Living Full on Life

I pride myself in being quite the logophile. I read too much. We have many, many discussions, debates and even bets about words and their meanings. The other day Lizzie casually used the word “perspicuous”  and I was prideful enough to accuse her of making it up. My thirteen-year-old daughter actually stumped me with a word! And not only did she accurately use it, but accurately defined it, too! Lizzie is not only smart but humble too; she didn’t gloat, not for a minute.

Recently I was reading about a book called, “Before They’re Gone—A Family’s Year-Long Quest to Explore America’s Most Endangered National Parks”. This is what I thought the book was about: I thought it was about a family who took a year off seeing a bunch of national parks before their children grew up and left home. I thought it was a wonderful idea and wished we could cherish our time together in such a way before Sam leaves in just 3 1/2 short years. Ironically, the “They’re” they’re talking about is not their children, but the national parks.

Speaking of lost childhood…

A few days ago I picked up Anna from a playgroup with four other kindergarten girls and asked her how her time was. She said it was great! Then I asked her what she talked about. Her reply, “ISIS”.

Well, it was a kind of good week- it definitely had its ups and downs. On Sunday, I got a massive cold that really put me under for a few days. On Wednesday I was feeling so lousy that I took my bigger kids to school then put a movie on for Anna and fell asleep. Then I woke up in time to get her ready for her afternoon kindergarten at 11:30. I took her to school then came back and slept some more. My kids got home and I got them where they needed to go and then fell asleep again for another hour or so. I knew that if I could just get some good sleep I could kick this thing. However, this was the week of Lizzie’s Irish dance performances and she needed to be in Orem (25 minutes away) every night from 5-9:30 or 10. Monday and Tuesday were the run-through and dress rehearsal and Wednesday through Saturday nights were the performances. We got home late every evening but it was thrilling to see her dance and she had such a fun time. I seriously think that Lizzie would be happy to dance for four or five hours every night. Now she just has to catch up on all the homework and practicing she missed this week!

Also this week was the surprise birthday party that Lizzie threw for Anna on Friday. Lizzie is so creative! She started planning the party over Christmas break and ended up doing a spa theme. She enlisted the help of her three school friends and while Anna was playing at her friend, Mary Beth’s house Lizzie and her friends decorated and prepared for the party. Anna showed up after her friends got there and they all popped out and yelled, “SURPRISE!!!” Anna just stared. And then looked questioningly at me. Then a minute later she got it! It was so fun to see the big girls giving the little girls facials, foot baths (with rose petals in the water), hand scrubs, manicures and pedicures. Lizzie thought of everything and her sweet friends really got into it too! The little girls loved the pampering. I loved watching and helping. I didn’t love that every towel in the house was used and now, two days later I am just finishing the laundry! I think having four creative, energetic teenagers help with the party planning and executing is totally the way to go. Here are pictures from that day (My favorite is the last one with the girls and the cucumbers on their eyes):

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One warm Christmas Eve in New Mexico a certain 28-year-old man invited a certain 14-year-old boy to punch him in the arm as hard as he could. Boy, attempting to impress his uncle, the aforementioned man, punched him hard, causing slight pain to the man and extreme pain to the boy. The next morning, that boy showed his swollen, painful hand to a not-very-sympathetic mother, who dismissed it as a “jammed finger”.  Ten days later, the neglectful mother brings the injured boy into the doctor only to find out that what she hoped was a jammed finger was really a broken hand and that through her neglect the small piece of bone that broke has now moved. After talk of pins and surgery the doctor referred the mother and son to a specialist. The mother, getting her just deserts, had to worry, and panic all day until the afternoon appointment where the specialist reassured both boy and mother, and simply put a cast on the poor boy’s hand. No surgery, no pins, no guilt trip. Both mother and son appreciated the cool name of the fracture, known as a Boxer’s Fracture or Brawler’s Break. Apparently it’s original name was the boxer’s break, but since most boxers know how to punch without breaking their hands, it was given a more appropriate name, “Brawler’s Break” for those dummies that get in street fights and can’t punch without hurting themselves. In two weeks lucky boy gets his cast off. In four, he can resume normal usage. Until then he is grateful that he is excused from practicing his viola and having to use good penmanship in school (it’s his right hand).

Sam, the hero of the story, said after his morning appointment, “It has such a cool name. Boxer’s Break? It sounds like a pair of underwear!” And lastly, said the boy who, for ten days lived with and even played basketball with a broken hand, “Now that I know it’s broken it hurts more!” Go figure…

Merry Christmas from the Beckwith Clan! We are so grateful for you who have influenced and enriched our lives so much! Thank you for the ways you have inspired us, and helped us raise our children to be the great kids that they are. We pray that you will feel the spirit of the Christ Child and His matchless life this holiday season.

A year ago we decided to discontinue our annual family Christmas card in an attempt to simplify. We hope that this blog, that I’ve been keeping on and off for the past six years will be a way for those we love to keep in touch. For many of you this may be a first visit to our little world. Why do we call it “Living Full on Life”? Because we are trying to live and love life to the fullest. This blog is a place where I collect and record some of the things that make life so rich. Winter is the time when I add the most content, especially recipes, as summer is the season to be outdoors and not in front of a computer! So stay tuned!

Anna’s words:
“I think old sunken ships are so interesting. That’s why I want to be a mermaid.”

I realized I have a lot of quotations from Anna these days and not so many from other kids. I think that is simply because I spend a lot more time with her. I love that I still get her half of each day before she goes to kindergarten at noon. This morning she was drawing and I was trying to motivate her to clean up her room. A task that she despises. So, I wrote: “Clean Anna’s room” and then under the words I drew a picture of sad dolls and stuffed animals. (They were sad because her room was so messy.) My picture was so pathetic it made her cry. Who knew the power of a sad stick figure doll?

Last Saturday we were doing a little clothes shopping as a family. Anna (who LOVES clothes) and I happened to be looking at some girls dresses when we had this conversation:
Anna: I need a new church dress.
Me: Yes you do. So lets look for one.
Anna: I really do need one? I just said that so you would buy me a dress!