Christmas Time

Justin's school had a band concert in early December.  There are only 10 people in this band, but he's learned so much this year and has really improved a lot on the trombone.  These aren't good pictures, since I took them from across a large room on my phone, but they'll have to do.

The last several years we've had the pleasure of volunteering at Denver's Operation Christmas Child Processing Center.  It is so much fun going through all the boxes and making sure they are properly packed; seeing the fun stuff that people have put in them and thinking about the child who will open them.  Every hour or so, the whole place will stop for prayer over the boxes.  It's really cool.  Justin and I went this year, with a group from our church.

Christmas Eve!

Opening presents Christmas morning.
Taylor, Keelan, Justin

Samuel and Taylor

Jim, Caylie, Samuel

And fun during Christmas Day!
Keelan and his girlfriend Destiny with Tessa.

This was taken in front of the windows, so the light is bad, but it's the only one I have of the game-playing.  Samuel would play games all day long if he could.

Caylie and Uncle Brandon (Brad's brother) playing with Tessa.

Jim, Brad, and their snow friend.

Poor Brittany wasn't feeling very good, being newly pregnant.  She spent the day on the couch.

Tessa and Caylie got new slippers from Grandma and Grandpa Beck.

Nana and her Tessa.

Merry Christmas!

Indiana Thanksgiving

We drove to Indiana for Thanksgiving!  We hadn't done that since Brittany was in college, and at that time we had two less children, so this was quite the adventure, ha!  My sister Sharon and her kids live near my parents, but my other sister Tina and her family live in Connecticut, so it's rare that we are all together. 

We took the kids out of school on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and took off in a snowstorm through eastern Colorado early that morning.  Fortunately the snow didn't last into Kansas.  We spent the night in Missouri and got to Indiana on Wednesday afternoon.  My parents had moved to a new house last year, which we hadn't seen yet, so it was fun getting a tour.  Shortly after we got there, my sister Tina and her family arrived. 

Tina and her husband, Ken.

These are what we call "The Triplets".  Both of my sisters and I were all pregnant at the same time in 2002.  Justin, Angela, and Elsie were all born within a few weeks of each other, and are now 14.  (I wish I could find a picture of them together as babies.  I'll have to look for it.)

My mom (in the center) and two of her cousins, 

Teresa and Cheryl.

I told Jim to smile nicely because I wanted a good photo of the two of us.  Sigh . . . 

Most of the cousins.  Samuel did not want his picture taken (sigh) and Brittany and Taylor weren't there.  
Back row: Stephanie, Keelan, Adam
Middle row: Justin, Angela, Elsie, Shelby
Front row: Caylie, Millie

Aunt Janiece and her great-grandbaby Remy. 

 (She's the one who is Tessa's great-great-great aunt!)

My sister Sharon and her boyfriend Toby.

The three Beck girls after too much pie.  Tina, Sharon, Joy. 

And here we are, slightly better behaved.  However, I'm looking at a different camera, it seems . . . 

Speaking of pie, I got some of this!  Wick's Sugar Cream pie, made in my hometown of Winchester, Indiana.  Yummy!

My mom, Aunt Edie, Uncle Dave (mom's brother) and my dad.

And now there will be lots of pictures of people playing games.   :)
Millie, Sharon, Shelby, Angela, Stephanie

Keelan, Jim, Samuel

Caylie with her Aunt Tina.

Tina, Millie, Samuel, Toby, Shelby

Cousins.  :)  Stephanie, Shelby, Angela, Caylie, Elsie

 Shelby, Stephanie, Sharon

Angela, Shelby, Caylie, Elsie

Tina, Ken, Adam, Toby

Justin

On Friday my parents gave out Christmas gifts. 

 That's my dad in the Santa hat.

On Saturday we drove over to Upland to see our friends the Johnsons and to eat yummy ice cream at Ivanhoes.  (You gotta click the link and see their ice cream menu!)

Sandy and Mark 

Erin and her cute boys, Sebastian and Solomon.

Keelan, Samuel, Jim, and Caylie

Justin and me, taken with a bad phone camera lens.

Nathan, Graham and Keelan.  Can't believe these boys are so big and old.

On Sunday we left at 4am Colorado time and drove all the way home; about 18 hours.  Fortunately we gain two hours going west!  We had a fun Thanksgiving.  :)

School Pictures

I am a little late on posting these, but here are the kids' school pictures!  These aren't the best quality, as I just took pictures of the pictures with my phone instead of my good camera, but you get the idea.
 (I posted Keelan's senior pictures earlier in this post.)  

Justin is in 8th grade at Vanguard Classical School.

Samuel is in 6th grade at Global Village Academy.

Caylie is in 1st grade at Global Village Academy.

And our cute grandbaby Tessa isn't in school yet, but here is her 2-year-old picture!