Beaulieu Update

It's been a month or so since I've updated the blog so I'll do a reader's digest version of life in the Beaulieu household.

 

Taylor turned 17 recently.

 

Jeff and I were going to be in New York on his birthday so we took him out a week early to celebrate. Famous Dave's is now the kid's new favorite restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

Just a tip they bring you a really big dessert when it's your birthday.

 

 

The next day we went to Ramona to support Liesl in her color guard competition and then we stayed to see Kelzey. We didn't see either one of the girls long, enough to perform and then to say hi afterwards but they both seemed to appreciate it.

 (Ashley got a lot of hugs from Liesl and her friends ;)

 

 

That night we got a text from Tahna that she thought they had our camera.

Yay! It was brand new after our other one got stolen and it had been lost for months! She didn't know how it got there but it was in one of her bags.

 We got it back a few days before leaving for New York.

 

Then with Dairy Queen ice cream melting Taylor decided to do a good deed to go back to Steve and Tahna's again and bring Liesl her sister's phone that she had left at their house. He got back to the school just as they were giving out awards but couldn't see Liesl in the crowd very well, he felt conspicuous but got the phone delivered.

 

 

 

Oh while we were waiting for Kelzey to perform her mom slipped in to watch her and Taylor thought he'd be funny. He snuck behind her mom and started playing with her hair. It backfired on him though when Kelzey's mom didn't turn around. Then it was getting akward...so he started tugging on her hair. Eventually she turned around. She hadn't turned around before because she saw a toddler close by and thought the toddler was doing it and didn't want to get her in trouble, instead Taylor was feeling weird as it was going on longer and longer. Hee hee.

 

 

Taylor also hacked Kelzey's mom's phone earlier in the week and had me thinking that I was going to have to scold Taylor for doing something unacceptable (never knew what he was supposed to have done). I realized pretty quick that they were joking and all in on it though. Whew! He got me that time.

 

 

While we were in New York Kelzey covered Taylor's car with decorations to surprise him for his birthday.

 

 

 

 

 

He was on a campout (bouldering at Joshua Tree) when she decorated so all the balloons that she had spent lots of time blowing up to fill the back of the truck had all had popped and were scattered down the street :)

 

But these decorations remained. I was glad someone could do something for his birthday that day.

 

 

 

Once we were back in town we took Kelsey rock climbing for the first time. She did pretty good.

 

 

 

 

 

Taylor also passed his driving test and now has his license! (Here is the instructor). He has been enjoying his freedom some this last week and is getting more use of his car. There has been more than once this week that I wouldn't have been able to drive him somewhere and he was able to drive himself. Sweet! I'm think I'm going to like this

(but I do breathe a sigh of relief when he's back home safe)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And for Jacob...he finally finished his plant project that I've been stressing about (more than him probably). We went all over Riverside and probably went to 6 or 7 locations to get all of his plants, but we got them all.

(Some of them thanks to the help of fellow moms texting the locations of some of the plants)

 

 

We found the majority of them in Sycamore Canyon on the last couple of days before it was due.

 

 

 

This plant needed a cutting from it but it was buzzing. Jacob noticed the bee hive and didn't want to go anywhere near it. (It's in the middle)

 

 

We didn't find any other plants like it and so I knew I would have to go in for the cutting. Ashley was sure I was going to get stung by lots of bees and they might even kill me. I told her it was OK but I have to admit I was a little skittish by the end. Of course I got my cutting just fine without being stung.

 

 

 

 

 

The night before his project was due there was a lot of finish work. His plants weren't flat enough to put in a book like everyone else's so we did a display. He said it actually worked out because nobody else had a display like this and his stood out. He ended up getting a little extra credit because we had found all the required plants and a couple more. Sweet! Good job Jacob.

 

 

 

 

Jacob has also been on a baking fix. Every time he wants to treat his friends (or impress a girl) he wants to bring them brownies. I've made a lot of brownies this year.

 

The last time he wanted brownies and I was busy so he volunteered to make them from scratch himself.

 

Really?

Well OK.

 

Of course he couldn't really do it completely by himself but he hasn't been interested in cooking in a long time so I worked with him.

 

The first recipe turned out OK, but wasn't our favorite. 

 

I asked him how the girl liked them the next day.

 

He said "Well she is in 5th period and my 2nd period class heard I had brownies and they were all gone before 5th period..."

 

So he decided to make brownies the next night too. This time he got a different recipe and these were better.  This set of brownies ended up making it to his friend.  :)

 

 

 

As Jeff and I were getting ready to leave for the airport for New York we were packing up the boys for campouts. While Taylor was in Joshua Tree bouldering Jacob got to go black powder shooting.

Fun. Since we were gone and the boys were gone Ashley ended up having Jared and Vanessa all to herself.

 

 

 

 

And Ashley's update

 

Ashley was working on an installment of her State Project at the same time as I was helping Jacob with his plant project. That was a crazy night...and though she got it done there was some weeping and wailing. Of course waiting until the last minute causes some of this and I was trying to point out to Ashley that if she had listened to me the rest of the week when I encouraged her to work on it a little at a time then she wouldn't be stressed now. I told her maybe she would learn.

She said "I wont learn." (She wanted me to email the teacher to extend her time)

 

In the end she got it done, but woke up sick the next morning. (Could've been why she was so emotional about it) I went and put it in the teacher's box anyway that day because she had worked so hard on it.

 

 

 

 

One morning Ashley came to me with a magazine and wanted me to make tuxedo nails for her.

 

I did the best I could. Even thought they aren't as perfect as they were in the magazine she was happy with them. A few days later she was saying she was about ready to take them off. I asked why.

 

She said she was getting too much attention for them. People kept coming up to her and saying they liked her nails, even perfect strangers in public.

 

I didn't think that was a bad thing but I think because she already gets a lot of attention she doesn't want something to draw more attention to herself. So maybe no more tuxedo nails,  ha ha  :)

 

 

 

 

This last weekend were all busy and Ashley gets bored and wishes she had another sister. So  we borrow one for the day. Today we had her friend Jenna come down from Murrieta. We have found a good 1/2 way point to do pick up and drops offs but since it's still quite an ordeal getting them back and forth it usually ends up being an overnight stay. So Jenna got to stay the night at our house and go to church with us the next day.

 

Here they are taking the dog to the park to throw a ball for her. She only got to stay a couple hours after church and then we took her home. I thought it probably wasn't a very fun weekend for her but she assured us she had a good time. People at church even remembered her and her sisters from when they used to live in the area. She told Ashley she wishes she could go to church every Sunday (probably because sleeping over comes with it ;)

 

Ashley wouldn't let me get a picture of them in their cute dresses so this picture is all I have. 

 

 

 

 

 As for me I've been busy doing my normal stuff. Still selling snacks for 6th grade science camp. I made this poster for Book Fair because that was running while we were in New York. I did all the flyers and helped a little bit with Book Fair but basically I missed most of it this time.

 

 

 

We've had some celebrations...a bridal shower for Natalia Gardner and another one next week for Jared and Vanessa.

 

 

 

 

We also just went to Clair Bradford and Conrad's wedding reception. They did a beautiful job and I loved all the details in the decorations. There was a lot of thought and prep work that went into it!

 

 

 

 

 

They even had a candy bar to bring treats home at the end. They made an adorable couple and we wish them all the best.

 

 

 

 

Jeff and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary. 

 

 

It seems like we were so young...

 

 

 

Everyone else looked young too:)

 

 

But the years have gone by fast but I couldn't imagine life any other way.

 

Jeff bought me flowers that day.

 

Since it was on a school night we just decided to make a nice dinner and eat it by candlelight along with the kids.

 

However it wasn't too much of a celebration that day because the kids had too many snacks after school so they weren't too interested in the dinner and Jeff wasn't feeling good so he went to bed at 6:30.

 

 

 

 

 

Good thing we had already decided to celebrate it together on Saturday.

 

We went to Summit House in Fullerton to have a nice dinner.

 

They said they were booked and didn't have any room but when Jeff told them of the occasion they got us in at a decent time and even sat us next to the window.

 

 

 

 

They even had a special dessert for us.

 

Afterwards we drove to the beach and walked on New Port pier. We had our first date down there and it was nice to reminisce and enjoy the night together.

 

It's been a great 20 years and we're ready for many more!