Whatever

Whatever. That's my additude right now and obviously for a while now. I haven't had any motivation to do anything. No bloggin', no nothing. I just want to do my stuff and come home and veg out...at least on Facebook anyway. Geesh! February is almost over and I haven't even blogged since the first of January. I have hardly taken any pictures either. Great Mom I've been.

I did manage to make it to Dexter's Science Fair and learned that regular soap, without sanitizer isn't killing many germs. Are these good or bad germs...do we need this bacteria to help ward off the bad bacteria? It's too much for me to handle right now...and the petri dish pictures are GROSS!

The pics are pretty self-explanatory. The left is Dexter starting his project, just wiping his fingers on the Petri dish, no washing, just Every-day-Dex. The one of the right is playing in the Legos and then wiping on the dish.


The picture on the left is after Dex played with his legos and THEN washed his hands with just Dial Soap. The picture on the right is the same scenario with the legos, Dial, AND Hand Sanitizer.


There are lots of different things to take into consideration. Will something grow on the dish if it isn't touched at all? Yes. After each time of washing, is your hand less dirty when you begin to play in the Legos again? Did you wash as well the last time? What kinds of bacteria are growing on the dish? They are all different colors! The Petri dishes are fun. If you need some for future science fairs let me know and I'll get you the phone number. They are just off of State Street and 7000 South.

In the past Dex and Parker have used the Petri dishes to determine which fast food restaurant has the cleanest bathrooms (testing, toilet handles, stall doors and restroom door handles)If I remember right it was Wendy's. They have an every 15 minute cleaning schedule (Yea! Right! But that's what they said was their cleaning policy) Another Fair included the Petri dishes to determine who's bathroom is cleaner, our home or the school....and the results were appauling!...The School. Dexter's hypothesis was that the school would be dirtier because there are so many kids, but in fact, ours was much grosser. My reasoning is because the school bathroom is cleaned daily with industrial strength cleaners and is lighted all day (it's bright in there) and everything is metal. At home, weekly cleanings are a rarity, we have some plastic fixtures, it's dark in there with the lights off, and it gets warm and steamy everyday with 4 people taking showers! (Sounds good, doesn't it?)

No Words

I have No Words for this...



Description from the website where you can order this "Sweater Onesey" and be a part of fashion history.

"This hot unisuit will keep you warm in the winter and will show off your figure too. Its made out of wool. You can wear tights or shirts under it for added warmth or skirts over it."
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=19140320

Family Pictures are...FUN!

This is THE Beach Family, in our perfect form! The photographer had just told John he didn't need to turn his butt so much toward the camera and John said, You mean like this? and FLASH he took a picture. It was great! I loved the pose so much I paid for one. Yes, I'm crazy, but it was PERFECT! Notice Ashley doting on the baby and Parker is just thinking get me the crap outta here, your jokes are NOT going to get me to smile.

I'm not in love with this pic, but it will do.

Did you happen to see the most beautiful boys in the world? Well, here they are?
I love, love, love this picture of my boys! (JayLynn Studios took the professional pics)

Trying to find some pictures to use for our Christmas card this year was... fun, yes! That's the word for it! We tried to do our own family pic. I set up (balanced) the camera on top of a lamp, hit the timer button and then ran over for the pose. Here are a few of the non-winners. Don't let Brillo know he didn't make it to the finished product, okay?

Merry Christmas from The Beach Family 2008

If you didn't receive one of these, I'm sorry. E-mail me your address so I have it for next year...thanks!

I cried on Christmas Eve

Before we played our annual Christmas Eve "What time do we get to wake up Game", Dexter asked, "Can I write a letter to Santa?" I said sure. He found his own paper, grabbed a pencil and proceeded to write Santa a letter. This is what I found in his stocking:What a sweet, sweet boy. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Christmas at Temple Square

The Beach's bundled up (well, I did, the boys still think it is warm outside!) and headed down to Temple Square to see the lights and try to encourage Parker & Dexter to have a little Christmas Cheer!As usual it was beautiful and unusually warm! (no snow)

17 Years Ago on Christmas Eve, John took me to Temple Square and proposed! (Try not to gag!) I had no idea and was totally surprised. He asked me at the Seagull Monument, which is currently drained and boarded up. So there really weren't any "photo ops" for that.

I love the hundreds of luminaries that line the COB walkways.

Parker jumped on John in the parking lot and had a little fun!
Then we headed to Chili's for some nurishment. I don't catch Parker off guard (of the camera) but I did tonight, so I had to post it!Dexter is ALWAYS happier with a full tummy!

Another Beach Boy!

John's Brother, Chris and his wife, Jessie had a baby boy in August...Rex Alan is his name! What a cutie!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving all the Beach's had a family picture taken at JayLynn Studios and then afterwards John blessed Rex at Waldean's home. It was another great Beach Occasion to get together and play some games!

I know this isn't a great picture of Jessie, but Rex looks so cute!

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving all the Beach's were in town, so we all got together for some games at Waldean's. Beach Games are serious business! According to Mike, and usually if he isn't winning, it's not considered "REGULATION". If something is turned wrong or you go out of turn, it is a "NON-REGULATION GAME" and therefore, does not count. This was Jessie's first time "playing as a Beach" so she was a little nervous and intimidated, but she held her own! Mike, Jessie and I won the first game of Sequence! We are so cool!

Here are a few words and phrases you can hear during EVERY Beach Game of Chicken Foot with Dominoes:
GRIDLOCK, COUNT 'EM UP!
BLOCK THE DOUBLE ZERO!
KRISTEN, did you pick the double zero AGAIN?

During Sequence (A card game with a game board):
"Now what do the Jacks do?"
"Did you take your card?"
"No Cabitzing!"
"What do the Jacks do again?"
"Did you take a card?"
"SEQUENCE!"
"If I have a 2-Eyed Jack, I can do what again?"

We joked that we should just record us all playing one night and then just play the tape the next time we play again!

We all have a lot of fun and a lot of laughing!
Parker worked up an appetite and had some leftover turkey. There's the Sequence board and chips on the table in front of him.

The Cousins had a great time wrestlin' Parker and Dexter and horsing around!

Ashley LOVES Rex and wants a baby of her very own to be a Mommy to.

Thanksgiving in Pocatello

We left early Thanksgiving morning to drive up to Pocatello Idaho to have Thanksgiving with my family. We pulled in around 11:30am and checked in to The Holiday Inn. The hotel was great and Parker didn't want to leave. In the "Holidome" they had a swimming pool, a Foosball and a Ping Pong table. It was surprising how many "out-of-towners" there were. That evening the Holidome was filled with families gathered around tables playing games and you couldn't have fit one more person in the hot tub! I guess it was the "HOLIDAY" Inn!

The Worthington Clan was alllll here.... Joan, Tasha, John, Parker, Dexter, Erin, Nat, Annika, Thomas, Ella, Keith, Kristien, Grace, Jessica, Kory, Kevin, Janelle (& lil' unborn Cache) and Layla. Jess had some friends over that you will see in the pics too C.J and Davien. It was a GREAT Thanksgiving in Idaho filled with family and friends and not too many family fights! We started making a list of all the subjects we couldn't bring up...politics, religion, health, etc. etc. etc.



Kory is DONE...and now trying to figure out how to rig up a beer line to drip right into his mouth. No, really, that is what he was contemplating, he told me.

The next morning we went back over to Jessie & Kory's and had a big yummy breakfast! Then we played some Rock Band!!

We even brought our own "Groupies" (Kristien in the back)

Here is some of my Thanksgiving decor outside my house...check out that green lawn!

Enos Sounds Like Penis

This post is dedicated to Dexter and learning a little more about him.
Have you ever seen another kid so excited about receiving books for Christmas?

Dexter was been described as "wise beyond his years" by Mrs. Luka, his kindergarten teacher....so yes, when he was just five years old. In 1st grade he was tested and found to be reading on a 5th grade level. Dexter is an avid reader...to the point of needing to be grounded from reading. Can you imagine? During Summer Recess from school Dexter has said, "I miss school, I miss learning!" Parker, his 13 year old brother, thinks he is a "FREAK!"

In 4th Grade Dex would come home crying because "the kids don't respect him". (I tried to explain to him that kids don't think that way. They make fun of you and you are all friends again by the next recess.)

During a check up last year his pediatrician took him by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Dexter, what you've got to understand is you are just an old man, stuck in a 10 year old body." I wish you could have seen the sigh of relief Dexter took, finally feeling like someone understood him.

Dexter is a great kid. He is grateful and thanks you for any kindness you show towards him. He gives compliments. He does NOT lie. I consider him my own General Authority. He gets upset with me when I swear and really tries to keep everyone "in line and obeying the rules". He will NOT swear (unless pushed to the extreme edge by his brother when he will yell, "Shut the HELL up! Parker has it recorded, for proof, on his cell phone. It cracked me up) Dexter will still hold my hand in public, give me kisses and makes kissing smooch sounds when saying goodbye to me on the phone. At night, we have a ritual, that he started, of me kissing him on one side of the face and him kissing my cheek and he kisses my other cheek and I kiss him goodnight.

Dexter has always been a kid that can make you laugh. He has what I like to call: Dexterisms, it's not a tic, or disease, it's just the funny things he says. Here are a few Dexterisms:

This story was told to me by Dexter's Primary Teacher.
Dexter has always been the only boy in his Primary class at church, all the rest are girls. One Sunday in his 4 yr. old Primary class, the teacher announced they were going to talk about Enos. Dexter, reverently raised his hand and announced: "Enos sounds like PENIS." Taken back the teacher tried to proceed and just said, Well, today we are talking about Enos. Dexter said again, "Well, it does, Enos sounds like penis. Thank you Dexter, you are right. Dexter just thought it was something you needed to know. He wasn't trying to be funny and didn't look for a reaction from the girls, it was just knowledge he had, and NEEDED to share.

For Christmas 2007 Dexter received a Book Case. It was his favorite Christmas gift and he wrote a paper about it for school.

Here are a few more recent stories:
I never really listen/catch/understand the words in songs, I just like the beat. I was listening to a song on the radio in the car and actually understood and processed the words to a song. I'm sure you've heard it. Ray J's - Sexy Can I (if you dare listen to it) I hear the lyrics, "sliding down the pole, no panties, no shirt" and it hits me this chick is naked! So the next day, John, Dexter and I are driving in the car. I turn on the radio and it's playing Sexy Can I...the questionable lyrics play and I turned to John and say, this is the song I was telling you about. Then, I turn to Dex and say, Do you ever think about a girl like that? Dexter says, No. (I turn back around feeling so proud of my son, then he says) "No. I don't think about A girl like that I think about A LOT of girls like that!"

This year Dexter needed to write a paragraph about a subject. The subject was Sports. Here is his paper, word for word. I saved it cause, it's THAT Good!:

"My favorite sport would be fishing. I don't enter tournaments and stuff like that, but I like fishing. I like the peace and quite, so that I can read while fishing. After you catch your fish, you will always feel very proud of yourself! I hope you enjoy the sport of fishing."

One more:
Dexter received his Arrow of Light award last week. This is the last award in Cub Scouts. During the week his Webelos Leader called to see if Dexter would like to help make the plaque that holds the arrow that is given to each recipient. Dexter wasn't home at the time and we made plans to try to get them together later in the week to work on it. That never happened. The Pack Meeting came, a wonderful Arrow of Light Ceremony took place and Dexter proudly brought home is award. As we were walking into the house I told him that his leader wanted him to help make the award earlier in the week. Without skipping a beat and not trying to be funny at all Dexter said:
"I'm glad I didn't help make this because that would have been like the Groom seeing the Bride BEFORE the Wedding."
Is it me, or does this kid CRACK YOU UP??? He loves his award and considers it his current bride.

Dex receiving his arrow during the ceremony

Dexter walking across the bridge from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. Each of the "graduated" scouts signs the bridge with a wood burner. Dexter's brother and Uncle Chris are listed on the same bridge! We found names from 1993, pretty cool tradition.

Dave Johnson, shaking hands with Dexter and welcoming him to the Boy Scout Troop!

Happy HALLOWEEN!

I love Halloween! I think because for me, it's the start of "THE" Holidays when I get to be around my family more and the world is full of good cheer!

Once you drive by our house you realize just how much the Beach's LOVE Halloween! It is a lot spookier at night with the orange lights glowing through the spider webs and the purple lighted spider webs on the trees and the glow in the dark skeletons. Anyway... here's a taste of what you would see.

My pride and joy of this Halloween is my brand new 6 Foot Vampire from Sam's Club. It was on sale for only $29... I HAD to have it! I made myself leave because they had some other killer halloween inflatable things for the yard...on sale!

The Witch's Inn...THE Witch (me) is IN! Do stop by for a visit my sweetie!






And of course, I'm one of these freaky dog moms that love to dress up their dogs for Halloween. Buddy, loves to wear clothes all the time, so he won't be a problem. Is his witch's costume not the cutest ever???
Brillo, on the other hand, hates to wear clothes, so we never do it. I bought this Frankenstein costume a few years ago for $3.50 at Petco. He wore it for about 30 seconds. Since Buddy was in the spirit of dress up, I tortured Brillo for a little bit and took one good picture. I didn't realize he was lickin' his face until after I printed the picture...still so cute! Actually, now that I see it, I think he's sticking his tongue out at me! What do you think?