day - In memory of . . .

It has only taken me a month to post about this - not so bad:). I have had such a busy and crazy month that I haven't had much time to blog. I hope to get this updated soon.

Byron brought back these shirts from China and we thought that it would be fun to wear them today. They are what the kids call the "Kung Fu Panda shirts."

We had a great Memorial Day. Like always, we started out by heading to the American Fork cemetery to see my Grandpa & Grandma Adamson's grave. On the way there, I realized that I had left Bradley's clothes at home. Luckily we were going to see 2 cemeteries by our house before heading to Salt Lake so it wasn't too far out of our way to get them (thus, the pajamas - sorry Bradley).

I have always had such a close relationship with these grandparents and feel so fortunate to live close to where they are buried. The kids and I quickly gathered pine cones and wrote next to the grave "LOVE." When my Grandma Adamson was alive, she would always write with pine cones next to the grave of Grandpa. My kids and I enjoy continuing this tradition. There are years when we go and already find writing next to their grave, so others enjoy doing it also in the family.

(Parker, Carter, Tricia, Camille & Bradley)
(Johnathan, Tanner, Parker, Carter, Camille & Bradley)

Parker was so cute as we entered the American Fork Cemetery. We got out of our van and he immediately ran over to this gravestone. He was pretty excited to see his name.

After seeing Grandpa & Grandma Adamson's grave, we headed over to the other part of the cemetery to see where Byron Leonard Beck is buried. We met up with the family at this grave. There were also some horses across from the cemetery that the kids had to get close to. They were having a great time feeding them weeds.

Then we went over to the Lehi Cemetery to see where Harold Byron Beck and Beth Cooper Beck are buried. The kids had fun climbing trees and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. You may notice that Carter isn't in many of the pictures. That is because he has decided that taking pictures is a waste of time and will literally hide whenever the camera comes out. It usually takes a lot of bribing to get him in a picture. Hopefully he outgrows this stage.:)

Off to Bountiful Cemetery to see where Johanna and Troy are buried. This is probably one of my favorite cemeteries at this time of year. The grounds are kept so nicely and the flowers are just beautiful.

I love seeing the kids helping out with the brooms and scissors to beautify the graves. So much dirt, weeds and grass start growing around the grave, so it feels great to help make them look nice again. The cousins enjoyed playing together. Camille couldn't keep herself away from her niece and nephew very long.

I also had to go and see my Aunt Kathy's gravestone. What a beautiful and touching gravestone! I still can't believe that my Aunt Kathy is gone. She was such an awesome aunt who was such a great support to my family.

Salt Lake Cemetery is where two of Grandma Beck's sisters are buried along with John Cooper and Hanna Hansen. There is the coolest tree next to where they are buried that my kids all gravitate to.

After heading to 3 cemeteries, we are ready to head back and enjoy some yummy food. I always look forward to this holiday - so fun to reflect back on so many wonderful lives and also to enjoy getting to know family better. I know that my children look forward to going around to the graves every year and have learned so much about their genealogy from these excursions.

AMAZING men!!!

I am surrounded by amazing men in my life. How fortunate I feel to have such great examples for my children to learn from. Having 5 boys is definitely a hard challenge when I think about all of the important things to teach them, but the burden is definitely lightened when they have surrounding them such great influences of righteousness.

BYRON
Byron takes the time for each of our children no matter how hard his day has been. He will sit and talk with them, play ball or just find out how their day went. He knows the importance of taking his wife out every week and going on vacations together. Byron has such a hard work ethic and is constantly teaching our children so they can become hard workers also. He honors his priesthood and has such a strong testimony of the gospel. He "honors his father and mother" and is constantly looking for ways to serve them. He loves having fun as a family and constantly is looking for fun activities for us to do together. He loves going to BYU football games and takes the time to let each of his kids spend this special time with him. He has great communication skills. He also is such a wonderful handyman.

DAD ADAMSON
Dad came and spent a few days with us last week and I will forever cherish the time I had with him. I have never had just my dad at my house and I loved being able to spend quality time with him. My dad has had diabetes since he was 12 years old and is called a "walking miracle" by his doctors. I feel so greatly blessed to have him a part of my life and my children's life. Dad is an avid reader and has helped instill such a love of it through my years. I remember seeing my dad writing in his journal while growing up and realized the importance of writing down those important things in our lives. I have definitely gained my love of music from my dad. He listens to music every chance he gets. My dad played the timpani in college and loves to hit anything in front of him to the beat. My dad is a special education teacher and was always in the same school as me while I was in elementary school. I would get so excited when I would see him while walking down the halls during the day. We would go on such fun family vacations and I will never forget the huge sacrifice that was made on our families behalf so that we could have such great family outings together.

DAD BECK

Dad Beck is such a huge example to me and my children. We are so fortunate to live so close to him and see him quite often. He has always been so awesome at attending and supporting our family in all that we have going on. Every year at my children's elementary school they celebrate "Grandparents Day." I am so glad that we have grandparents close by to be able to share this special experience with them. My kids look forward to this day and love spending quality time with their grandparents. Dad Beck had been planning to go on a mission as soon as he retired. Just when that time was closely approaching, he was called to be the Bishop in his ward. I will never forget the huge impact that this decision made on my life. I have realized that it is so important to be obedient and Heavenly Father has such a great plan for each of us.

Happy Father's Day Dads and Byron. I love you all so much and feel greatly blessed to have you a part of my life.

And he returns . . .

After Byron goes on trips, we all anticipate his arrival. Johnathan was such a sweet boy to even make a sign for his dad. Byron spoiled us as usual. All of the kid's had fun crowding around Byron to see what fun treasures he got while away. He brought back wooden swords for the boys, jewelry for me, earrings for Camille, Bradley & I some cool slippers, a beautiful vase for me and some of the fun candies from China. He was even able to buy some DVDs while there for $1.00 a piece that included "Wolverine" and "Star Trek." I'm not sure how they even get those when they haven't come out on DVD yet, but we had fun watching them (and definitely saved money from going to the theater:). They weren't the best quality, but were quite enjoyable to watch.

Carter, Parker, Tanner & Johnathan with their new cool swords.

China Trip - May 15 - May 21st

Byron has travelled with work many times to Asia, but has never had the opportunity to go to China until last month. He was so excited to have somewhere new to visit. The swine flu scare was quite high when he travelled. As soon as the plane landed in Shanghai, China, some men wearing white suits (Byron described them as looking like the men in E.T.) entered the plane and started to shoot laser thermometers onto every passengers forehead to see if they had a fever. If they ended up having one, they would have to be in isolation for a few days. Byron wasn't feeling the best and upon hearing that this was going to happen took some ibuprofen. He was around 35 for his temperature and he thinks that 37 was a fever. Pretty crazy!!! You definitely wouldn't have seen anything like this in America.

Here are some "unknown" birds that Byron saw being cooked.

The beautiful city of Shanghai.

I love this picture with the beautiful reflection of the skyline.

The second tallest building in the world is located there - "Shanghai World Financial Center." Byron has been in the tallest in Taipei and had to add this one to his list of those he has been up in. At the observation deck, there is a glass floor so you can get a better view. I guess it was pretty freaky looking down at such a height. Byron was able to talk himself onto standing on the floor towards the end.

Just beautiful!

There was a KFC that Byron ate at while there. This is a picture of his food that he ordered.

KFC menu - pretty interesting seeing it in another language:)

One of the days Byron was fortunate enough to have a lady, Ann, that Byron knew from China take him around to do some shopping. Luckily she brought an umbrella for Byron to use since it rained most of the day. His favorite part of China was the shopping and being able to bargain. Between him and Ann, they were able to get quite the deals.

A beautiful view of the city during the day - check out all that smog.

Everything including the buildings have their own Asian look. Such a fun culture. Byron had such a great time, but was definitely ready to be home when the time came - other than the 13 hour flight to San Francisco.

One of the hardest things about his flights is that he always flies out from California. Unfortunately this means that he usually has long delays in those airports. He had about 5 hours both ways this last trip. We were so ready for him to be home, but had to wait while he was in San Francisco for 5 hours before he could even board the plane. I am excited for the non-stop flights from Salt Lake to Japan. Those will definitely speed up his flight days.