Phew...

I just had to say that I finally got some time off!!! My boss worked something like 90+ hours or something last week so she took today & tomorrow off to spend time with her boys... Which left me with the day free! YEAH!!!!

So we go to register Kevin's new jeep today as well as transfer the bullet bike registration & ha... what a joke!!! the people we bought the jeep from had never transferred the title to their name (even though it was registered to them, now how does that work?) & had put her driver's license number in the lien holder box... anyway so now we have to get her to sign a title error form in front of a notory or MVD staff member, then she has to sign a power of attorney to transfer the title to her name & pay $28 since she didn't do it before (you have 30 days from the sign over date & that was end of Aug so it's a $4/month fee + the actual $4 fee) & then get the title to her name before we can even get a title for it... talk about a pain in my rear!!! Not only do they live over an hour across town, when the guy we bought it from called the MVD before we bought it, they said we could register it without that.. oh well, at least it's still current on registration.... So then we tried to register the bike since it expires today... Yeah... We don't have the current registration, it got lost somewhere in the move but have the insurance but to transfer it to Arizona we need 1 of 3 things: a copy of the current title from the lien holder, the current registration or the renewal ticket from utah, none of which we had... so I spent the afternoon talking to the bank trying to get the title faxed... Talk about a pain in the butt... wouldn't they be able to just look up the plate & see it's us on the registration & do it that way? For real!!!!

Other than that, well nothing new this week... Just being bored since Kevin's been working... Oh Brok fell out of his stroller (I know I sound like such a bad mom) at Target... He experienced his first bit lip & I experienced 2 things, the first blood from the babe & pure outrage towards someone... I was with my friend & she had put him back in but didn't close the buckle well enough & he was mad & wiggling & he just slid right out... it was pretty much all I could do not to scream at her, but I knew he was fine & she was so shook up about it that she called at like 1130 that night to make sure he was ok...

Well that is all for the Beal family tonight... Miss you all!

It's raining it's pouring....

Truly it is...

So in the last 3 weeks a lot has happened....
Monday January 7th, my boss calls me around 8am & said if you work double hours I can pay you double... Now I am not one to disagree with that but I tell you what... time flies when you work 12 hour days.... Currently I work 730am-anywhere from 5-730pm. I generally have wednesday afternoons off but oh man is it crazy.... I love it....

Second, Brok's evaluation is coming up in about a week & he is slowly progressing... He can now hold his bottle (we have to give it to him the right way or he dumps it on himself & gets mad) & can sit in the crawling position long enough to get mad! He then will try to lunge for a toy, face plant & start screaming but right now we'll take it. He also is talking a lot more, still no mama dada but he is learning to make a pig sound which is super funny to hear!!! He also learned that peek-a-boo is a very fun game! He is definately a character & I can't believe he is already 10 months old!

Third... We had to buy Kevin a new vehicle (ok a new to us one) because the rain & motorcycle don't mix... He got a 1992 Jeep Grand Cherokee sport... Beautiful car that fits his purpose & runs better than my car! Anyway, this next week he has to work nights, 230pm-??? as his jet is in phase, getting inspected & cleaned & torn apart... Which sucks for us but what can ya do...

Fourth... We did some research & found out that our landlord's loan we were going to take over is intrest only & that in a little over 2 years, her intrest rate would increase & therefore her payments & since we don't know what will happen at that time... We decided to try to find a place closer to the base... I tell you we just really can't stay in one place... But this house we found is great, & is what we want, it has 3 beds & a den with built in desk, plus a huge loft upstairs... It has a grassy backyard & the neighbors are nice. We met them while we were looking at the house. Overall it would be a good decision...

And last but not least... after talking to my boss's husband, we have decided to start up a business based on an idea we have had for a while... Kevin will be doing oil changes but he comes to you... It will be a small start but he can do it on weekends & at nights. It should be good for us...

Oh we also fostered another dog & rehomed him just last week.

This family is definately busy!!!

Shocking

So I took Brok in for his normal 9 month well baby today & it wasn't what I thought at all... He weighed in at 18lbs 11oz which is only 2lbs in the past 3 months, nothing to really worry about though because he went from 27inches in oct to 32inches today... but the most shocking thing about the whole ordeal was that the doctor told me that Brok is borderline Autistic... he does this thing with his hands when he gets excited, he squeezes his fingers in and out, he still won't hold a bottle (though we think that is more stubborness becasue he did it a few times today), he refuses to try to crawl or creep (he hates his stomach), he also is content to play alone & will fixate on something such as a hot wheels car for long periods of time & he won't finger feed. She also said that he doesn't babble (like mama or dada) and that he should be able to pull himself up to standing at something. But what makes her say borderline is that he is very social, he will look at you and make eye contact & smile, he wants to walk so bad, he will if we hold his hands, and a few other things that I can't really remember. I really don't know what to think. I know he is behind on things but seems like a normal kids to me... I also can't help but to think that somehow it's my fault that he is behind... Like if I had tried harder to get him to crawl or to hold his bottle... So anyway, now he is going to have a home evaluation where some specialist is going to come into my home, watch him, interact with him, who knows what & tell me if he needs their help or if I can help him & then at his year appointment in march we will regroup & see if things have gotten better... So pray for him! & for me for the strength to get through it all!!!

The New year

As I sit here and wait for it to change to the year 2008 I am looking back on this year & feel blessed for all that has happened to me.

*I have the best family in the world, extended & our little growing family. My husband is so amazing & he works so hard to provide for us. We are so blessed to have the time & the money to be able to hang out together. I am also so amazed as I look at out life when we started this family 2 years ago... I never could have imagined the joy that I would find in Brok's little laughs or how much more I have fallen in love with Kevin since he was born. He is the greatest dad & he loves him so much. The look on Brok's face when he sees us makes everything I went through so worth it!!! He is a blessing! I am also grateful that I have some of the best parents ever. They taught me how to be the wife & mother that I am today. Mom, you are one of my heros. I don't know how you ever did it with all of us at once!!! You are a great support to me & I am grateful for that. I also have the greatest siblings! I never knew that my brothers & I would ever get along so well! & Tash, well who knew that we would be so close? Brooke, you are always there to help with Brok & you are such a great aunt even though you didn't want a nephew!!! :)

*I have some of the greatest friends in the world. I never see half of them anymore as I live so far away but I know that when I need to, I generally can call anyone up and talk to them! Thanks you guys for supporting me & allowing me to be the person that I am! Camille, you have been such a good friend from the day that I met you! I know that we will always be friends! You are all such great examples to me!!!

*I am blessed to have found the perfect job for me right now. My boys are the cutest kids & are so much fun! I love working with them. They make me smile! Brok loves them too & I am grateful that She found me! We are blessed that we get to go to work together! Also that Kevin gets to come hang out with us!!!

*Pets... who knew that they could be the greatest companions!!! Actually, I love my dogs, they are so cute & loving.

I am so looking forward to the joys that this year will bring our family!!! Brok's 1st birthday & all the milestones he will accomplish (hopefully) & all the fun we will have. We are also going to be purchasing our first home, doing the landscaping in our backyard & actually staying in one place long enough to make friends that we won't have to leave!!!

This year has definately been one of new experiences & adventures (moving across the country with 2 dogs & a 3 month old in only my Ford Focus!!!) and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Those of you that have touched my life this year, wether briefly or for greater amounts of time, I thank you!!!

I hope next year can keep up with this year! Happy new YEar!!!

Christmas with the family

Since neither Kevin nor I really cared too much, we just took Brok to see Santa (he's really not an attached Child) so that when he was older, he would have pictures. The little girl in front of us was probably close to his age & she was screaming her head off, Brok got up there and started laughing. We got some really good pictures of him & the professional ones they took he is staring right at us all cool and chill with a giant smirk on his face. We're waiting for the day when he decides strangers aren't good.
We have a tradition in our little family of driving a lot during Christmas. Actually, since Kevin's brithday is on Christmas eve and his family all has their own families, we celebrate with his family on Christmas eve & late that night, we drive to my parents home in Las Vegas to spend Christmas morning with them since it's fun to be around everyone who still believes in Santa. This year we had even more excitement because Kevin's nephew (he's 2 years older than Kevin) and his wife/kids were there. Everyone of Kevin's family was there minus one nephew who couldn't make it. We never got a family picture but it was fun for me to meet & hang out with everyone. Here are some pictures of everyone. Of course Brok got spoiled but the look on his face was so much fun! While walking down the stairs to see the tree for the first time, his face just lit up and it was almost as if he knew that was what he was supposed to do!!! he is a character! We got to talk to my brother who is on a mission in honduras as well, he comes home in June!!!
We had so much fun with all our family & can't wait til next year when he understands what is going on rather than us having to open his presents for him!!! I hope everyone had as good of a holiday as we did!

Home & Tired!

We got home Christmas night around midnight from a crazy go go go weekend with family. It was so good to see everyone! After getting home so late we had to open gifts to each other still (we had opened some earlier in the week before leaving) and guess what? I got an mp3 player which is what i wanted this year & kevin got a playstation 2 which is what he wanted. Brok got so many gifts we could hardly fit them in the car on the way home & since getting home I have had to rearrange his play room! but what can you do!!! he's baby one & everytime we see something we like, we get it! But needless to say, our house was a disaster & is just barely being cleaned up! I spent a good part of the day yesterday getting everything taken care of around the house including moving around furniture in our spare room, cleaning both brok & his play rooms, organizing our living room & all kinds of other stuff. But ...
TODAY WE FINALLY GOT INTERNET @ HOME!!!!

we have been using our phones, the internet at the base & every time we go home everyone else's internet. plus we figured out that we get like 20 channels through our tv including all the local channels so now we are not disconnected from the world!!! yeah!!!

I hope you all had a great Christmas & are looking forward to a great new year!!! We love you all!

Ashley, Kevin & Brok

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BEALS!!!

Hello Family & Friends!!!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Beal Family!!! Hopefully this year has been as good to you as it has to us! And that the next year will bring even more happiness & joy!
We started this year with a move to a new house in St George, UT and that was the beginning of a year of changes!
In February we made possibly the biggest decision of our married life by deciding to join the United States Air Force. I say we when actually Kevin joined however everyone knows the hardest job in the Air Force is being a wife. He flew to Salt Lake City, UT around the end of February and was first sworn in then as well as receiving his job of aircraft maintenance. From that decision, our life has never been the same.
We were thrilled last year to find out we were having a baby & on Friday, March 23, 2007 a beautiful, and healthy baby boy Brok Grant Beal was born at 3:23am at a hefty 8lbs 10oz. After a short stint in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for low blood sugar and jaundice, he was brought home three days later. Since that little bump in the road, he has never stopped progressing. Currently he is long and skinny being almost 32in long. He has a great personality and we learn something new about him everyday! He cut his first tooth & learned to sit up the same week and is now ready to take off walking!
Kevin has had a busy year this year but didn’t leave for Basic Training until May 8th so he was here for 6 weeks of Brok’s life before leaving. He endured 6 weeks of harsh training in San Antonio Texas (the longest away from home he’d ever been) and was then sent to Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, TX for the first part of his technical training as an F-16 crew chief. Basically he has to know everything about the aircraft including all the systems & how they work because he has to know when something malfunctions. He is responsible for inspecting the aircraft before & after flight & if something happens that is a malfunction he needs to know it. Talk about stress! Actually he loves it. Brok & I joined him there in TX but he was only allowed to stay with us on weekends though we did get to see him during the week too. He did well while he was there receiving Top Dawg (student of the month), Fit to Fight (excellence in physical fitness), and an award for having a 97%average the whole time he was there. From TX we made the drive & move to our new home in a little town outside of Phoenix, AZ called Buckeye (we do not live on base). He is stationed at Luke AFB. He recently completed the rest of his training and is now working basically a full time job. He will tell you that it is not what he imagined he’d do but it is nice that he will have a the same job for at least the next 6 years with the possibility to re-enlist if desired (not to mention that it’s every little boys dream to be around these fighter jets).
As for me… well aside from the fact that I had a baby, spent 6 weeks of the year with only 4 calls & 2 letters from my husband, moved away from all friends & family for 6 months & am now finally settling down, my life is pretty boring… Actually, I have made some great Air Force wife friends who are now all over the country and have enjoyed enhancing my relationship with Kevin & Brok. I enjoyed staying at home with Brok while in UT & TX but since moving here decided to get out & do something so I currently nanny for a wonderful family of 3 rambunctious boys aged from 5years-18months. Brok gets to come with me & he absolutely loves it & they love him. I am doing well & love our life.
I can’t forget to add something about the dogs; they would feel left out J Patches is her same crazy self (for those of you who don’t know she is a small lab mix about 4 years old) enjoying the fact that she now has a yard & room to run. (We can stand at the back door & throw a Frisbee to the front door & she can run full speed & catch it.) Zumi (an almost 2yr old mini pincher) is also enjoying his new home; he is very calm & seems to know that we are here for a while.
Have a great new year & enjoy your holidays!
Love, Kevin, Ashley & Brok +Patches & Zumi