Another one turns a decade

Andrew turned 10 yesterday. Another one of my children hits the double digits :) Andrew invited three friends over to spend the night. I led the kids in an event of different games from the show, Minute to Win it. It was fun! The kids enjoyed practicing and completing the rounds.

Stacking the cups and then taking them down without falling was Andrew's favorite feat.
When I asked Andrew what kind of birthday cake he wanted, he said "dirt cake." Now, dirt cake is not really a cake. So, we decided to play it up good and tell his friends that I dropped the cake, and that we would just have to settle for eating some dirt. Andrew then proceeded to take a spoon and eat out of the potted plant in the center of the table. The kids loved it! A few moments later, one of Andrew's friends asked me, "Can I have some more dirt!" It did feel weird to have no birthday candles.



I just had to post a more recent picture of our newest addition. This just can't be a good thing (a dog with a balloon) :)

What a super weekend!!!!

I have been meaning to get this post up, but it has been a super busy week. Anyway, it was a Super weekend at our house this past weekend. Of course, the most obvious reason to anybody would be the fact that the Packers won the Super Bowl. Our whole house was quite excited for this victory.

At church that morning, however, we had a special visitor---Mike Penberthy. He was a former Los Angeles Laker who was on the team with Kobe and Shaq when they won the NBA finals. He is a Christian who is fervent in his faith and loves to share his love of basketball. Andrew is currently in his season of Upwards, so he was looking forward to having Mike sign his jersey.


Wesley got to try on the championship ring.

Another big event for our family was the purchase of a new vehicle. We have been needing to get a larger automobile, and the time came on Friday. Our Ford Explorer (which carried all 3 of my kids as babies) was nearly dead. Gary really wanted a jeep, but the practical side won out over the recreational side. See our new Chevrolet Traverse. It has already been so nice to have room to carry a few extra passengers.

And baby makes six

Before anyone reads the title and thinks the impossible....that we are going to be having a sixth member of the Beard household, I must confess: the impossible has been accomplished.

You see, it really was impossible that Gary would ever let us get a dog. He hated the dog fur, dog smell, dog....well, everything. After getting Sherman (our betta fish) six months ago, the kids have been very responsible in taking care of him. So, for Christmas (actually more like a New Year's gift), Gary wanted to surprise us all by purchasing a dog. Let me introduce you to Buddy, our Border Terrier/ Chihuahua mix. He is just 13 weeks old.


Now, while taking care of a fish is definitely the world's easiest job---feed him a bit in the morning and change his water once every couple weeks. There is no clean-up, no noise, and no chewed shoes. The kids (and Gary) are ready to take on this additional responsibility. I must say, he has already won our hearts (well, not quite mine, I am waiting for him to not pee on the floor) :)

Christmas Moments

Tonight before I sat down to post these pictures, I took some time to read a bit before bed. I was reading one of my favorite books; it continually challenges my spiritual walk, and it reminds me of what is truly important.

I want to post some Christmas pictures because that is just the purpose of this blog, and my mom will really want to see them :) However, I do have to add: this is not what the special Christmas moments were.

Let me share a brief part of the chapter I was just reading: "Suppose you were an extra in an upcoming movie. You will probably scrutinize that one scene where hundreds of people are milling about, just waiting for that two-fifths of a second when you can see the back of your head. Maybe your mom and your best friend get excited about that two-fifths of a second with you.....maybe. But no one else will realize it is even you. Even if you tell them, they won't care. Let's take it a step further. What if you rent out the whole theater on opening night and invite all your friends and family to come see the new movie about you? People will say, "You are an idiot! How could you think this movie is about you?" Many Christians are even more delusional than this person I've been describing. So many of us think and live like the movie of life is all about us. God creates the world....People rebel against God, so God destroys the world with a flood....God singles out a man to make as the father of a nation....The climax: The son of God is born among the people whom God somehow still loves....The finale:the throne room of God. From start to finish, this movie is obviously about God. Our scene in this movie, our brief life, falls somewhere between those acts. We have only our two-fifths of a second to live. I don't know about you, but I want my two-fifths of a second to be about my making much about God."

After a challenging illustration like this, I want to share my two best Christmas moments: The first Christmas memory occurred on Christmas Eve during our church service, with my eyes closed in worship and song to this precious Child. Secondly, I treasure the time I was able to listen on Christmas morning to my nine year old reading the familiar yet still precious Christmas story in Luke 2.

I don't mean to be "religious" sounding; I did have much fun with my family. However, the best Christmas moments were spent in remembering the main character of this season and every day of our lives: God!

Black Friday at our House

Yes, like many of the Americans, I do enjoy going shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. I must admit, however, I do not enjoy going at 4 am :( Wesley and I braved the crowds and were able to find some great gifts.

But, the best part of Black Friday for us occurs later during the day. Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, we get out the Christmas tree and decorate. We also play Christmas music, watch Christmas movies, and eat yummy finger foods all afternoon and evening. As the kids are getting older, they also really enjoy this tradition.



Each year, each of my kids gets a new ornament. As we hung them on the tree, it was fun to recall the previous years and then have them hang up the corresponding ornament. I remember that in 1996 (when Gary and I first got married), our tree was somewhat empty. Now, we are getting rather loaded!

Here's to the beginning of a great holiday season with your traditions and friends and family!

The Hard Questions

Rarely, do I use my blog or facebook account as a means of personal advertising. However, I do want to share something amazing that has developed in my life, and in turn, provides an opportunity for you.

I sometimes feel that I have been a Christian my entire life. I was saved at age five, and I never had to turn from a life saturated in sin. I can't even remember not being a Christian. However, being saved at such a young age and growing up "in the church" tends to bring a certain apathy to many people. I was no exception! I have always wanted to do right and please God and my parents, but I feel that my Christian walk consisted more of a routine that I lived out each day.

Over the course of time, God has been doing an awesome and patient work in teaching me to do more than just walk the Christian walk. I am learning to really LIVE the Christian life. In my pursuit, I have had several questions that plagued me. I thought I knew what the Bible stated, but I did not really understand the answers to these questions.

One example is the following: "Why Pray?" Seriously, if I believe God is sovereign, and His will is going to be accomplished, then what is the point in asking Him for requests. He knows my heart, so why do I need to vocalize anything? Yes, I know the Bible commands us and teaches us to pray, and so that is why I did it. However, the real heart of the question remained.

I dared to ask some of these "hard to ask" questions, and in searching for the answers from the Bible and other resources, I began an adventure that I now treasure! It is difficult to ask your pastor, Bible teachers, or parents: "Hey, why do we pray?" I didn't want them to think I was a heretic :)

I was tired of dodging these questions and decided to really search for the answers. Other topics that I studied include the will of God, the existence of God, miracles, the peace of God, and several others. My general approach follows the saying, "Leave no stone unturned!"

As I studied, I took notes, and I shared them with many others. Several people encouraged me to write a study regarding these questions, and that is what I have done. I have created a Bible study entitled, "The Hard Questions." It is a walk through searching for the truth in regards to ten sometimes difficult to ask questions.

The book is written as a study, meant for individual work or for a group study. I will be working through the book with my Adult Sunday School class females in January, and I am excited to see how the Lord will use it.

I now ask two things of you. First, pray that the Lord will use this book to help others, like me, who have questions about really living out the Christian life. Secondly, consider purchasing the study for yourself. I guarantee God will teach you something! If you would like to use it in a group, let me know, and I will send some other resources that I will be using with my own church group. The book includes questions at the end of each chapter (ten chapters) for personal or group reflection.

I have had the book published through Amazon, and it can be purchased online at the following site: https://www.createspace.com/3481296 .

Again, I promise not to advertise needlessly on my blog or facebook account, but this is just too good to leave to "word of mouth." Check it out!

Weekend Get-away

Our family took a long weekend and went to San Diego. Of course, the main reason for the location was the fact that Gary had ordered tickets to the San Diego Charger's football game for the boys. We all took off on Monday and had a wet but fun day in San Diego.


Yes, when you arrive two hours before the game, you actually beat most of the people in your section.

While the boys were watching the game, Brooke and I spent our time at Fashion Valley in San Diego. It is a beautiful outdoor mall. Brooke's favorite purchase was her cheerleader from Build-a-Bear.



Hats off to a fun weekend. Now, it is time to get back home and back to school :)

Huskies Football

The sixth grade Ventura Missionary School flag football team with their coach, Mike Ramos.


Get that flag, Wesley!






Wesley's sixth grade class had their first football game this evening. It is flag football. The good news is that he made it through the first game with no broken bones (unlike his experience last year in tackle football). The team did a great job, even though they did lose the first game 24-12.

We look forward to a good season of competition and fun with Wesley and his classmates (teammates).

....and his name is Sherman

We have never been a family with a pet. This was not because we do not love animals or think that they are cute. However, neither Gary nor I are too sentimental in this area, nor do we need any extra thing to take care of. Our kids have lately been begging for a pet, mostly a dog. Gary gets very sensitive to pet hair and smells, so that has been a big obstacle in ever acquiring a pet.

This past Sunday, we visited some friends, and I really liked the fish that sat in a vase as a centerpiece on their table. They told us how it was so easy and low maintenance. My ears perked up! So, it is possible to have a pet and have low maintenance (cost and work).

Today, Brooke and I set out to find our fish (he is a Betta fish). We also created a similar home to the one that our friends had used. While driving home, Brooke watched him in the backseat and constantly monitored his progress: "He is doing good." "He likes to dance to the music." "He is doing the wamba, wamba" (a dance move Brooke named and then imitated his fish dancing moves). As soon as we pulled into the house, Brooke said: "I am so glad that we now have a pet. Andrew and I had two snails and three worms in the backyard, but the worms died, and the snails ran away." I hope we have better luck with our fish.

Oh, by the way, our friends had named their fish Herman, so we called our new pet, Sherman!

Ventura County Fair

This just cracked us all up! He looks rather happy in that bucket :)


Andrew had the "win" on the second time down!


While we do often visit Six Flags Magic Mountain and enjoy those rides, there is just something classic about time at the county fair. We all spent the day yesterday at Ventura County Fair---visiting animals, observing booths, eating food, and riding fair rides. Enjoy the pictures, as we enjoyed our day!